Foundation
Miami University has long developed the leadership potential among its students. This tradition was ingrained from the very beginning (1825) as President Bishop lauded the creation of the first two literary societies at Miami. His only caveat at the celebration was that there should be more such groups in order that all students could be actively engaged in learning and leadership. This foundation has been nourished through the decades and resulted in more recent recognition of Miami as a "Public Ivy" and an "Involving College," both the result of institutional accomplishments in developing intellectual and leadership abilities and interests among its students. This is the foundation upon which the more recent and explicit comprehensive leadership development initiatives are built.

1985
The Student Recognition Awards Program is created through a grant from the Parents Fund; the program recognizes student leadership in three areas: campus life, employee service, and service to the community.

The Scholar Leader rooms are created. An alumnus, who admired the recognition the lawn rooms at the University of Virginia afforded, proposed the endowment of the rooms in Elliott and Stoddard. Through gifts from alumni and friends of the University, this residential program housed in Stoddard and Elliott Halls offers 41 undergraduate students the opportunity to become actively involved in a living-learning community that supports inquiry and activities related to leadership.

This marks the first year of the formal leadership development programs offered by Miami.

1987
Two students (Steve Wereb and Anne Harbison) in the Honors Program approach Dr. Richard Nault about starting a seminar on leadership. Anne attended the leadership education conference at the Center for Creative Leadership in North Carolina on behalf of Honors. She brought back ideas that formed part of the backbone of the program. Following the initiative to create the leadership seminar for Honors and other students, the Thelma Reeder Leadership Seminar is created as part of the Scholar Leader Program.

1989
Dr. Myrtis Powell is selected as Vice President for Student Affairs and establishes a new office of student leadership and program development (later renamed student leadership and service learning) to focus, strengthen, and increase leadership development opportunities for students. Sally Sharp is hired as first director.

1990
The BLOCS (Building Leaders of College Students) Peer Education Program is created by the Office of Student Activities to work with student organizations on a variety of group and leadership development issues.

The Henke Leadership in Context endowment is created. In the years to come it becomes a tributary of the new Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership and is used to fund the annual EMPOWER series.

1991
The Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership is established. This endowed conceptual center is designed to prepare students for the effective leadership of cities, schools, and businesses and to engage students in thoughtful and deliberate reflection on how the choices they make and the actions they take impact themselves, the organizations which they lead, and the communities in which they live. The Etheridge Center endowment is now worth over $2,000,000.

The Bell Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) is created as a tributary of the Etheridge Center. This annual eight-week noncredit seminar for 100 first-year students introduces students to leadership theories and programs.

The Urban Leadership Program is established through a startup grant from the Kettering Foundation. This program, coordinated through the Honors Program Office, offers students a summer urban immersion experience which combines service with a professional internship.

1992
The EMPOWER Leadership and Social Justice Series commences. Originally proposed by students Amy Corban and Carin Haen as part of their senior Honors thesis, this annual eight-week noncredit seminar helps approximately 30-40 students explore the relationship between leadership and social justice issues by going into their local communities to learn and serve.

The Greek Affairs Endowment is created with a $60,000 gift from alumnus Clifford Alexander to support leadership initiatives in the Greek community.

1993
Myrtis Powell charges a group of program directors within the Student Affairs Division to create a Community and Campus Life Leadership organizational structure for identifying and modeling new approaches to leadership.

The first University-wide Student Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Office of Student Activities, is held.

The inaugural Greek Leadership Conference, "Do The Right Thing," is held at the Marcum Conference Center with approximately 300 student participants. The day-long conference features a keynote speaker, a luncheon panel and 26 breakout sessions.

1994
The Roger and Stevie Joslin Leaders in Residence Program is established as a tributary of the Etheridge Center. Its purpose is to fund campus visits by professionals in the area of leadership.

The Community and Campus Life Leadership group issues its final report. Among its recommendations are to develop a comprehensive sequence of leadership development programs for students from first year through graduation and to design outcomes assessment strategies for measuring the impact of programs, services, and interventions on students.

Dr. Dennis Roberts joins the Student Affairs Division as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, coordinating the Student Leadership, Campus and Community Life area.

