Leadership Program Characteristics

PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS 

The program allows the self-directed learner to participate in a dynamic-action agenda devoted to service. The program’s strengths are evident in several ways:

Biographically-anchored

People lead from who they are and whom they are becoming. Their life narrative—their choices, circumstances and the choices of others—is the important material that has shaped their current practices. They need to use these in understanding and planning for the future as leaders. For that reason, understanding one’s identity and story is essential for the leaders in our program of development.

Job-embedded learning

Participants are encouraged to use their work and life experience as the basic context to demonstrate the Leadership competencies.

Competency-based 

Although not listing a prescribed set of courses, the program is designed around a set of competencies, including both skill and knowledge-based areas necessary to demonstrate competence.

Learning Community

The Leadership program builds important bonds among its participants. The participants become partners in learning, both with faculty members and other participants. This process is enhanced by involvement in orientation activities, seminars, learning groups, and through continued contact and discussion via the Internet, and other forms of telecommunication.

The participants cooperate in regional learning groups and learn through various media.

Learner-driven & Flexible

The participant works with an advisor and develops a plan of study with course work and directed activities to fit his/her needs. An extraordinary amount of personal ownership by the participant is critical for satisfactory completion of the program.

The flexibility allows the educational needs, career goals, and past experience of the participant to play an important part in the development of an individualized plan of study and development.

• Throughout the course of study, individual achievement is evaluated on the basis of demonstrated competencies.
• The program is completed when the participant has demonstrated achievement of at least 15 competencies.
• Demonstration of achievements is documented in a portfolio that is assembled throughout the program. The portfolio is presented for validation to a faculty team at the end of the program.
• For the MA and DLEAD a research project is completed and approved.
  For PhD degrees, a doctoral dissertation must be completed, defended, and approved.

For more information, please contact our program directors