Trustees: Exploring an Elite Student Leadership Program

Abstract

The focal organization of this study is a small,Christian liberal arts university located in a rural city in the Midwest. The Presidential Fellows Program at the university is an annual, competitive leadership program open to junior and senior class students. The university invests approximately $100,000 into the Fellows Program per year, in addition to the Fellows’ and Principals’ time. This capstone project explores the Fellows’ experiences and perceived increase in leadership competencies. The study used a mixed-method design, a Student Leadership Competencies Inventory (SLCI) and semi-structured interviews. The study suggests that 1) Fellows most value the networking and mentorship aspects of the program; 2) confidence and appropriate interaction increased most among Fellows’ SLCIs; 3) variances were slight among the Fellows’ SLCI gains; however, some Fellows of color experienced higher tensions as leaders; and 4) all Fellows prized cohort relationships and community.