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Leadership @ SCSU

Student Leadership Development

SCSU  believes that anyone can be a leader, regardless of position. Leadership is a process by which individuals and groups work toward positive change and can be demonstrated in many different ways. To be an effective leader, individuals must know themselves and act in a manner consistent with their values.

UB offers several opportunities for students to explore and develop their leadership potential. We believe that:

  • Leadership is a process by which individuals and groups work toward positive change.
  • Individuals must know themselves and act in a way that is consistent with their values in order to be an effective leader.
  • Anyone can be a leader, regardless of position or role.
  • Leadership is demonstrated in different ways, depending on the individual and situation.

All leadership opportunities on campus are rooted in our core leadership competencies in order to allow students to build necessary skills to be a successful student-leader, as well as a successful professional upon graduation!

Student Leadership Institute

Become a better leader through our certificate programs: The Student Leadership Academy (SLA) was created in Spring 2022 as a leadership development certificate program aimed to assist students in increasing both personal and organizational success. SLA allows Southern Connecticut State University students of all levels to develop self-awareness, learn strategies to improve leadership skills, and directly apply competencies to their leadership work. Through retreats, interactive workshops, and activities, students will build on six competency areas including community engagement, reasoning and thought, communication, group dynamics, personal behavior, and self-awareness and development.

Student testimonials

“” - Spring 2023 participant

“.” - Spring 2024 participant

Application information

Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders is the first tier of the Student Leadership Institute and is open to all students looking to learn more about their personal strengths and leadership styles in order to build a foundation of strong leadership. Emerging Leaders is offered every Spring semester and is by application only. 

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Leadership opportunities

Strengthen your team with a Leadership Workshop

Need helping working together? Want to keep striving to your goals in effective way? Interested in better training your members and executive board? We can help!

Workshops can be designed for individual clubs, organizations, athletic teams, and academic courses to enhance performance and grow the potential of all individuals. Each requested workshop is personalized based on your needs and requests. Please request your workshop at least two weeks in advance. A few topics we cover are below.

Workshops can be designed for individual clubs, organizations, athletic teams, and academic courses. Sample topics include:

  • Team Building
  • GRIT/Motivation
  • Effective Communication
  • Professional Etiquette
  • Goal Setting
  • Conflict Management
  • Event Planning
  • Self-awareness and values
  • Organizational Management
  • Membership Recruitment and Retention
  • And much more!

Leadership Certificates

At SCSU, students have the opportunity to earn Leadership Certificates.  The Certificates follow the Social Change Model of Leadership in order to allow students to explore different aspects of leadership development through their college experience.

The Leadership Certificates are always:

  • Co-Curricular:  The Certificates are not for-credit classes, but the material covered in Certificate Seminars & leadership experiences will give students tools to be successful in the classroom.
     
  • Universally Accessible:  The Leadership Certificate program is offered equally to every student at SCSU.  We are open to students of any class status, part-time students, full-time students, transfer students, students of any major.  The Certificates are always free for students.
     
  • Competency-Based: Every single student has the capacity for leadership--there is no such thing as a “natural-born leader”.  The Certificates allow students to hone in & improve specific areas of leadership, rather than focusing on obtaining a position of authority.

Each Certificate takes one academic year to complete.  If a student completes all three Leadership Certificates before they graduate, SCSU will pay for their cap & gown for graduation!  If you’ve taken this time to prepare yourself for graduation, we’ll prepare you for graduation day.

Find out more about each Certificate:

Bronze Leadership Certificate

All students start at the Bronze Certificate.  The Bronze focuses on Individual Values of Leadership.  Leaders must first understand how they themselves grow and thrive before they want to help others do the same.  As part of the Bronze Certificate, students will be challenged to find a mentor on campus & branch out into different aspects of campus involvement.

Silver Leadership Certificate

Students who complete the Bronze Certificate can move on to the Silver Certificate.  The Silver moves from Individual Values to Group Values of Leadership.  Team dynamics are at the heart of the Silver Certificate.  Teamwork, collaboration, and civil disagreement are all necessary parts to the success of any group.  After completing the Silver Certificate, you might find that group projects & papers are more enjoyable!

Gold Leadership Certificate

After completing the Silver Certificate, students can enroll in the Gold Certificate, the third level of the program.  The Gold Certificate focuses on Societal & Community Values of Leadership.  In addition to being connected to themselves and their teams, leaders are connected to their communities.  Leaders improve the communities around them. This Certificate will challenge students to think of leadership in a larger context & prepare for possible career paths after college.  Students in this certificate will act as mentors for the newer Rowan students in the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I start my Certificate?

Come to an Interest Meeting--we have a bunch of them!  There are separate Interest Meetings for the Bronze, Silver, and Gold.  You can find out about all of them on ____________________. 

 

What’s the time commitment for the Certificates?

Each Certificate takes one academic year to complete.  Because of the different kinds of events & programs that students could choose inside of each certificate, it’s hard to say the exact time commitment.  But the certificates are built with the assumption that they will take about 30 hours through the academic year to accomplish. That’s all--just 30 hours inside of 10 months.

 

Wait--I’m a transfer student & I’m only going to be here two years.  Can I participate in the Leadership Certificates?

Yes!  Typically, the entire Leadership Certificate program takes 3 years to complete.  But for transfer students, there is the option to enroll in both the Bronze & the Silver Certificates at once.  This is done on a case-by-case basis. For more information on getting enrolled in this way, email