BY KATE PIERCE
News Editor
Instilling leadership skills in students has been a pillar for Saint Rose, and a new program hopes to strengthen it.
The Signature Leadership and Learning Experience (SLLE) program is a collaborative initiative between the Divisions of Student Affairs and Student Success and Engagement.The program was designed for incoming students and offers five unique co-curricular leadership development teams.
Students can choose the team of most interest to them from the five following options: Civic Engagement and Servant Leadership, Creative Expression, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Global Connectedness and Inclusive Leadership, and Women and Leadership.
Each team serves about 115 students annually, with a focus on understanding and developing attributes of leadership, serving through teamwork, understanding one’s own identity and values, and recognizing and harnessing the power of diversity of thought.
“Each five track offers a living-learning community and the opportunity to participate in a diverse range of experiences over their four years of study at The College of Saint Rose,” said Darcey Kemp, assistant vice president for student success and engagement.
The program coordinators will host workshops, activities and events for basic characteristics of leadership as well as focused sessions for each team.
“This is a brand new program that is full of potential,” said Matthew Ruiz, an academic counselor in the Office of Academic Advising and coordinator for the Entrepreneurial Leadership team.
The programs that Ruiz creates can stem from his personal experiences working for big named businesses or his time as a supervisor for a smaller company.
“Using my own experiences, bringing in faculty members to talk, and have students come in that created their own businesses, are some ways in which I hope to bring out the passion in my students,” Ruiz said. “The exposure piece is important and helps students get a sense of ‘Yes, I can do this.’ If they have good examples to inspire them, the passion will remain or grow even larger.”
Ruiz’s passion is helping students and he believes he can assist with giving students an inside look into the world of business and finding a way to become a leader in their career endeavors, he has completed his mission.
The Entrepreneurial Leadership has a few upcoming activities planned, including an leadership panel on September 28, in addition to other speaker series, Image and Branding sessions, LinkedIn information, and career roundtables. He is also planning on having collaborations with other SLLE teams.
One team coordinator has a particular passion for leadership and service.
“As an AmeriCorps VISTA alumna, I have always been very involved in service opportunities,” said Lamara Burgess, the Associate Director of the Office of Intercultural Leadership and coordinator of the Civic Engagement and Servant Leadership team.
“Working on a project and seeing its positive impact come to fruition is very fulfilling and I enjoy connecting with the community throughout that process as well,” said Burgess. “I also feel like it is my duty as a citizen of the world to help those in need.”
For the fall semester ,the Civic Engagement and Servant Leadership team has plans to facilitate a community tour, volunteer in local non-profit organizations, and learn about policies that affect social justice issues..
“SLLE is a great opportunity to get first-year students involved in an area of their interest that will provide them with the skills they need to become active leaders on campus,” said Burgess. “As a new student, it can sometimes feel intimidating to look for those types of opportunities, but it has been done for them through this program.”
Burgess hopes that students who participate in the program will become more deeply reflective on the reasons why they serve, how they have benefitted from service in their own lives, and how to incorporate service into their academic and professional careers long term. Through this, she also hopes that students will value service and inquire about deeper rooted systemic issues that create service needs to begin with.
“Your years spent in college are a great time to explore different aspects of your identity,” said Sarah Kittle, the assistant director of undergraduate admissions and coordinator for the Women Leadership team. “I am passionate about this team because I believe it will help our students understand the role that their gender plays in their personal and professional lives and in society as a whole.”
Kittle believes most of her students chose the Women Leadership team because they already share the same passion for woman and leadership as she does. She also hope that the events and programs that the program offers will help her students gain a deeper understanding of their own identity and learn to apply their strengths towards things like leadership, networking, and community building.
Throughout the year, students in Kittle’s team will be able to attend a panel of local entrepreneurs, a workshop to draw your own political cartoon representing women’s rights, a film festival, and a local networking event.
“The SLLE program at Saint Rose is successful when the growth and learning outcomes of our students include: obtainment of degree, the assumption of leadership roles on campus or in the community, e.g., student president, club or association involvement, mentoring of other students, the production of high-quality academic work, tackling local or broader community challenges, and volunteering on or off campus,” said Kemp. “We also look for evidence that our students are capable of: Helping to resolve conflict, respecting the rights and opinions of others, making informed, ethical decisions, and taking personal and social responsibility.”
Effectiveness of our programs will be measured through a variety of measures over time. These measures include participation in SLLE programs and offerings, the assessment of specific student projects, surveys regarding the effectiveness of the workshops and trainings delivered, participation in community service, and how many students assume leadership roles on campus.
Students are also encouraged to participate in existing programs such as LEAD and the National Society of Leadership and Success to further develop their leadership skills.
“This is the first year of production for the SLLE program so we are excited to see it take off and excited to see how it develops as we go,” said Ruiz. “We will take this one event or workshop at a time and listen to what the students want.”
