Highland Leadership Program
Mission Statement
The Highland Leadership Certificate Program provides leadership development for freshmen through one semester of experiential learning, direct instruction, and skill application. Utilizing existing College and community resources, participants explore and realize their leadership potential at Maryville College and beyond.
Scope of Learning and Requirements
The certificate program is a one-year initiative, emphasizing both individual and organizational leadership development. The program will build proficiencies applicable to collegiate and post-collegiate environments.
The following criteria will be met to complete the certificate.
- Attend the beginning of the year “Leadership Summit”
- Attend five leadership-training sessions
- Participate in four fieldwork experiences
- Meet with assigned faculty/staff mentor on a monthly basis
- Plan and implement a group project in the fall semester
- Attend the spring “Welcome Gathering”
- Complete an individualized capstone project in the spring semester
Trainings
These sessions will serve as the formal instruction. Students participating in the program will attend trainings each semester addressing the following topics:
- Effective Communication: interpersonal communication group dynamics, and working with authority figures
- Event Planning: the one-stop-shop for event logistics and implementation
- Team Building/ Goal Setting: organizing and preparing a team to reach its potential
- Organizational Ethics: conversation about ethical leadership and its implications on the health and productivity of any given organization
- Organizing and Maintaining a Group: organizing a group for common activity and maintaining the group over time
Fieldwork
To compliment the formal instruction given in the program trainings, students will participate in four fieldwork experiences throughout the year. These experiences are designed to strengthen students’ ability to think critically while experiencing leadership in action. Each of these outings will be done as a group and will include a reflection component. Though not yet finalized, the following is a list of possible outings:
- Attend/ participate in a local County Commission meeting
- Observe a Maryville College administrative board meeting
- Participate in a grassroots service project
- Consult with a local activist organization about its mission and daily operations
Group Project
The group project is designed to help students apply the skills they learn in training sessions in a tangible, meaningful way. Students will be divided into small groups with MC staff to work on topics and project planning.
Capstone Project
The capstone project is the culminating piece of the Highland Leadership Program. Because the experience is designed to be personal and meaningful, this is an opportunity for students to showcase their own leadership style and ideas on paper. The capstone is a personalized effort, for which students choose the theme and develop a blueprint for a future project. Capstone projects could conceivably become thesis topics, proposals for MC student organizations to implement, or simply inspiring ideas for further personal discernment and service.
