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Leadership Development

Emerging Leaders Retreat

The Emerging Leaders Retreat (ELR) is held annually in the week before classes begin in January. Members of the first-year and sophomore classes are invited to attend via a nomination and application process. 

Student participants will: 

  • Expand their on-campus social network through meeting and interacting with their peers, faculty, and staff.
  • Define and discuss the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (SCM) and its seven C’s values and examine the interconnectedness of those values through presentations and debriefing sessions with their mentors.
  • Recognize their strengths by completing the CliftonStrengths Assessment.
  • Critically apply their strengths in the Retreat as well as in academic and extracurricular settings and beyond through reflections and deepening activities.
  • Implement concepts and skills from SCM and their personal strengths in a campus project.
    • Students are asked to identify an issue (a scale of their choice) at the beginning of the Retreat and, in the end, formulate a plan to address such issues with knowledge and skills gained and fostered during the Retreat.

Student mentors will:  

  • Expand their on-campus social network through meeting and interacting with their peers, faculty, and staff.
  • Define and discuss the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (SCM) and its seven C’s values, as well as examine the interconnectedness of those values through small group discussions.
  • Recognize their strengths by completing the CliftonStrengths Assessment.
  • Critically apply their strengths in the Retreat, in academic and extracurricular settings, and beyond through reflections and interactions with student participants.
  • Develop facilitation, public speaking, and presenting skills by guiding discussions, debriefing sessions, and interactive activities.

Below are the text selections used for past retreats:

  • 2024: CliftonStrengths for Students by Gallup
  • 2023: CliftonStrengths for Students by Gallup
  • 2020: How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery by Kevin Ashton
  • 2019: selected readings on the topic of The Common Good
  • 2018: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
  • 2017: Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success by Adam Grant
  • 2016: Creativity, Inc., by Ed Catmull
  • 2015: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students by Marcy L. Shankman and Scott J. Allen

ELR should serve as a broad introduction to the Social Change Model of Leadership.