1995
President Risser and Vice President Powell charge a task force of students, faculty, and staff to develop a University-wide Leadership Development Program; the 20-member Leadership Program Task Force (LPTF) is born.

The first Miami delegation attends the LeaderShape Institute at Allerton, Illinois.

President Paul Risser and Vice President Myrtis Powell charge a task force to review the history of Greek organizations at Miami, study the local Greek community, examine existing national practices, and propose ways to assure that Miami will have the preeminent Greek system in the nation. At the conclusion of one year, the task force, known as the Greek Community Commission, submits its final report, The Miami Model for Greek Excellence, which contains various leadership oriented recommendations.

The previous Student Leadership Conference is expanded in scope and incorporates the residence halls' student leadership workshop.

The Greek Peer Educator program begins with the selection and training of over 30 students.

1996
The Leadership Program Task Force issues its final report and begins implementation of "Miami's Leadership Commitment" (MLC).

LPTF is replaced by the MLC Core Team, and four MLC Focus Teams are created to focus on the transition, curricular, co-curricular, and launching phases of the student experience.

Approval is granted and construction of a GOAL (Group Opportunities and Leadership) outdoor ropes course commences.

The Leadership Resource Library is created with support from the Scholar Leader Endowment.

The second Miami delegation attends the LeaderShape Institute at Allerton, Illinois.

A Miami University / University of Michigan partnership is created. Miami staff visit the University of Michigan campus in June for discussion of leadership philosophy and programming; Michigan staff visit the Miami campus the following winter.

The Greek Affairs Office launches Foundations, an eight-week leadership series for sophomores and juniors within the Greek community. The series is designed to help participants understand and explore leadership within the contexts of their fraternal experiences.

1997
The Miami / Michigan partnership presents a session at the combined ACPA/NASPA national conference to a standing-room only audience.

The Women's Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Office of Greek Affairs, is held; Dr. Carole Garland is the keynote speaker.

The first Multicultural Leadership Conference is sponsored by a committee of diverse students who seek to address issues of diversity in the workplace more explicitly.

Funded by a gift from Macy's East Department Stores, the Launching Focus Team-initiated Inaugural Last Lecture for the Senior Class, featuring President Emeritus Phillip R. Shriver, is attended by 600-700 participants.

LeaderShape Miami is founded as a campus-based institute reaching fifty-six students from throughout campus. The Institute is hosted at Grailville Conference Center and is funded by five corporate sponsors (Ford Motor Company, Procter & Gamble, Andersen Consulting, EDS, and Coopers & Lybrand).

The Student Activities and the Student Leadership and Service Learning Offices initiate a new, and more integrative, strategy to focus on combining theory and practice to enhance students' learning and leadership.

The Alumni Leadership Symposium, "Miami's Tradition of Leadership - Bridging History and Destiny," is held to provide the opportunity for alumni and students to reflect together on their experiences of leadership.

A Fraternal Values Institute is sponsored by the Office of Greek Affairs, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association. The program is part of several values-based initiatives designed to reinforce the founding values and principles of fraternities and sororities in the contemporary Greek experience. The Institute is funded in part by a gift from the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity Foundation.

The Cliff Alexander Greek Affairs Endowment grows with additional gifts to over $100,000

1998
The Senior Last Lecture is continued with enhanced support from Macy's East (Federated Department Stores). The 1998 lecture is delivered by Diane Perlmutter, Miami '67, who is chief operating officer of Burson-Marsteller in New York City.

The success of the first campus-based LeaderShape Miami leads to the expansion to two Institutes at Miami in the summer of 1998. Two conference centers are used. Grailville is the conference center for July and Camp Joy is used for August. One hundred twenty students participate.

The Joseph F. Hogan Student Leadership Fund is created with a gift of $92,500. The Hogan fund has as its central focus "programs designed to help students lead with vision and integrity, beginning with the LeaderShape Miami Institute." This is the first permanent endowment to support campus-based LeaderShape Institutes at any college or university in the nation.

The Greek Relationship Statement is approved by the President's Executive Staff and forms the foundation on which other proposals coming out of the Miami Model for Greek Excellence report will be refined and implemented.

