Impact of SUNY SAIL Leadership Programs

Abstract

The State University of New York (SUNY) Strategic, Academic, and Innovative (SAIL) Institute is an initiative that provides faculty, staff, and students with leadership training across 64 SUNY campuses. After six years of operating, SAIL has been unable to understand the impact of their programs. This mixed-methods capstone focused on nine programs utilizing data collected from a newly administered SAIL Alumni Survey, three pre- and post- test program assessments, and 17 semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that the impact of SAIL programs could be measured far beyond participants’ career advancement. However, participation may not be the only factor determining success and challenges may still arise when seeking to advance one’s career. This project recommends designing a standardized evaluation and follow-up process, enhancing the recognition and re-engagement of their participants, and including activities to help mitigate career advancement challenges. Overall, this project provides valuable insights into measuring the impact and effectiveness of SAIL’s leadership programs that could be expanded to other organizations providing similar offerings.