Developing Leadership Capacity of College Students During Divisive Times

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Short Description

Developing the leadership capacity of college students is often a stated goal, however, the need for intentionality in this area is frequently neglected. After a brief review of multiple frameworks for student leadership development, participants will work through a series of scenarios, applying critical thinking skills and investigating models to solve real world challenges regarding student leadership development. Next, an experiential activity will be used to explore strategies for developing students' leadership self-efficacy. Participants will leave with ideas, solutions, and best practices to support the intentional design of student leadership programming.

Detailed Abstract

The presentation is developed from a publication by Stenta and McFadden (2015) that reviews development of leadership capacity in college students. Multiple frameworks will be shared as well as strategies for applying the frameworks to best practices. Student leadership development frameworks described. The following is an excerpt from an article that was written describing the used frameworks:
Student leadership development frameworks (McFadden & Stenta, 2015, sec. 1)

Social Change Model. This model’s focus is to advocate for social responsibility and the common good. To accomplish this, the model is made up of seven core values that interact with individual, group, and community stages, with the goal being to engage others in collaborative work.

Relational Leadership Model. In this model, leadership is defined as a relational process of people attempting together to accomplish change or make a difference to benefit the common good. This transpires through purpose, process, inclusion, empowerment, and ethics. Relationships within a group are built on trust, and talented and diverse group members are critical to the thinking process that contributes to accomplishing social change.

Leadership Identity Development Model. This model is stage-based and entails students’ progression through one stage of leadership development before beginning the next. The stages are both linear and cyclical, illustrating the complexity of student leadership development. The LID provides a framework with applicability to designing educational programs and other learning experiences to foster leadership identity.

Leadership Challenge. The model provides strategies for how leaders engage others to accomplish goals and transform organizations. The components are described as five practices and ten commitments. The commitments of leadership are connected to one of five practices: (a) model the way, (b) inspire a shared vision, (c) challenge the process, (d) enable others to act, and (e) encourage the heart.
With a variety of students involved in groups on college campuses, the presentation provides a great resource for practitioners and educators to enhance their abilities to positively influence the leadership development of students throughout their time at the university as well as during their travels abroad. Practitioners and educators will have the opportunity to discuss strategies for how to best align self-efficacy and developmental readiness in developing college student leadership capacity. As students enter the work force throughout the world they will need to have the ability to have difficult conversations, think critically and make hard decisions. This presentation will give the attendee an opportunity to learn multiple strategies for developing and preparing students to lead during turbulent and divisive times in our world.

The workshop will use the following format to disseminate content related to the topic.
Introductions (5 minutes)

Divisive Times Examples (5 minutes)
(this section will include current challenges faced and the critical need to develop students leadership capacity)

Leadership development capacity of college and university students (20 minutes)
(this section will include an engagement activity for understanding self & understanding others; attendees will each have the opportunity to create a core identity map)

Student leadership development frameworks (30 minutes)
(during discussion of each framework, attendees will be given scenarios to use critical thinking
skills of how to solve real world challenges regarding student leadership development, a pair
share strategy will be used and attendees will be asked to share solutions/recommendations)

Present strategies for developing students' leadership self-efficacy (20 minutes)
(this section will include an engagement activity that addresses the balance of challenge and support as well as the alignment of leadership self-efficacy with developmental readiness)

Conclusion and Interactive Question & Answer Session (10 minutes)

Sub Unit

• Youth Leadership

Presenters

• Cara McFadden, Elon University

• Donald A. Stenta, Ohio State University