Heart

Strengthen Student Formation and Leadership Development

Rationale

Student formation and leadership development take as many shapes as there are students. Discovering one’s sense of place and vocation in the world is intrinsically a personal journey. As an Episcopal university, the University of the South is “concerned with the common good and the contribution of the individual to it,” which calls on the University to prepare students to address the world’s greatest challenges and to be engaged citizens in a democratic society. Thus, as part of their liberal arts and theological educational experiences at the University of the South, students have many opportunities in and out of the classroom to find their purpose as they explore paths for their future and their engagement in the world. Leadership skills require engagement with people from a wide array of backgrounds and identities, so leadership development necessitates learning to communicate across diverse interests and perspectives and contributing to the reconciliation of those differences.

The University will build on, and increase the availability of, curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular elements, many of which are already successful, to empower students to explore their purpose, foster contemplation, and nurture the qualities necessary for leadership and service from wherever they are in life. The intentional alignment of student-formation and leadership-development components can deepen students’ experiences and help them discover their potential as they prepare for lives rich with meaning and purpose.

Description

The University will enhance and expand already successful programs for both undergraduate and seminary students. This proposal focuses on deepening programming that will offer many opportunities for students to tackle big life questions; develop important skills such as communication, cross-cultural understanding, and conflict resolution; practice active citizenship; and explore their personal understanding of leadership. The University strives to develop and/or deepen programming that empowers students to reflect on their experiences and that fosters trust and confidence in their own perspectives and abilities. This approach will enable students to draw meaningful connections between their academic coursework, co-curricular experiences, service activities, and personal development milestones. Further, the University supports curricular and co-curricular programming that enables students to gain the citizenship skills and dispositions of collaboration, dialogue and deliberation, and working across lines of difference in decision-making. By being more intentional in this work, the University aims to deepen students' understanding of character formation, active citizenship, and leadership, equipping them with the insights and skills needed to navigate complex challenges and make meaningful contributions in their chosen fields, communities, and polities.

Supporting Tactics

Integrate aspects of student formation and leadership development into select academic initiatives.
  • Include in a re-envisioned, inclusive FYE program modules related to student formation, dialogue across lines of difference, and leadership development as both initial exposure for new students and a common foundation upon which to build in subsequent years.
  • Offer courses such as “Purpose and Pathways” (PSYC 390, offered Advent 2024), to help students develop a deeper understanding of their roles as citizens and leaders in society, by engaging these concepts through academic fields in which they are interested in pursuing study.
  • Revitalize the Certificate in Civic and Global Leadership to provide all students with a focused academic emphasis in civic engagement in promotion of social justice, civil dialogue, collaborative decision-making, and leadership development.
  • Ensure that faculty who wish to embed leadership components into curricular offerings or project-based learning opportunities have the resources and training for research, planning, and execution.
Expand curricular and co-curricular programming that fosters active citizenship.
  • Deepen commitment to the Dialogue Across Difference program to encourage students’ skill development in deliberation.
  • Promote co-curricular programs that urge active citizenship and electoral participation, such as those developed by Democratic Engagement, Debate Union, Student Government, and others.
  • Capitalize on students’ curricular and co-curricular community engagement to explore ethics and responsibility of citizenship.
  • Urge curricular and co-curricular engagement with diverse communities to promote cross-cultural understanding and citizen awareness of various societal issues.
  • Explore programming options, such as the former “How, Then, Shall We Live?” series that meld lectures with cross-campus dialogue on crucial issues of our time.
Provide both undergraduates and seminarians the ability to tailor a multiyear leadership development experience through aggregating a rich array of opportunities.
  • Incorporate and/or deepen leadership-related objectives in programs such as Bonner Scholars, Canale Leaders, 213A Scholars, outreach student leaders, proctors, FYE mentors, chaplains, spiritual directors, student organization leaders, student athlete team captains, and in other roles so that students gain needed skills, competencies, self-awareness, empowerment, and reflection for their personal journeys on campus and in life beyond Sewanee. Training on guided reflections and other necessary resources should be provided to ensure faculty, staff, coaches, and others are prepared to guide this reflection.
  • Capitalize on our unique community as the only University with a liberal arts college and an Episcopal seminary. Build more bridges between the two cohorts of students through combined experiences in leadership training and mentorship opportunities; programs in the classroom and the chapel; and outreach and mission trips.
  • Develop a mechanism that provides all students with a clear understanding of the array of leadership development opportunities that are available to them and how to get involved in them.
  • Consider providing students with the ability to build a “co-curricular transcript” through which they can document many of their leadership development experiences. (See also Strategy 1B.)
  • Establish an Emerging Leaders or Fellows program for students interested in an intensive multi year program.
Expand access to Center for Leadership programming for students.
  • Offer Center for Leadership workshops and sessions that focus on leadership development, conflict resolution, inclusive leadership, and personal growth for College and School of Theology students. These programs equip students with the skills and mindset necessary to make meaningful contributions to society.
  • Develop leadership enrichment circles, which would offer short-term, cohort-based leadership development activities in small group settings, where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and building relationships.
Expand coaching and mentoring opportunities for students.
  • Expand our alumni leadership mentoring program in which current students can connect with alumni who can offer guidance, advice, and support in the areas of life purpose, career paths, and leadership.
  • Leverage the diverse and rich experiences of students in the School of Theology in order to mentor undergraduate students. This effort would contribute to fostering deeper connections between the College and the School of Theology and to building a relationship-rich experience for all students.
  • Establish a professional coaching program through which a small cohort of faculty and staff are provided with professional coaching training each year. These trained individuals will guide students in personal and leadership growth, help students develop self-awareness, set goals, and overcome obstacles, and complement our advising program and success coaches.
Provide students with opportunities and resources to demonstrate leadership through bringing change and solving problems.
  • Building on the model of existing programs, such as the Idea Incubator and the Sustainability Fellowship Program, provide both undergraduates and seminarians with the resources, support, and consultation to refine their ideas, create an actionable plan, and engage through the appropriate channels to enable a project to come to fruition.