Four years after submitting their applications, the 28 members of the senior Leadership class are gearing up for their final semester together. They have planned community service projects and successful fundraisers, stepped into the real world with internships and will end it all this spring with their final seminar.
The School of Public Affairs Leadership program is a four-year certificate program for which incoming freshmen apply and continue throughout their time at AU. The program, now directed by Sarah Stiles, began in the early 1990s by then-SPA Dean Neil Kerwin.
According to Stiles, the program began as a series of courses but became "a more cohesive four-year program over time." Stiles came to AU in 1999 after completing her juris doctorate at the Northeastern University School of Law and took over the Leadership program in 2001.
Stiles calls the Leadership program a "dress rehearsal for life." It prepares the students through public speaking, studying and practicing conflict resolution, working with teams, planning projects, learning theories and putting theories into practice.
"Academics are not separated from real life - everything is relevant," Stiles said.
Ben Murray, a senior in the program and the public relations chair, said the program is a community of dedicated individuals that lead in all parts of life.
"There are people that are interested in bettering the groups they are involved in, their communities, their neighborhood because they have this ability to change and to grow," he said.
According to Murray, the freshmen begin the program concentrating on community service. The class is divided into focus groups of their choice. They choose an issue relevant to the District and work to educate the public and the AU community about the topic.
"With teamwork, the students learn that leadership and 'followership' are two sides of the same coin," Stiles said of the first-year lessons.
Sophomore year is focused on fundraising and mentorship. The class puts together three big fundraisers to benefit charities of their choice. They also participate in a mentorship program with D.C. professionals.
Juniors take what they have learned in the program and apply it toward the real world through a six-credit internship.
Seniors end their four years with a spring semester seminar with advanced readings in leadership.
Carl Seip, a sophomore in the program who works as a teaching assistant to the freshman Leadership class, said members of the program are greatly involved in campus organizations.
"Leadership students are so active in many other ways - in the SG, in Women's Initiative, in a hundred different organizations, and Leadership is merely a tool for us to improve the campus community as a whole," he said.
The program generally receives about 80 applicants for an incoming class of 35 students, according to Stiles, who helps select the new students with representatives from each Leadership class.
Members spoke of a negative stigma associated with the program, often calling it a misunderstanding.
"By the very nature that by calling yourself a leadership program, you invite a negative view," said Brian Brown, a senior in the program and Student Outreach director. "The automatic response is that you must be pretentious, you must be self-involved because you're calling yourself a leader. I would say most people would have limited or no interaction with our members."
Stiles said she is puzzled by the stigma.
"...I'm disappointed that could be true. A major theme we talk abut is servant leadership and humility, and I don't know why that would have a negative connotation," Stiles said. "The leadership students should have a reputation for being friendly, helpful, collaborative and real positive forces on campus."
"By and large you will find that our members are active in organizations across the campus, we are over-represented in most of the organizations on campus," Brown said. "Our members are not pretentious - they are giving of their time. Part of what makes them so good at doing that are the lessons they have learned in the program."
Students in the program praised Stiles. Some called her "unique" while others called her "empowering."
Sarah Lehar, a sophomore and TA for the program, said she looks up to Stiles as a leader.
"She has effectively fostered a program that allows students to analyze their strengths and weaknesses as a leader, allowing each of us to learn when to apply our strength and lead, or recognize our weaknesses and be a follower," she said. "Professor Stiles is a true servant leader in that she not only supports her students, but understands them as well."
Stiles said she has been rewarded by working closely with her students over the years and supporting them as they help to better the world.
When asked what the most important lesson students can take away from leadership is, she responded, "There are many different styles of leadership - not just yours"
