Excellence in Research: Value Added Leadership for Strengthening the Capacity of College Students

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In this project, a model leadership training program is established to inculcate leadership skills into college students. Leadership and leadership development skills have garnered the interest of scholars and non- scholars alike. Yet many, if not most, college students do not formally go through leadership training while they are in college. It is not uncommon to hear employers, for example, complaining about the lack of leadership skills in new hires when they enter organizations. In this study, college students, in particular Generation Z, are recruited into a leadership training program to acquire pre-emptive leadership skills. The study advances the science and literature on leadership development and enhances the leadership knowledge and skills capacity of participants. Students’ participation in the project has an impact on their communities through the students’ engagements in advocacy and community improvement. This project is jointly funded by Sociology, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research Program (HBCU-EIR).The goal of the study is to strengthen the capacity of college students in leadership skills. Two sets of students are recruited each year for at least three years, comprising a total of one hundred eighty participants. Two sets of training models deliver the program. Data are collected via survey questionnaires, including pre-and post-tests and semi-structured instruments, and are analyzed statistically to provide insights into leadership development. Key research questions concern the impact of training on knowledge and skills in leadership development, the impact of socioeconomic factors on leadership styles, the impact of incentives on perceptions on leadership skills, and the impact of leadership training on community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.