The President’s Leadership Development Program (PLDP) at Case Western Reserve University is designed to prepare undergraduate students to become human-centered, ethical leaders who intentionally work to address the increasingly complex challenges facing society.
Inspired by the Latin quote, "Non nobis solum," (meaning "Not for ourselves alone"), scholars lead for public benefit and become adept at creating social change by focusing on the root causes of systemic issues to develop a more just and kind world for all. Learn more in our 2022-23 Annual Report.
Our Vision
We envision a Case Western Reserve University synonymous with the phrase “leaders for public purpose.” The PLDP strengthens, expands and synthesizes leadership programming throughout campus to provide a go-to space for students, faculty and staff to develop their leadership to be stewards of serving others for the greater good.
Developing Leaders
Our three goals for developing leaders include providing leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead for a more just society for all; to develop the self-efficacy required to lead; and to be willing to accept the challenges of leadership.
Our Values
The PLDP values extend from the core values of Case Western Reserve University and serve as the ideal for which scholars aspire to hold themselves and others accountable.
The following campus and community members participated in the multi-day process of identifying, defining, and refining the program values:
- Richard W. Bischoff, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Division of Enrollment Management
- Kwame Botchway (SAS ’19), Director of Community Impact & Innovation, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
- Michael Bustamante, Director of Diversity and Strategic Initiatives Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity
- Lisa Camp, Chief of Staff, Office of the Provost
- David Fleshler, Vice Provost, International Affairs
- Nora Gerami, First-Year Student, Case Western Reserve University
- Andrea Hauser, Executive Director, President’s Leadership Development Program
- Thomas Matthews, Associate Provost, Student Success
- Carol L. Moss, Senior Vice President for University Relations and Development
- Julian Rogers, Assistant Vice President, Local Government and Community Relations
- Chris Sheridan, Vice President for University Marketing and Communications and Senior Adviser to the President
- Robert L. Solomon, Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity
They established values that include:
Integrity
Scholars of this program uphold high moral and ethical standards while demonstrating authenticity, honesty and respect for themselves and others. Their words and behaviors align, and they take full ownership of their actions and impact.
Humility
Scholars demonstrate the self-awareness and motivation required to recognize, learn from and serve others while recognizing their strengths and limitations. They never stop learning and strive to understand their own and others’ needs and perspectives with care and empathy.
Justice
Scholars advocate for fair and equal outcomes for all people while intentionally seeking to recognize and remedy injustice. They strive to improve the lives of all members of society by consciously building and strengthening their communities and seeking to ensure all those around them feel a sense of belonging.
Impact
Scholars continuously strive for growth and progress, both personally and professionally. They approach all they do with hope and optimism, aiming to improve outcomes and expand the impact of their solutions through innovative and creative approaches. They demonstrate resiliency and pragmatism and approach obstacles as opportunities for learning and change.
Our Beliefs About Leaders and Leadership
Throughout the President’s Leadership Development Program, we believe:
- The goal of leadership is to create impactful, wide-reaching, positive social change through serving others rather than solely seeking benefits for oneself;
- Leadership is a process rooted in relationships with the community where change occurs and is best learned through practice and engagement with that community;
- Leaders are developed, and leadership can be learned;
- Anyone can be a leader regardless of title or position;
- Leaders develop credibility by demonstrating integrity and developing relationships with those they serve; and
- Ethical leadership requires making progress while navigating tension(s) between competing values and centering justice.
Theoretical Framework
At Case Western Reserve University, the President’s Leadership Development Program is grounded in research and best practices in leadership education with four theories that inform the direction and scope of the program: two rooted in the development of students as leaders and two relevant to the program’s ethos of the purpose and scope of leadership.
Some publications related to this include:
- The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute, 1996; Komives & Wagner, 2017) provides a curricular framework to help scholars develop as individual social change agents. It includes competencies at the individual, group, and societal levels that inform the curriculum for the four years of the program.
- Komives et al.’s (2005) Leadership Identity Development model of key developmental stages of student leaders informs the balance of challenge and support structurally provided to scholars as they progress in their leadership development.
- Servant Leadership (Greenleaf, 1970) and the Relational Leadership Model (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2013) are aspirational philosophical models that underpin all programmatic assumptions and define the type of leadership we aspire to enact. Scholars work to embody these ideals and commit to implementing them throughout their lives as leaders, community members, and democratic and global citizens.