Purpose:

The purpose of this action guide is to connect you with opportunities to gain leadership experience.

Description:

Were you the person in high school who was involved in nearly everything? Are you looking for opportunities to develop your leadership skills? There are two offices on campus that provide opportunities for leadership development and experience: the Leadership Education and Development Undergraduate Programs (LEAD-UP) and Student Union and Activities.

LEAD-UP provides a wide variety of leadership opportunities for undergraduate students. Initiatives include the Leadership Minor, the First-Year Leadership Institute, LeaderQuest, the Tom Burnett Leadership Program, and a Leadership Certificate program.

There are over 600 student groups on campus! The opportunity to get involved is readily available. You can browse groups by interest category or look at them alphabetically. The students who have accepted positions of leadership in their organization by becoming an officer are listed, along with contact information.

What are you waiting for? Become a leader. Get involved.

Directions:

1. Go to the leadership development website1

a. Look at the Leadership Minor and read about the 4 core courses.

2. Examine2 the different co‐curricular programs

a. You will see links to the First‐Year Leadership Institute, LeaderQuest, the Tom

Burnett Leadership Program, and a Leadership Certificate program.

b. Students are not automatically admitted to these programs. Applications

must be submitted.Learn the specifics by visiting their website…and while

you’re there, check out the profiles of past participants.

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3. Browse3 student groups

a. Click on Find a group.

b. To learn more about a specific group, click on the link.A group description

will indicate how to get involved with the group, where they meet, and how

often.Contact information for the group is also available, as well as the

officer’s names and their e‐mail addresses.If you’re thinking about an

academic major, for example, but aren’t sure‐‐and you want to speak with

students immersed in the curriculum, go to one of their meetings!

Reflection Prompts:

When you meet with your coach, be prepared to discuss the following questions:

  • Based on this exercise, what student groups or leadership opportunities are you interested in exploring further?
  • What appeals to you about these opportunities?
  • What leadership skills can you learn from this experience?
  • In what ways do you think your participation might affect your choice of academic major or future career path? WHY do you think so?
  • In what ways do employers value what a student gains from these opportunities?
  • What are your next steps to pursue this opportunity?
  • As you participate in this experience, it is important to think about what you hope to gain from this and how you might explain your experience and skills gained to someone else (see the University’s outcomes4). Useefolio (access through MyU.portal) to document your learning and experiences during your undergraduate experience.

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