The Templeton Foundation recognizes Miami's comprehensive leadership development programs, "Miami's Leadership Commitment," as an exemplary
national program. The Templeton Foundation recognition draws attention to the importance of colleges and universities attending to the value and
character development needs of students. Miami is featured in the book listing all Character Building Colleges and Universities

1999
The first "Character Counts" lecture is delivered by John Pepper, former CEO of Procter & Gamble, to a standing-room only crowd of 800 on March 15. The Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership funds the speech which, because of its immediate success, is confirmed as an ongoing annual tradition. "Character Counts" focuses on the importance of character in leadership.

Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie, speaks on "Lessons for Living" under the sponsorship of the Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership. This is the first Greek Values Society speaker to reach a broader campus audience with approximately 700 in attendance.

March 22 marked the first time in the history of the Scholar Leader program that an all-campus outreach event took place. Following the 1999 Scholar Leader "January Plunge" trip to Toronto, Scholar Leaders returned to Oxford committed to bringing to the U.S. an "ALL ONE PEOPLE" day, modeled after Canada's day by the same name. Endorsements were obtained from the ASG Student Senate, University, and faculty and staff throughout campus were asked to stop for a moment of reflection on the value of diversity in our community at 11 a.m. on this day. Hundreds of faculty, staff and students joined in this first of its kind outreach to the campus community.

Thelma Reeder, died on April 5 at the age of 97. Dr. Nault commented after her death, "Thelma was for me a remarkable citizen of this university and a wonderful friend and adviser. In giving one of her gifts to Miami, she told me that she didn't want to give money for bricks and mortar, but instead wanted to support 'students who had gumption.'" She made the scholar-leader program possible.

2000
The Scholar Leaders continue their emphasis on improving the campus environment by scheduling MUSmiles day. The day responds to lessons learned from the 1999 "All One People" day modeled after the Canadian observance by the same name.

The Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils adopt a historic revision of their alcohol policy. The new policy recognizes the risk of underage and abusive drinking and establishes new procedures and strategies for social events at fraternities and at off-campus locations. This initiative is student-driven and is based on the original recommendations of the "Miami Model for Greek Excellence" and the values of "Miami's Leadership Commitment" that encourage active participation and taking of responsibility by students.

Students form a new student organization dedicated to opposing the sweatshop manufacture of clothing in developing countries. The manufacture of clothing in these settings is perceived to be abusive of those employed for as little as $65/month for a full family. The student leaders involved use the "Miami's Leadership Commitment" values to shape their strategy of appeal to Associated Student Government, the University administration, and the Board of Trustees. The responsible discourse and conscientious action of these students meets with profound success, modeled in a commitment to value-based action.

The success of the "Character Counts" lecture results in a series of programs scheduled in March. The series is labeled "Miami Celebrates Character." Speakers and events are provided throughout a week of celebration of the exploration of character issues. Richard T. Farmer, CEO of Cintas and Miami Board of Trustees member, serves as the "Character Counts" keynoter. Michael Josephson of the Josephson Institute on Ethics, and Angela Davis are other speakers included in the week. A dinner of all the faculty, staff, and student "Friends" of "Miami's Leadership Commitment" celebrate the success of the emerging programs that reached almost 13,000 students at Miami in the 1999-2000 academic year.

2001
Miami is the first college or university in the nation to host a regional LeaderShape Institute. Named the "Ohio Valley LeaderShape Institute," Dayton University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and Delta Sigma Pi national business fraternity joined Miami to offer LeaderShape to 120 students throughout the southwest Ohio region.

The "Miami Leadership Commitment" is featured in the book, Developing Non-Hierarchical Leadership on Campus: Case Studies and Best Practices in Higher Education by Outcalt, Faris, and McMahon.

Dr. Denny Roberts, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs at Miami, and coordinator of "Miami's Leadership Commitment" is named to the Board of Directors of the LeaderShape Institute, and the International Leadership Association.

2002
Rick Devine is named Director of the Office of Service Learning and Civic Leadership and plans are initiated to expand the office and its services. A new home is established in Hanna House with expanded facilities and services. Truman Scholar ('03), Ross Meyer, works with the staff to establish the "Center for Community Service and Civic Engagement," a resource to students interested in a broad variety of service and social activism initiatives.

