Miami University's comprehensive student leadership program is defined by the belief that leadership is a mutual "influence relationship" (Rost, 1993) where people work together to improve or change something to their mutual benefit. In this view, leadership is interactive and relies on the emergence of various "leaders" at various times. The traditional notion of a leader as one who leads throughout the day or event is expanded, thereby including anyone moving into and out of leadership roles based on their individual strengths, energies, and passions.

Because we believe that all students, faculty and staff of the University are capable of leadership, we commit to working to develop the full leadership potential in those in the University community. While Miami is a complex organization and institution, it has been unified over time in its mission of educating "...men and women for responsible, informed citizenship, as well as meaningful employment." Citizenship and leadership are, therefore, developed through classroom and out-of-class involvement and are a part of the way we live and grow in this community.

"Miami's Leadership Commitment" includes a variety of programs which are described throughout our web site. We hope that you will continue to browse the site to look for programs of interest to you.

In addition to programs, we commit to encouraging and challenging each other to live by the leadership values upon which "Miami's Leadership Commitment" is based. This is the most powerful part of what we do for each other -- we live by a set of shared values that are based on liberal education principles, are informed by what we know about leadership, and are constantly changing and adapting to maintain relevance in the 21st century.

Assessment Reports - Miami conducts ongoing assessment of "Miami's Leadership Commitment" by using the Freshmen Survey and College Student Survey provided by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at UCLA. The following reports reflect different analyses and implications in the continuing study of the influence of "Miami's Leadership Commitment":

Assessment Report #1

Assessment Report #2

Assessment Report #3

Assessment Report #4

Assessment Report #5

Miami's Leadership Commitment in Developing Non-Hierarchical Leadership on Campus, Outcalt, Faris, and McMahon (2001). If you wish to read about the philsophy and purpose of this inclusive and comprehensive leadership strategy, click here for a copy.