CLS Annual Report

Virginia Tech Center for Leadership Studies
Annual Report
2005-2006

I.          Mission of Center

The Virginia Tech Center for Leadership Studies (CLS) was established in December 1998 in order to expand leadership development opportunities for students at Virginia Tech by sharing resources between programs and coordinating student leadership development activities. The center provides a supportive environment for leadership development activities across the entire university community.

II.         Classification of Center and Organizational Structure

This is a university center.

III.        Faculty Affiliated with Center

The Center's Advisory Board (Board) has been helpful in sharing information, coordinating activities and assuring that leadership development opportunities are available to an increasing number of Virginia Tech students. The Center's Advisory Board consists of representatives from a number of university programs including: Jerrold P. Allen, Commandant of Military Affairs; Candice E. Clemenz, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Pamplin College of Business; Robert E. Denton, Director of the Major General W. Thomas Rice Corp of Cadets Center for Leader Development; Elizabeth Fine, Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies; Zenobia Hikes, Vice President for Student Affairs; Jerome A. Niles, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; Richard E. Sorensen, Dean of the Pamplin College of Business, who serves as Chair of the Advisory Board and Director of the CLS; and Richard E. Wokutch, Head of the Department of Management.

IV.       Graduate Students Affiliated with Center

The CLS director is primarily involved with overall coordination of activities. One Board meeting was held during the year and a number of collaborative efforts were undertaken by the CLS. The number of students participating in leadership development experiential and/or classroom related learning activities continued at a high level during 2005-2006 and reaches over 25% of students enrolled at Virginia Tech.

V.        Staff and Administrative Positions

The CLS receives no university funding beside what is received by its component units. These units are all part of academic units of the university. In many cases these units have expanded their traditional activities to take on student leadership development activities without additional university resources. The growing popularity of these activities has created a dilemma of the need for increased funding to support these activities with little likelihood of additional university funding support.

VI.       Major Contracts Received in 2005-06

No major contracts were received in 2005-2006.

VII.      Major Proposals Submitted or Pending

No major proposals were submitted in 2005-2006.

VIII.     Significant accomplishments in 2005-06

There continues to be a high level of student participation in leadership development activities with numerous programs available throughout the university. Arrangements were made to facilitate student participation across programs. The meetings of the Advisory Board have been helpful in keeping those involved up to date with all of the related efforts and in developing opportunities to collaborate, share speakers, and maximize student opportunities to participate.

Leadership Programs

The following briefly summarizes some of the accomplishments of the component leadership programs.

Pamplin College of Business

The Pamplin College hosted a number of leadership related programs. Karen Goldhirsh, Director of Operations, Goldhirsh and Goldhirsh, Douglas Tatum, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tatum Partners, and James R. Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Smith/Packett Med-Com were speakers in the Wachovia Distinguished Speakers Series in Fall 2005. Paul Maglio, Senior Manager of Services Systems Research, IBM Corporation, Otis Thomas, Dean Graves School of Business and Management, Morgan State University, and George Nolen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Corporation, and recently appointed Board of Visitor member, participated in this series Spring 2006.

Noted political commentator George Stephanopoulos participated in the Clifford Cutchins Distinguished Lecture Series, Spring 2006. Vice President Walter Mondale was the EMBA commencement speaker in a ceremony held at Mount Vernon, Spring 2005 where he discussed business ethics. The recently implemented Department of Finance Speakers Series was found particularly effective in attracting prominent alumni back to campus. The Department of Management hosts a similar program.

General Electric, and Ingersoll-Rand, separately sponsored weekend leadership development programs for Pamplin College students. A number of student leadership workshops were also held. The college is also offering non-credit leadership programs. The college’s involvement in these programs has allowed it to expand the opportunity for leadership development experience for female and minority students.

Business Leadership Center (BLC)

The Business Leadership Center’s (BLC) primary responsibilities are to promote and administer the undergraduate Business Leadership Minor, to guide and sponsor the annual Pamplin Student Leadership Conference, to sponsor and promote the annual Caught in the Act of Leadership Award, to provide support for the Department of Management’s annual ethics conference, and to provide support for leadership-related Management and Professional Development (MDP) programs and clients.

Business leadership minor

The Business Leadership Minor has been particularly attractive for business students, with approximately two-thirds of the students coming from the Pamplin College of Business. The program seems to be gaining increased visibility across campus, with a wide variety of majors represented.  Present enrollment of the minor is 241 students due to the Department of Management’s staffing constraints for two key courses, MGT 4334 Ethical Leadership and MGT 4534 Advanced Leadership Skills. This enrollment will not increase without additional university resources.

Pamplin student leadership conference

This year’s Pamplin Student Leadership Conference, which was held in October 2005, was a success, with five companies participating and 160 students attending. Participating companies who presented workshops were General Electric, Ferguson Enterprises, Lockheed Martin, NVR Ryan Homes, and Cherry Becker & Holland.

Caught in the Act of Leadership Award

The Caught in the Act of Leadership Award recipient this year was Kimberly Bryan, a Hospitality and tourism management major.

