Two years ago, UM System graduate deans created a program to help graduate students develop higher leadership skills that incorporate what industry leaders refer to as soft or transferable skills.
The UM System initiated the Graduate Student Leadership Development Program targeting talented graduate students from each of the four campuses to participate in this program. The program follows similar programs available for faculty and administrators at the UM System level. Students are selected on a competitive basis.
The program is designed to use discipline-specific skills obtained through graduate degrees in both leadership skills and skills that facilitate the ability to be nimble throughout a career. This allows for adaptation to various work environments, including academic, industry, not for profit and government.
During the program, selected students visit each of the four campuses and focus on distinctive sets of leadership skills for their future careers. Each campus incorporates programming that is unique and strong at the home institution.
Recently, deans and graduate students from the other campuses visited the University of Missouri-Kansas City for special training sessions on emotional IQ and leadership; having difficult conversations; and channeling academic skills and knowledge to be an innovator and entrepreneur. Students had the opportunity to assess their own emotional IQ and learn the skills needed to be innovative and entrepreneurial. The program used active learning with some lecture.
When students are at their campuses, they are engaged in other activities, such as learning their own unique strengths; writing a strong résumé and letter of application and focusing on specific items when interviewing for a position.
Reviewed 2015-03-19