The world's great leaders have many traits in common, including being inspirational, compassionate, ethical and courageous. But few were born leaders - they had to learn those skills.
Students at the University of Colorado at Boulder interested in becoming effective leaders while working toward their chosen degrees can now do so through a new leadership program.
"The Leadership Certificate program provides a visible, concrete pathway for potentially all CU-Boulder undergraduates and serves as an important complement to our well-established, selective programs of leadership development," said Michael Grant, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education.
The new certificate is available to all CU-Boulder students on campus through four separate program avenues and requires a minimum of 24 credit hours.
"Leadership is a learned art," said Richard Kraft, director of the Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program at CU-Boulder, and one of the directors of the new Leadership Certificate program.
"My observation of leaders is that they come from everywhere. And that's a good thing because every sector of our society needs leaders. They are called upon every day to make society work."
The certificate program's goal is to enhance students' self-awareness, systemic thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills, and in turn help them become better leaders now and in the future, according to Kraft.
"Becoming a leader is a lifelong task that is often thrust on people," Kraft said. "We want to help students learn some of the skills, like conflict resolution and speaking and writing skills, that are absolutely vital to being an effective leader."
While classroom work is pertinent to learning how to lead, some of the best experience is gained on the job. In fact, experience outside the classroom is absolutely vital to growth as a leader, according to Ron Billingsley, director of the President's Leadership Program at CU-Boulder and a co-director of the Leadership Certificate program.
"Our goal is supporting the students by helping them get the right kind of hands-on experience while they are in school," Billingsley said.
For example, as a way to hone their leadership skills, students in the President's Leadership Class, one of the four program avenues for the leadership certificate, put on an annual leadership conference meant to help high school students improve their leadership skills, Billingsley said. Students already enrolled in the leadership class also can enroll in the leadership certificate program.
All students who enroll in the Leadership Certificate program will gain some hands-on leadership experience because they are required to do an internship. But, according to Kraft, many freshman arriving at school are ahead of the game.
"Many students who come to CU-Boulder already have experience in leadership," Kraft said. "But for those who don't, we want to show them that there is no better time than now, while they are in school, to gain real-world experience."
To earn the certificate, students must enroll or be enrolled in one of four programs on campus - the President's Leadership Class (PLC); International and Voluntary Service Training (INVST); Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC); or the Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program.
The Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program is open to incoming freshmen who are interested in leadership, and it does not have any specific academic requirements other than regular admission to CU-Boulder as an incoming freshman. The other three programs have specific requirements for admission.
"We believe this curriculum and the subsequent recognition of completion will serve our students well as they leave the university after graduation," Grant said.
James Downton, director of INVST, and the directors of the Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC programs also are co-directors of the Leadership Certificate program.
For more information about the new certificate contact the Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program at (303) 735-1987. For information on courses and certificate requirements, visit the Web site at the following address: .