NU launches LEAD program for sophomores

Norwich University prides itself on student leadership, and the primary goal of student life between now and 2019 is to bring a leadership development experience to all Norwich students, according to Michael Kelley, vice president for student affairs and Commandant of Cadets. 

To help accomplish that goal, the school launched  N.U. L.E.A.D., an Intelligent Leadership Development (ILD) program for sophomores. 

"Sophomores are solely the forgotten class," Kelley said. "There are a lot of activities geared toward the freshmen. Once you get to your junior year, you're hooked. You have junior ring, you're in all your major specific courses, and everything is gelled. As a sophomore you're still kind of wandering around." 

Kelley, along with Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath, NU Leadership Development Program Consultant, prepared NU LEAD to improve interactions and leadership capabilities among both the Corps and civilian student, as well as improve student retention.

 "We lose a lot of students either during their sophomore year or at the end of their sophomore year," Kelley said. "So this was part of our effort to try and improve retention by giving the sophomores a specific program that is just for them. We know if we can get them to start their junior year, they're most likely to stay."

According to Young-Eisendrath, the program is designed to enhance the strengths in character and leadership development that already exist, and heal long-time rifts in the Norwich community. 

"It's a really great program and I think everyone can walk away with something, said Kelly Smith, executive secretary in the Office of the Commandant. "Everyone will be in a leadership role at some point, regardless of what they do. They are going to be in a position where they have to step up and lead and that is what this program is about."

The pilot program began in the 2008-09 school year. "We generated a letter to all eligible sophomores as well as posted flyers," Smith said. 

The eligibility requirement was a minimum G.P.A of 2.4. This year, the only eligibility requirement was students could not be on academic or disciplinary probation. About 245 sophomores met that requirement. 

There were 23 students who participated in the pilot program, and both Kelly and Smith realized they needed to make some changes. 

"How do we scale this up to be able to provide it to the entire sophomore class and how do we find the time without impacting other things they need to be doing in order to be able to deliver it?" Kelley said was their biggest challenge.

"This year we generated a letter to each of the eligible students, and each committee member personally invited five sophomores that they thought would do well in the program," Smith said. "We also posted flyers in the barrack, dorms, and campus center, as well as we posted an announcement on my.norwich.edu."

"I think the biggest challenge we've been facing is that it's not clear to students that this program is different from other sophomore training programs going on at Norwich," Smith said. "I think that we've not done a great job in marketing the Leadership Development Program as a unique learning experience that's geared toward both civilian and corps students." 

Students go to an orientation and decide if this program is for them, and once they make the commitment, they come to the first meeting and are put into teams, Kelley said. "We purposefully try to force a distribution of majors and personalities to provide diversity."

NU LEAD meets every other Monday in the Milano Ballroom for two hours, as well as outside in their concentrated groups during the week. Students also do activities outside their groups.

"We always have homework and group meetings during the week," Whitaker said. "The difficult thing is finding time that we're all free for our group meetings."

"We're trying to place them in situations, to develop their competencies and to learn that there is more than one way to exert leadership," Kelley said.

Alec Gendron, 20, a junior political science and studies in war and peace double major from Chicago, Ill., attended the first meeting in the fall of 2008, and decided to join. "I like being involved and I saw this as a great opportunity to learn and grow," he said. 

"There are a lot of students here that have leadership qualities and leadership potential, but they don't understand the concepts," he said.  "They can't put a name on it and they don't understand the purpose of what they're doing."

"I thought it would be great to have on my resume so I decided to do it," said Suzanne Whitaker, 20, a sophomore communications major from Chelmsford, Mass., who is participating in the current NU LEAD program.  "I wanted more leadership experience because I haven't had anything like it before. Since Norwich is known for leadership, I felt like I could really get something out of this." 

This year's program has roughly doubled in total students participants.  Yet it is too small a number to tell if the program helped retain Norwich students, Kelley said. 

The students are asked to volunteer much of their time; they receive a certificate but no class credit. 

"It is a major commitment of student time. It's roughly 20 to 25 hours of total time, which is a lot for a student to take on," Kelley said. 

"There is absolutely academic rigorous material to build this into a course," Kelley said. "A lot of people complain that it takes up too much time, but I think in the long run it will be good because you're going to learn more about your school, about other people and only good can come of it," Whitaker said.

"The program is twofold.  The sophomores who are participating now, that's considered Introduction to Leadership Development (IDP).  Then the sophomore year after they've finished, their junior and senior years, we call that the Leadership Enrichment Program (LEP), Smith said. 

This year's program has five fellows, juniors who participated in the initial pilot program. 
"Distinguished students that stood out during last year's leadership group were asked to be fellows this year, and they have helped this year with facilitating the groups as well as making modifications to the exercises so it is more student friendly," Kelley said

"We plan to do that again with this year's group.  If we can utilize the fellows more in years to come I think they're far more relatable to the students that we're working with because there's a better understanding between the age group," Smith said. 

"They've helped us tremendously with what worked last year and what didn't, and they've been a huge help to us in developing the program so that we can make it the best that it can be," Smith said.
Reaction is positive.

"For those students that complete it, it is such a positive experience that they see themselves, and those around them, from a completely different perspective," Kelley said.

"I like that the program is more in-depth than the trust falls and standard leadership activities that I've done through a lot of other programs.  It seems that some of the leadership opportunities in rook basic training are dominated by the loudest or most outgoing person, so it's a nice change to be able to discuss leadership on a more intellectual level," said Barbara McCarragher, 21, a sophomore political science major from Plainfield, N.H., who is participating in the current NU LEAD program.
 

"I think that there is also still a bit of a Corps--civilian split in the group, just as a matter of habit, but I think that's something that reflects on the school culture more than on the ILD program," she said.
 

"To watch them grow and learn and really put into practice the things that we're trying to teach them is the best part and that's what it's all about," Smith said. 

 "It's interesting to learn about the things we talk about and I get to meet more people that are in the Corps and also reconnect with some of the civilian students that I haven't yet met," Whitaker said. 

"It's an interesting dynamic to work in teams with people all interested in being leaders, but all the groups seem to be handling it well," McCarragher said.

"I have been to five or six meetings so far. I think it's run very well this year and everyone is really into it. I would definitely recommend it," Whitaker said.

"Those that have taken it from last year and I'm confident from this year, will tell us that this is something that could help shape the overall Norwich experience for all students," Kelley said.