The Office of Service Learning and Civic Leadership broadens its partnerships with faculty in a variety of curricular areas. Additional transportation resources are donated or purchased to support expanded student interest.

Harry T. Wilks (Miami, 1948) of Hamilton, Ohio, commits to establish the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute with a $5,000,000 gift. The Leadership Institute will support the creation of new courses and the infusion in existing courses of leadership issues. A Faculty Partners network is established to launch the planning for the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute in order to assure broad academic support for this one-of-a-kind initiative. Dr. Allan Winkler, Distinguished Professor of History, and Dr. Denny Roberts, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, are named co-chairs of the planning group.

The Division of Student Affairs receives a grant from the Kettering Foundation to create and pilot a deliberation on "Fraternal Organizations: What's in the Future?" The deliberation process of the National Issues Forum (NIF) is used world-wide to foster a commitment to civic engagement. The majority of National Issue Forum deliberations have been done in community or in classroom settings. The "Fraternal Futures" deliberation is designed to be peer facilitated in out-of-class settings. The "Fraternal Futures" initiative is supported by the student organization, the Greek Values Society, and deepens the previous work of the Miami Model for Greek Excellence.

2003
Career Services and the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute are added as organizational units within the Student Leadership, Campus, and Community Life umbrella. Both represent additional ways to connect students' academic and cocurricular experiences in preparation for careers and service to society. Dr. Denny Roberts is named Associate Vice President.

The Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute serves as a co-sponsor of the National Leadership Symposium hosted at the University of Richmond's Jepson School of Leadership Studies. This sponsorship serves as an exploratory opportunity to test the need for an ongoing leadership education pedagogy conference, perhaps to be hosted at Miami on a regular basis.

The first regional International Leadership Association conference is supported by the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute in Munich, Germany. The speaker, Dr. Otto Scharmer of MIT, speaks in Munich and at Miami for Oxford faculty, staff, and students.

Dr. Emily Langdon is hired as the Interim Coordinator of the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute. Dr. Langdon's credentials include a doctorate from UCLA where she studied with higher education and leadership scholars Drs. Alexander and Lena Astin. Dr. Langdon serves for one year to get the Institute started and then continues to work for the Division of Student Affairs in a part-time consulting capacity.

The Faculty Partners of the Wilks Institute meet on a regular basis to refine the vision and strategies supported by the Wilks gift. The idea of "Think Tanks" on compelling public problems emerges and Faculty Partners are encouraged to develop proposals for initiatives that could be funded by the Wilks Institute.

2004
The first speakers sponsored on campus by the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute are Dr. Otto Scharmer, Mr. John Glenn, and Ms. Luz Lajous Vargas. Mr. Glenn served as the Inaugural speaker and related the lessons he learned in the military, as an astronaut, and as a public servant. Dr. Scharmer spoke with Faculty Partners, other faculty/staff, and students to help them understand the process of discovering core conviction and how it can transform leadership. Ms. Lajous worked with women to understand empowerment and networks as ways to improve the life conditions for women around the globe.

A high school leadership conference is offered for the first time under the auspices of the Wilks Institute. Over one hundred fifty students attended workshops designed and delivered by Miami students. The response by high school counselors and students was overwhelming and set the stage for the continuation of this as a Wilks sponsored program.

Ms. Marry Shannon joins the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute as Interim Coordinator for two years. Ms. Shannon brought knowledge of community and foundation work from her previous employment at Cleveland State University and Marietta College.

The Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Leadership is established with a $1,000,000 gift to endow support for fraternal organizations at Miami. "Fostering the fraternal spirit" is the vision for programs to be designed for new members and for advisors. A cornerstone of these new initiatives is protecting the core values of fraternalism while remaining open to innovation and change. Mr. Steve Dealph of the National Interfraternity Conference is hired as the Director of the new Alexander Office. Steve's interest in leadership and fostering critical engagement of Greek students sets the stage for Miami's fraternal organizations to set the standard for campuses throughout the U.S.A.

