WebsterLEADS provides a self-paced, co-curricular leadership experience with multiple components. Students complete certificate requirements at their own pace with the guidance of leadership advisors and veteran WebsterLEADS participants. The certificate is awarded to students who complete all five following program areas: a 3-credit leadership course, a 1-credit ethics in leadership course, leadership retreats, workshops, community service, and a practical leadership experience. In addition, certificate seekers must also complete an additional two experiences. These additional two experiences could be a combination of participation in a second leadership retreat, completing additional community service involvement, participating in another practical leadership experience, attending another series of four workshops, or attending off-campus leadership conferences.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Leadership Certificate Program, please contact us!

ETHC 1000 Ethics and Leadership on Campus (1)
Taught by Ted Hoef and John Buck

The Ethics and Leadership class is traditionally offered during the spring semester, and is an 8-week course offered for one credit.

This course in applied ethics is designed to explore the moral issues and dilemmas relevant to student leadership on campus. Elements of the course will stimulate critical analysis and reflections upon the norms that influence student life and the roles of student leaders. We will examine ethics issues related to leadership through case studies about leaders in a variety of contexts and cultures. The class will increase student awareness of ethical issues and develop critical thinking skills that can improve a leader's functioning on campus, and post-graduation, as a leader in organizations and the community.

INDZ 2750 Student Leadership (3)
Taught by John Buck

The leadership class is traditionally offered during the spring and fall semesters, and is a 16-week course offered for three credits. Students are required to complete reflection papers, interview a leader, participate in a community service experience, generate a personal mission statement, and work on a group leadership project.

Student Leadership, the Challenge of Leading. This course will provide students with a theoretical and conceptual foundation for personal leadership development. The course is designed to be interactive and thought-provoking, while encouraging knowledge and skill development on such topics as: personal self-assessment, interpersonal communication, teamwork and collaboration, leadership in a diverse community, organizational dynamics, ethical decision-making, goal-setting, and motivation. The course may be taken as part of the Student Leadership Certificate Program or separately.

Leadership Retreats
Two leadership retreats are offered during the spring semester of the academic year for students. The Advanced Leaders Retreat is offered for students who are experienced in leadership on the Webster campus through student organizations, employment experiences, and/or participation in leadership workshops. The Emerging Leaders Retreat is offered for students new to leadership at Webster. No more than two retreats can be counted towards the final certificate.

Leadership Workshops
A series of workshops are offered throughout the academic year for students interested in various aspects of leadership. Student employees, student organization leaders, certificate participants, and any other interested students are invited to attend this series. A student may not count training attendance for workshop credit if that training experience is through their Practical Leadership Experience requirement. Certificate participants must attend at least four workshops to complete this particular requirement.

Community Service Involvement
The community service component of the certificate requires students to complete 40 hours of on-going off-campus service. Authorization is needed from the WebsterLEADS office prior to a student beginning a service project. Students write a reflection paper upon completion of their service project. With successful completion of the experience, forms, and reflection paper, students receive credit towards the certificate.

Practical Leadership Experience
Students are required to complete a semester-long practical experience in a position of leadership, preferably but not necessarily, on the Webster campus. Examples include Resident Assistant, Orientation Leader, Student Organization Officer, Student Government Association senator, Career Specialist, and Student Building Manager. Students are asked to attend a leadership retreat or enroll in the leadership class before completing the practical experience component. After a semester of this practical experience, students must complete a reflection paper about their experience to receive credit towards the leadership certificate.

Special Note:
Achieving the Leadership Certificate requires completion of a process we call the "5+2 System", in which scholars complete five core areas above and repeat any two of them.