Miami University
Oxford, Ohio

The purpose of Miami's Leadership Commitment is "to develop the leadership potential in all students for the global and interdependent world of the future." Miami fosters the leadership capacity in its students by providing engaged learning experiences in the classroom and complementary out-of-class enrichment informed by the shared values of:
· Being active in the campus community and beyond
· Seeing potential within yourself and others
· Thinking critically and taking time to reflect
· Respecting the dignity of others and appreciating diversity
· Communicating directly and honestly
· Being flexible and open to change
· Taking purposeful risks
· Being responsible for your actions
· Encouraging others to live by these values

When these values are taken to heart, an ideal learning community is created. Faculty, staff, and students all experience the best that college has to offer. We engage in ways that create deeper learning, we assume that we all have potential, we respect one another and consider different points of view as deeply as our own. These are all essential if the vision of Miami's Leadership Commitment is to be realized and if Miami is to be the most vital learning community that it can be.

Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership

The Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership provides funding for a variety of cocurricular and curricular programs. This endowed center is designed to prepare students for effective leadership and to engage students in thoughtful and deliberate reflection on how their choices and actions affect themselves, the organizations they lead and the communities in which they live. Specific programs supported by the Etheridge Center include: the residential Leadership, Excellence, and Community program for first-year students, the Annual Student Leadership Conference, Empower, and a multimedia center of over eight hundred resources.

The Etheridge Center is committed to collaboration that furthers the understanding of leadership and its importance in the Miami community and beyond. Partnerships have been established with the Women's Center, Inter-Collegiate Athletics, the Center for American and World Cultures, Alumni and Parent Programs, and numerous academic departments. The spectrum of these partnerships range from as little as monetary support, to cooperation, and full collaboration. Where possible, collaboration is the goal. Collaboration allows the Etheridge Center and the collaborative area to work toward mutually agreed goals while at the same time stimulating a deeper understanding of leadership and its dynamics in a changing world.

The LeaderShape Institute, an intensive six-day retreat designed to develop leadership informed by vision and integrity, is supported by the Hogan Leadership Fund and annual gifts from private and corporate sponsors. LeaderShape is offered at the Allerton Retreat Center in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and at over thirty of the nation's finest colleges and Universities.

Expanding the Commitment through the
Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute

Mission:
The Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute will ensure that Miami's students graduate with the highest ethical standards, ready and eager to serve their communities, their nation, and their world.

The Institute:
· Will seek to foster leadership among all students on campus.
· Will continuously draw on the best strengths of classroom and co-curricular life.
· Will encourage students to reflect about their own behavior, experiment with leadership in practice, and take risks that result in personal growth.

Strategies:
Academic coursework - To prepare students for effective, ethical leadership in a changing world. Coursework may draw on current or redesigned courses or on entirely new courses, and may fold into requirements of the Miami Plan for Liberal Education.
Speaker series - Highlighting speakers who demonstrate significant leadership within diverse fields of expertise. These speakers will help engender a University-wide conversation on leadership.
National scholarly symposium on leadership teaching - A biennial symposium on pedagogy in teaching leadership will allow Miami and other faculty to compare methods that are most effective in fostering leadership commitment and action in students.
Leadership entrepreneurial fund - New approaches to leadership will be explored as faculty and students apply to this fund for support of their change initiatives.
Youth leadership development - Miami will serve as a regional resource for youth leadership development, providing resources and expertise in identifying and nurturing young people willing and capable of ethical leadership.
International student support - A global student leadership award will be established to encourage international students to study at Miami. This award will acknowledge students' contributions and potential in providing global leadership.
University-wide culture of leadership - The Miami Leadership Commitment initiative began a process of raising leadership interest throughout Miami University through primarily co-curricular programs. The Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute can extend this effort even further.

Positioning Miami Students for the Future

Miami's commitment to developing the leadership capacity in its students prepares them for a global community that needs their contributions. Through experimentation and refinement of a broad number of initiatives, Miami will fulfill this important role.

Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership:
The Etheridge Center for Reflective Leadership supports primarily co-curricular programs and maintains the focus on the affective and relational aspects of leadership.

Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute:
The Wilks Institute will provide the opportunity for intellectual inquiry matched with opportunities for translation in practice of leadership ideas.

Scholar Leader Endowments:
The Scholar Leader endowments recognize and build the capacity for leadership.

Community Service and Civic Engagement Center:
The Community Service and Civic Engagement Center supports a focus on service and civic engagement.

Student Affairs Collaboration:
The Division of Student Affairs provides many opportunities for students to create and experience healthy and effective organization life.