The Kettering funded "Fraternal Futures" initiative completes the pilot phase of the NIF deliberation model. Presentations are provided to international fraterneral headquarters representatives, other campuses, and at NASPA and ACPA conferences. The model is so successful that Dr. Roberts as principle investigator is invited to speak at the Kettering Foundation Board of Trustees meeting as the first example of a deliberation designed for use in primarily out of class settings.

2005
The planning for the full implementation of Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute continues with a small group of faculty who refine the model of "Critical Engagement in Leadership" as the primary curricular element of the Institute. The first such community-based research initiative is titled the "Thinking Locally Think Tank" and is chaired by Dr. Peggy Shaffer of American World Studies.

The Office of Career Services conducted the first known study of Miami graduates' success in the workplace. The idea of the study emerged from questions raised by Board of Trustees member, Mr. Smucker, designed through partnerships with the academic divisions, and completed by an outside consultant. The study concluded that Miami graduates are equal or superior to graduates of all comparable colleges/universities and exceed others in; oral communication, initiative and self-motivation, interpersonal and collaborative skills, and leadership and influence skills. All of these are related to leadership effectiveness and are perceived as by-products of Miami's long-term commitment to leadership development.

Dr. Roberts is named a Senior Scholar of the American College Personnel Association, a position shared with a group of senior faculty and student affairs administrators across the nation. The Miami Univeristy Dolibois European Center (Luxembourg) invites Dr. Roberts to serve as a Visiting Scholar in the fall, teaching the first "Global Leadership" seminar to students who will attend the International Leadership Association with him in Amsterdam.

The "Integrating Leadership" task force is formed by Vice President Nault and Associate Provost Skillings. The purpose of the group is to more purposefully integrate all the curricular and cocurricular programs dedicated to leadership at Miami. The Etheridge Center, Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute, Alexander Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life & Leadership, the John T. Petters Center for Ethics, Leadership, and Professional Skills Development, the Buck Rogers Business Leadership Program, the LeaderShape Institute, Scholar Leader Program, and Urban Leadership Internship Program are involved in this cross-divisional and inter-disciplinary conceptualization totally over $20,000,000 in endowments.

The Office of Campus Activities undergoes program review and consultant visits to determine how it can be best positioned for the future. The office is renamed as Student Activities & Leadership and former Assistant Director, Gary Manka, is named as the permanent Director of the new office. Gary's 20+ year commitment reflects a depth of engagement with students and an advocacy for the leadership values of "Miami's Leadership Commitment" that make him the ideal Director.

2006
Monica Ways is named Director for the Office of Community Engagement & Service on July 1, 2006. Monica has served in higher education, not-for-profit, and business settings during her 20+ year career. Former roles included Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity at the Medical University of Ohio, Executive Director of the Dayton region of the National Conference for Community and Justice, and Senior Manager for Honda Corporation. Her passion for community engagement and building strategic and sustainable partnerships brought her back to higher education and Miami to lead the repositioned office that has for over a decade fostered volunteerism, community service, and service learning.

Dr. Nicholas (Nick) Longo is named Director of Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute on August 1, 2006. Nick previously directed Campus Compact's national youth civic engagement initiative, Raise Your Voice, a multiyear campaign to increase college student participation in public life.  Nick is the co-editor of Students as Colleagues ; and is also the author of Reaching Beyond the Schools on the role of community in educating for democracy (SUNY Press).  Nick is also an Associate at the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, OH.  As the first permanent Director, Nick's role will be to build on the planning work of Dr. Emily Langdon and Ms. Mary Shannon who helped during the early planning years for the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute.  The focus of the Institute, "partnering for leadership excellence," is achieved through numerous partnerships with offices and programs throughout academic and student affairs.  The Acting Locally think tank and Wilks Scholars initiatives begin this academic year.

2007

Dr. Denny Roberts left Miami University after thirteen years of service to join the Qatar Foundation as Assistant Vice President for Education. The lessons learned during those years contributed to the publication of Deeper Learning in Leadership, released by Jossey-Bass Publishers in September. The opportunity at the Qatar Foundation includes coordination of the branch campuses (including Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Texas A&M, Georgetown, VCU and others to come) and the creation of a sense of the collegiate experience through the Faculty and Student Services programs provided by the Foundation.