We believe that leadership is best learned through practice. Scholars in the Professional Leadership Development Program at Case Western Reserve University engage in a wide range of practical learning experiences—including academic courses, workshops, experiential learning and day-long (or overnight) retreats—all designed to build community and leadership efficacy through shared experiences.
An Immersive Experience
Throughout the four-year program leadership theory is embedded with academic and co-curricular experiences to examine social problems from an interdisciplinary lens. It includes group experiences like the planning and execution of service projects, social change projects, and leadership conferences as well as individual projects like the leadership capstone project. where scholars plan, execute and present their project to demonstrate a foundational understanding of social issues related to a topic of their choice—whether through a traditional thesis, research, or a creative endeavor such as a performance or multi-media art piece—under the supervision of the program staff and a faculty mentor.
Program Format
- The first year of college requires a wide range of transitions for new scholars; therefore, the program requirements are most structured and intensive before gradually lessening. During their first year in the PLDP, scholars begin to engage critically with conceptions of leadership and become familiar with the program's expectations. They also prepare for internships, co-ops and other forms of experiential learning for the summer between first and second year.
- Scholars complete the three-credit Introduction to Leadership course during their first semester on campus, which introduces:
- Servant and relational leadership,
- Service as a method of leadership, and
- Knowing yourself as a person and leader.
- Taking into consideration the educational, social and personal challenges of the first year of college, the overarching goals of the first-year curriculum are:
- Help scholars transition to the Case Western Reserve University community and their role as a President’s Leadership Scholar;
- Create a sense of belonging within your cohort, the program, and on-campus broadly;
- Become familiar with programmatic beliefs about the purpose of leadership for the public purpose;
- Increase self-awareness by learning to articulate their values, strengths, and life experiences and how each synthesizes to inform their personal approach to leadership; and
- Begin practicing leadership through experiential learning and make connections between what they are learning in the program, in classes and other campus experiences.
- Increased self-awareness developed in year one of the program provides the foundation for the second year, which centers on learning to work effectively with others.
- Within the cohort, scholars work to complete a large-scale leadership project while being exposed to a variety of activities and programs designed to help deepen their understanding of social change and further strengthen their leadership self-efficacy. Additionally, they’ll refine their career and personal interests through continued experiential learning.
- The goals of the second-year curriculum are to:
- Consciously apply theoretical and practical leadership concepts from the PLDP to their experiences on (and beyond) campus;
- Engage meaningfully with the CWRU community through their role in on-campus student organizations, research (or academic) teams, and civic and community organizations;
- Demonstrate the self-awareness necessary to effectively work with others toward task completion; and
- Build skills in developing groups and teams through relationship-building, shared purpose, and network development.
- The third-year curriculum is devoted to your service to the larger CWRU and Cleveland communities through research-based action projects and continued teamwork spanning beyond the cohort of scholars. At this level, scholars begin to teach leadership development to others and demonstrate leadership competency in social problems of personal interest and passion.
- Goals for the third year are:
- Demonstrate ownership of personal, professional, and academic development by setting meaningful and challenging goals for oneself as a leader;
- Thoughtfully seek out opportunities to engage peers in their leadership development;
- Demonstrate commitment to issues of interest personally and professionally, aiming to serve beyond onesself; and
- Demonstrate integration of ethical decision-making and behavior through congruence between espoused values, goals, and priorities.
- Throughout their fourth year, scholars prepare to sustain their leadership development for post-college experiences and reflect on their growth and development while on campus, leaving behind a positive leadership legacy.
- Final goals include:
- Develop a plan for continuing leadership practice and development post-graduation;
- Self-assess growth over the four years of the program, highlighting key transitions and/or learning experiences; and
- Demonstrate self-leadership efficacy that accurately reflects their skills, strengths, and potential for continued growth.