LEAD Scholars Program
The LEAD Scholars Program is an intense and comprehensive two-year student development program for competitively selected, academically talented first year college students with experience and interest in leadership, academic excellence, and community service. LEAD Scholars join in a unique partnership with faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders as a way to make an immediate connection with academic and community life.
The primary goal of the LEAD Scholars Program is to prepare students to be effective leaders in personal, professional, and civic communities. This goal is achieved through three venues: academic excellence, leadership, and community service. Students are integrated with faculty in the colleges of Arts and Humanities, Business Administration, Education, Engineering and Computer Science, Health and Public Affairs, and Sciences. These Colleges hosts two credit Foundations of Leadership courses providing the primary means of facilitating the focus for study, advisement and educational activities as it relates to leadership, academic excellence and community service. First time in college students from any major are eligible to apply to the LEAD Scholars Program.
The LEAD Scholars Program enables a selected number of students to develop professionally through a special mentoring relationship involving research and/or project development in their area of interest both on campus and in the community. Students are provided opportunities to work on project teams and special programs to develop their leadership skills. Specially structured community service projects are provided for students to enhance their community service development.
Students are selected for this two year program, prior to their freshman year, through a competitive process based on academic record, extracurricular and community activities, school recommendation, expressed interest in leadership, academic excellence, and community service. The LEAD Scholars Program serves as a bridge for participation in leadership opportunities as upper division students and in future community leadership roles.