Outreach

The Business Leadership Center supported Management and Professional Development programs teaching in its Law Enforcement Leadership Seminar entitled Leadership in changing Times. Wolseley North America (Ferguson Enterprises) funded a similar program for its employees throughout North America.  The Commonwealth Youth Conference for Leadership Effectiveness (CYCLE), a leadership development summer workshop for high school students, which is cosponsored by the Virginia Police Chiefs Association, hosted 150 students on the Virginia Tech campus.

Ethics and leadership speakers

The Department of Management’s 16^th Annual Business Ethics Conference included a presentation by Jeff Senior, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in Spring 2006. This program was closely integrated into a number of business policy and other Management Department courses. A number of other speakers were hosted during the year.

Other Leadership Activities

Chris Neck completed a new 4^th edition of his book “Mastering Self-Leadership” and a 2^nd edition of his book “Medicine for the Mind” that will be published soon. Chris also is serving as guest editor of a special issue of the Journal of Managerial Psychology being published this summer. In addition, Chris spoke on leadership themes as keynote speaker in the Virginia Tech EMBA orientation, keynote speaker to the 2005 Qualtrax Users Conference, and keynote speaker for the Virginia Association of Government Purchasers.

Mary Connerley was the featured speaker at the 14^th Annual University Student Leadership Awards program in April 2006.  Jim Lang served as the keynote speaker for the Leadership Connection Conference in October 2005.  Steve Markham serves as associate editor of Leadership Quarterly.  Wanda Smith serves on the Leadership Development Sub-Committee and as a Leadership Fellow Mentor for Advance VT.

Major General W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development

The Rice Center for Leader Development supports a number of leader development activities for students who are members of the Corps of Cadets and works closely with the Commandant of Military Affairs and his staff.  The Center is housed in the Pamplin College of Business. 

Residential Leadership Community

Residential Leadership Community (RLC), Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, is a collaborative activity between the Division of Student Affairs and the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST) in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. The RLC curriculum promotes leadership knowledge, theory, and skills, while the residential environment promotes experiences and offers support that will assist them in their careers and personal lives.  With this first year leadership foundation, students are encouraged to continue on to complete a Leadership Minor and are given an opportunity to continue with such a minor in their second year program. In 2006, two sophomore seminar courses were added to both the curriculum and the revised Leadership and Social Change Minor.  There are now over 12 credits in leadership core areas.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Division of Student Affairs and the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies transferred all administrative responsibilities of the RLC to the new Director of the Residential Leadership Community and IDST.  Operating budget is still provided by the Division of Student Affairs. The new Director, Dr. Denise Trudeau, began work in July, 2005. In 2005, she revised the Leadership and Social Change Minor, developed a curriculum review, worked to promote the program to attract a more representative population, instilled new marketing strategies, and hired office staff to assist in the community and event planning.  All RLC students spent up to 20 hours assisting in community service or workshops. Two new leadership courses were proposed to provide for a second sophomore year experience.  The Executive Committee voted to not offer the CSA program due to the fact numbers for the program were low and success varied.  An Outreach Team has been established to provide continuation of service oriented and community oriented events.  The RLC also added a Marketing Team and a Student Relations Team. Friday Leadership seminars will be held over lunch for students wanting to learn more about leadership organizations, careers as leaders, organization cultures, leadership coaching, and emotional intelligence. 

Student Enrollment

Student enrollment includes 185 students in the First Year Program.  There are over 50 students staying for a second year program; 20 student teaching assistants, 32 sophomore seminar students.  There are approximately 29 RLC students in the Leadership and Social Change Minor and 20 in the Business Leadership minor track, and seven in the leadership major track.

RLC Presentations for National, International and Campus Audiences

Angie Schulz, Sally Perkins, and Laura Harris administered a Lickert-type program survey to 172 students in 2006. The results were used to access program elements, changes, and needs.

The interns sponsored a Fall EXPO that invited leadership organizations and offices to present their services and opportunities.

The RLC office also coordinated participation of over 40 students in Virginia Tech service events including the Big Event, and Relay for Life. Students also assisted in project work at Scotti’s Place-a camp for homeless children.

Dr. Trudeau participated in Co-active Leadership Conference in D.C. in March and June, 2006. The focus was assessment, curriculum, and organizational focuses of future employees.

Non-Credit Leadership Programs

A number of non-credit leadership programs were sponsored through the Management and Professional Development programs of the Pamplin College of Business.

Bringing Visibility to Virginia Tech’s Leadership Development Activities

A comprehensive home page was developed for the Center for Leadership Studies. This contains linkages to most of the component leadership programs and is accessible from their home pages. The CLC home page is prominently linked to the Virginia Tech home page as well as the Pamplin College of Business home page.

Several presentations have been made at national professional and association meetings concerning Virginia Tech’s leadership programs. A number of articles have been published featuring these leadership development activities. Those learning of these activities have been quite impressed by the comprehensive nature of these programs and the close cooperation that has occurred among such diverse groups.

IX.       Industrial Affiliates Program

There are no industrial affiliates for this program.

X.        Report of Financial Condition

Funds that are used to support this center are part of the budgets of affiliate organizations such as the Pamplin College of Business. There is no separate budget for this center.

XI.       Major Issues of the Center

The need to generate university based or outside sources of funds to support the activities of the component organizations affiliated with this center.

Determining how best to complete this report that bears little relevance to the activities of this center.