50 Lower College Road

Kingston, RI 02881

Phone: 401-874-2056

Fax: 401-874-5317

union@etal.uri.edu

URI Student Affairs

The Center

Center for Student Leadership MU, Room 210 T: (401)874-2726 F: (401)874-5317

Mission and Values
The Center for Student Leadership Development has a two pronged approach:

1. To engage in research and assessment in order to contribute to the field of leadership studies.
2. To provide developmental opportunities for students to become informed, inclusive, and effective leaders in their careers, communities, and family lives.

We strive to help our students become:
Action-oriented, Courageous, Creative, Critical, Empathetic, Ethical, Honest,
Inclusive, Informed, Optimistic, Passionate, Patient, Proactive,
Self-disciplined, Tenacious, Thoughtful, and Trustworthy.

We work to help our students develop and refine the following skills:

• The ability to analyze, criticize, synthesize and utilize information to their career, community, and family leadership roles.
• The organizational and interpersonal skills to implement their knowledge.
• The ability to utilize historical / multicultural / alternative theories and methods.
• The ability to be inclusive, not by being an expert on all cultures (race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, ability), but by having a general knowledge and respect for different and varied perspectives, and by being able to consider and include cultural differences in membership and leadership roles.
• The ability to think critically; neither to manipulate when communicating nor to be manipulated.

Supporting Values and Theories:

• We believe that all students, no matter what the GPA or previous leadership/membership experience, deserve a chance to engage in leadership development opportunities in our Center.
• We believe that students should create their own definitions of success.
• We believe that “no one person has all of the truth, we each have a piece of it”. We strive to broaden the base of sources from which students draw their knowledge by exposing them to as many types of leaders and citizens as possible.
• We believe that students learn best in their chosen contexts (constructivism), so we create classes, programs, and services that meet students where they are; our programs are organized into tracks:

• The CSLD teaches a variety of leadership theories, but focuses on three:

• We know that students have different learning styles, and therefore, our methodologies/pedagogies must reflect these styles.
• We believe that students are better educated with a balance of challenge and supportive mechanisms (Sanford).
• We must assure an effective framework by providing programs and services in four delivery categories (Robert’s & Ullom):