Student Leadership Development is a new office that that formally came into existence in May 2013. The foundation of our office is the Leadership Excellence Philosophy Statement (LEPS), which was developed by a committee of Dean of Students staff members in the process of forming the office.
- We have adapted the LEPS from a statement into a competency model.
- We offer a program called EVOLVE, which is an 8-week cohort-based personal leadership development program founded on the LEPS. For six weeks we focus on one competency per week (accountable, collaborative, etc.), and the outcomes, curriculum, and assessment are driven by these competencies.
- We are developing sample questions that could be used by students or other offices to interview student candidates for positions in housing, student government, etc. These are also based on the competencies emphasized in the LEPS.
- As the LEPS is designed to be the primary leadership model for the Dean of Students division, some other departments on campus are using these competencies in their student leader programming. The Office of Housing and Residence Education designs RA continual development programs to focus on the competencies in the LEPS. Our office staff often assist with trainings for other student leaders in one or two specific areas (often communication).