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Leadership Development Program
The Leadership Development Program is the focal point of the Center for the Development of Leadership Skills. The guiding assumption underlying the Leadership Development Program is that everyone has opportunities to become a more confident leader and a role model for someone. To help students accomplish this goal, the LDP combines traditional academic learning with intensive skill training and supervised leadership experience through co-curricular activities, experiential learning, fieldwork, and community service.
The three components of the Leadership Development Program (Academic, Experiential and Practical) apply knowledge and skills that are strengthened with “hands-on” involvement in leadership and team environments. Through coaching and training, our students reinforce the leadership and interpersonal skills of Team Building, Influence, and Communications throughout their time at Rider.
At the beginning of each academic year, students will have the opportunity to apply to the Leadership Development Program. Additionally, students may be nominated to the program by a faculty or staff member. During the 2006-07 academic year, 132 students from education, liberal arts, and business were participating in the Leadership Development Program. Successful applicants who join the Leadership Development Program and complete all of the requirements will receive valuable skills to use in their chosen career and a Certificate in Leadership at graduation. Program requirements include completion of the following:
Foundations of Leadership Course (LDP 200)
Foundations of Leadership (LDP 200) is the first course in the sequence of academic and co-curricular requirements for the Leadership Development Program. LDP 200 introduces students to historical and contemporary leadership theories, gives students an awareness of their interpersonal and leadership tendencies, and guides them along a developmental path to becoming confident leaders. Beyond textbook knowledge, students will apply these theories with their classmates during a semester-long leadership project.
Ethics or Multicultural Studies Elective
The ethics or multicultural studies elective allows students to enhance their leadership abilities through exposure to different cultures, ethnic groups, and social classes. Other courses analyze case studies to determine the nature of ethical problems and the criteria for their adequate solution. Students select one ethics or multicultural studies course from a list of 35 courses offered at Rider to fulfill this requirement.
Students participate in twelve Leadership Skills Seminars over four semesters that emphasize team work, problem solving, decision making, and reflection. Each three-hour seminar inspires students to discover the leader within, to cultivate essential leadership skills, to utilize their leadership skills in an organized group environment [club, organization, internship, or volunteer activity]; and to market those leadership skills as they transition into their chosen career.
Co-Curricular/Experiential Leadership Opportunities (Leadership Practicum)
To accrue 120 units of supervised leadership experience, students apply their classroom and experiential learning by participating and actively leading others in student government, various clubs and organizations, fraternities/sororities, athletics, internships, student employment, or community service projects. Based on the student’s level of involvement for the co-curricular activities, points are awarded on a sliding scale each semester.
Career Development Opportunities / Activities
In addition to the Academic, Experiential and Practical aspects of the Leadership Development Program, students are afforded career development opportunities through workshops, speaker series, focus groups, and individual meetings with Leadership Development Program staff members. These events help students to narrow their career choices, hone their leadership skills, and transition into their post-undergraduate lives.
Apply to the Leadership Development Program by completing the application and returning it to Marc A. Wallace by Sept. 30, 2007. Faculty and staff can nominate students to the Leadership Development Program by submitting a nomination form and returning it by Sept. 30, 2007.
To find out more about the Leadership Development Program, please read our Frequently Asked Questions or contact Marc A. Wallace, director of the LDP, at (609) 895-5791 or by email at cdls@rider.edu.
