The Leadership Development Program ranks 4th in Leadership Excellence Awards

Rider University's Leadership Development Program received a Leadership Excellence Award on Feb. 3, 2016, at HR.com’s LEAD2016 conference, held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn.  

The program, part of the University's Center for the Development of Leadership Skills (CDLS), ranked fourth in the nation in the category of "Certificate Program With Emphasis on Leadership / Organizational Development."

"It's an honor to be recognized, especially since we are a small institution compared to others ranked in the top 10," says Laura Seplaki, associate director of CDLS and director of the Leadership Development Program (LDP). "To have accomplished so much with the resources we have illustrates that when you put your focus on quality, you can still make a major impact and achieve amazing things."

Seplaki submitted the LDP for consideration for the awards, given by HR.com and publicized in their Leadership Excellence publication. Prior to the awards ceremony she first learned that the program had placed in the top 10. Just after the awards ceremony, she was excited to learn of the official fourth place ranking.

"We’re ranked highly among some very good colleges and universities," Laura Seplaki says. "I very much appreciate all of the support from the Rider students, our LDP members, staff, faculty, alumni and our many external partners."

For more than 33 years, Leadership Excellence has identified and recognized the top leadership organizations and their strategies and solutions in a yearly ranking by appropriate category. In the past, Rider's LDP program has always ranked in the top 25. Other universities that apply usually have smaller programs focused on solely business.

"The LDP believes that all Rider students should have the opportunity to development their leadership skills, so our program is open to all majors, not just those majoring in business," Seplaki explains. "We have approximately 130 students in the program right now, and our goal is to develop leaders who are professionally and personally successful."

The Leadership Excellence Awards are held annually by HR.com and Seplaki intends to apply next year with the hopes of earning a spot in the top three.

For more information, please visit www.rider.edu/cdls.