At the Leadership Education and Development Office (LEAD), we believe that everyone has the potential to be a leader. We’d like to take a moment to tell you about the smorgasbord of opportunities we have available for your Patriot.
The Freedom and Learning Forum allows for the campus community to engage in an interactive dialogue series with the University President, Dr. Ángel Cabrera and extraordinary thought leaders from around the world. This semester, we heard stories of personal leadership and life experiences from Cameron Kasky, one of the organizers of March for Our Lives, and Dr. Gail Christopher, an advocate and architect of racial healing in America. We would love to see your student at the next installment of this engaging and enlightening series.
Each May, LEAD’s Director, Nick Lennon, travels with a group of intrepid students to Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic to for our Holocaust Program in Europe. Throughout the trip, they work together to explore questions such as: Why do people do bad things? How are values and ethics established in individuals, groups and organizations? What are the responsibilities of leaders to establish ethical climates in their organizations and communities? What are the responsibilities of followers and bystanders? Nick is also in the process of developing a course entitled “Ethics and Leadership: Pluralism in Spain,” during which he hopes to explore the following question: in the age of filter bubbles and echo chambers, how can we move towards a more pluralistic society where there is a greater focus on mutual understanding, respect and the common good? This new program will help prepare Mason students to be more effective, ethical leaders by introducing them to historical examples of conflict, cooperation and collaboration across difference.
In addition to these opportunities for learning, we also have some upcoming opportunities for service.
On April 13, we will host The Incredible Leadership Conference at Hampton Middle School. George M. Hampton Middle School is a Title 1 school situated in Prince William County. Throughout the year, the LEAD Office coordinates various efforts for community and student engagement. This conference is a chance for Mason students to design and deliver a full-day of workshops and fun for kids. If your student it is interested, there are still a few spots open for volunteers! For more information, visit: lead.gmu.edu/hampton.
From May 24-29, students and facilitators will gather at The Bishop Claggett Center in Buckeystown, Maryland for The Institute, a residential leadership development experience. I’ll leave to a Mason student explain the remarkable impact of this experience: “In six days, the Mason LeaderShape Institute embodied what George Mason University stands for, a message that takes some students their entire college career to learn: freedom to grow and discover the numerous possibilities in the world, and learning how being a leader is something anyone can accomplish if they ‘have a healthy disregard for the impossible.’” The deadline apply is April 12! For more information and to apply, visit: lead.gmu.edu/institute.
Lisa Snyder
Associate Director
Leadership Education and Development
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