Global Leadership Academy

Global Leadership Academy

Purpose

The Office of Student Experience, through Leadership Programs aims to implement an extracurricular leadership development program to help students become global leaders who can positively impact the campus, Kunshan community, and the world. The Global Leadership Academy was created and rooted in a theoretical framework that helps students understand consciousness of self, congruence, commitment, common purpose, controversy with civility, collaboration, and citizenship.

Theoretical Framework

We will use the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (SCM), which was developed in the mid-1990s in the USA by Susan Komives.  The theory is comprised of the 7 C’s (which are grouped into Individual [Consciousness of Self, Congruence, Commitment], Group [Collaboration, Common Purpose, Controversy with Civility], and Community [Citizenship] categories) and was designed for student affairs professionals to better guide university students in their leadership development.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of graduating from the Academy, students will be able to:

  1. List the 7 Cs of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development
  2. Meaningfully express who they are as a leader
  3. Practice leadership more effectively
  4. Evaluate the leadership efficacy of someone they view as a leader

Organization of the Academy

The Academy is a 6-semester, experience-tiered program growing in depth and breadth each semester of participation.  It provides an opportunity to focus on leadership as a theoretical concept and practical and practicable skill.  The Academy is designed to help students develop their leadership potential and intentionally meet students’ developmental needs.

The Academy is composed of two experiences that students toggle back and forth between, each lasting a semester:

  • Base Camp: This experience brings students together for regular and structured gatherings, led by a pair of facilitators
  • Expedition: This experience aids students in putting the theory and learning they gained from their most recent Base Camp into practice, through less frequent and semi-structured gatherings led by a facilitator. The locus of control for application and growth rests primarily on the participant

Within Base Camp, there are 3 different cohorts (or levels) that students are placed in, based on their class standing and previous experience in the Academy

  • Discover: This cohort is the starting point of the Academy.  It is aimed at and designed for novice leaders, primarily first-year students.  Juniors and Seniors new to the Academy are able to request enrollment in a fast-tracked version of Discover, before the Explore cohort begins, to give them the necessary theoretical foundation for success in Explore
  • Explore: An intermediate program aimed at emerging leaders, the Explore cohort serves primarily sophomores and juniors.  The Explore cohort is only available to those who’ve completed Discover and an Expedition
  • Trail Blaze: The Trail Blaze cohort is for campus-established leaders, primarily juniors and seniors.  This cohort is only available to those who’ve completed Explore and a second Expedition

Driven by student demand and supply of facilitators, sections (or classes) of the Academy are offered.  Sections of Base Camp are organized by cohort.  That is, there are sections for Discover, Explore, and Trail Blaze students, filled by only students in that cohort.  Expedition sections are composed intra-cohort; there are students from all cohorts together in sections of Expedition.

All sections will be organized according to the following format:

  • Lesson: Rather than use the term week (even though one week may correspond to one lesson), sections will be organized into lessons, each focusing on a different aspect of the model being taught
  • Module: Generally one module (the building block of a lesson) is covered each time a section meets, and follows one of the delivery methods below:
    • Workshop: There will be readings, videos, discussions, panels, and presentations introducing participants to the module
    • Experiential: There will be games, activities, and initiatives giving participants opportunities to view, experience, and apply their learning from the workshop