Every term University students evaluate their professors and courses. After shading in rows of bubbles most students never know how their campus life is altered by these decisions.
In 2005, students were given another survey provided by the EMU Board of Directors, asking how they viewed leadership on campus. The findings revealed 98 percent of EMU visitors reported that leadership on campus was important or very important, and considered the University to be failing in its presence in student life.
From this data, the board, peer organizations and University faculty laid the groundwork for the Leadership Resource Office, “a department that would support, coordinate and develop leadership opportunities for the UO,” according to the LRO.
In the beginning of its second year, the office is looking to expand, provide more resources to students and find more ways to reach them, said John Duncan, director of the LRO.
Leadership is “an expectation our society has, and I support it,” Duncan said. “If you’re passionate about politics or finding a cure for AIDS, it all requires leadership.”
Duncan, who views the office as the new kid on the block, said one of the goals of the LRO is to eliminate the “if only I would have known” factor for freshmen and sophomores on campus.
“One of the direct functions (of the LRO) is responding to the student body needs,” Duncan said.
Because student life extends beyond curriculum, the office intends to bridge the different areas of campus life and navigate these aspects towards developing leaders, Duncan said.
Currently, the organization offers introductory University courses including “peer mentoring” and the “21st Century leader.” Outside of the classroom students can get involved with activities relating to leadership, such as the Spencer Butte challenge course and a retreat support program.
“America and the University are great opportunities out there to practice leadership,” Duncan said, adding that his idea of leadership is about how “you identify your calling in this world and mobilize that.”
The office is currently hiring six peer-leadership consultants, who will be undergraduate University students. These mentors will coach walk-in students, design and implement programs and ultimately be the face of the office, Duncan said.
“It’s a fun, relaxing environment, but we get a lot of work done,” said Harter Hudson, a junior at the University and office employee.
Over the next few years the LRO plans to expand on three categories of leadership development; curriculum, experience and programming, which will be completed through two phases, Duncan said.
The first part of the phase includes gathering and categorizing information from students, then the office will work to deliver these services and make sure the student body is utilizing opportunities such as the Web site and walk-in services.
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