MORE ABOUT THE EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM

The Purpose of Emerging Leaders Series is to provide new UMSL students the opportunity to develop their leadership abilities through workshops, activities and reflection in order to prepare them for future leadership experience at UMSL and beyond. 

Our Mission is to develop student leaders who will model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act and encourage the heart. 

MENTORSHIP
Student Mentors adopt a group of four to five students (mentees) from the program.  These mentors are trained by the Office of Student Life to develop leadership potential on a peer level.  They operate as a campus and community resource for their mentees as well as being an observable example of the qualities, character and actions of a student leader. These mentors have been pre-selected through nominations by departments, faculty and staff members and are then taken through an application process. This selection process is to ensure that we are identifying motivited, inspiring and academically successful students that will be inspiring to our mentees. Mentors will maintain a relationship with their mentees beyond the program and throughout their shared time at the University.

TOPICAL DISCUSSIONS
Using the Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Challenge as a framework for our weekly two hour workshops, participants will focus on each of the five leadership challenges highlighted by Kouzes and Posner.  Additionally, we will explore a variety of other leadership resources and topics, including Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. Each discussion will be lead by a program coordinator with the assistance of mentors.  This will be followed by reflection, deep discussion and acticities. These discussions no only reinforce the learning aspect of the program, but also develop awareness within the student participants of prominent and active staff and faculty members. Relationships built within this program are not limited to mentors and mentees but have also provided an open forum in which to develop relationships with University employees.