April 4, 2016
Joe Hollmann
[email protected]
There are many opportunities for students to advance and develop strong skills in leadership. UCCSlead is one of these, and it continues to grow.
Students have the opportunity to learn leadership skills through UCCSLead, which started last fall and now has over 400 students. Participation in the program involves training on Saturday modules. The next module is April 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The program is free, requires no qualifications to participate and looks to help create student leaders.
Chancellor Pamela Shockley-Zalabak hopes the program will grow to 1,000 students, according to UCCSlead program coordinator Madison Yates.
“We want to build a new generation of leaders,” said Yates.
The program originated as a way to help students develop leadership skills without having to be in the Chancellor’s Leadership Class. The CLC is very competitive, according to Yates. UCCSLead allows for a wider variety of students to develop leadership qualities.
UCCSlead was created to give an outlet to those who wanted to develop leadership skills after an excess of CLC applications were received. It hopes to create a broader culture of leadership on campus, according to UCCSlead director Garrett Gatlin.
“We wanted to create an entirely new program that would be open to all students, and provide high quality leadership development,” said Gatlin.
Each element of UCCSlead has been designed with a purpose, according to Gatlin.
“We have incorporated elements proven to be critical in the development of successful leaders. Our program has four main components of training, academic coursework, networking and experience.”
According to Yates, the program revolves around three certifications that are awarded to individuals in the program who meet certain training, academic and experience requirements.
The certificates build on each other and become more intensive, adding more requirements the further a student goes in the program. Here is a brief overview of each certification:
Transformative Leadership Certificate
• Two modules of intensive, all-day training on periodic Saturdays on campus (one per semester)
• Take one leadership class
• Eight hours of community service
Breakthrough Leadership Certificate
• Complete one more additional module on campus
• Take an upper division course in leadership
• Eight more hours (16 total) of community service
High Impact Leadership Certificate
• Complete one more final module on campus
• Take one more leadership class; must have taken Seminar in Leadership and Organizational Change (COMM 4950)
• Serve in a leadership role on campus
Some of the activities on the Saturday modules include self-assessment tests for areas like personality and skills as well as group activities and lessons taught by members of the Creative Center for Leadership, a third-party company that helps train high-level executives in leadership.
As for the effectiveness of the program, Yates said it was a little early to tell. The first UCCSlead graduating class will be this May.
“Since we are so new, we don’t quite know that,” Yates said. “(After graduation) we can see how effective the training and certifications will be.”