News > October 9, 2008

By Natalie Ranck | Staff writer

LEAD stands for Leadership, Excellence, Application and Development and is a student organization that consists of a 10-week co-curricular learning program for 70 selected freshmen and sophomore students along with 20 upperclass mentors each spring semester. The goal is that the participants will become more effective and engaged leaders on campus. Potential participants most importantly show leadership potential, a desire to learn, the motivation to see a project through and the ability to work well in a team.

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Designed to teach leadership principles, the program includes a kick-off, retreat, weekly leadership labs, small group projects, mentoring and a banquet. During the 10-week period, participants are broken down into small teams of five or six and led by two LEAD alumni, or mentors.

Through the weekly leadership labs, the participants learn about leadership philosophies, talk out leadership dilemmas and engage in activities or scenarios that depict real-life problems.

By the end of the program, each team develops and executes a proposal related to improving the university and Winston-Salem. LEAD is made possible by members of the Steering Committee, which is made up of four seniors and one graduate student each year, one of which is senior Annie Sykes.

“Our job is unique in that we take part in both the behind the scenes planning of the program and in leading the retreat and leadership labs with the help of our advisers, Mike Ford and Brighid Jensen,” Sykes said.

Other members of the Steering Committee include seniors Meagan Calhoun, Steve Smith, Matt Six and graduate student Tiffany Waddell.

Their responsibilities also include recruiting, training and overseeing the 20 upperclassmen LEAD mentors who lead the small groups and meeting weekly to determine how to make the current LEAD program the best yet.

“This includes picking a theme, scheduling program dates, designing T-shirts, fliers and posters, making presentations about LEAD and, most importantly, getting the word out about LEAD so we can attract the most promising members of the freshman and sophomore class,” Sykes said.

The faculty advisors also play an integral role in making LEAD the best it can be each year. “Brighid Jensen and I serve as the advisors to LEAD,” she said.

“We work closely with the student LEAD Directors on the LEAD Steering Committee to design, deliver and evaluate the LEAD program,” Director of Student Development and Faculty Advisor to LEAD Mike Ford said.

Once the spring semester begins and the participants are determined, the Steering Committee will take a more visible role in helping the weekly labs run smoothly and in acting as a resource to participants and mentors for questions about their proposals.

LEAD makes an impact not only to the individuals participating, but also the university at large. “LEAD proposals are the root of so many of the things that make Wake Forest unique,” Sykes said.

“A few examples of LEAD projects that have improved the campus are the RIDE shuttle, the new Deacon Express that takes students to and from athletic events, the Skip Prosser memorial basketball tournament, the development of Shorty’s and the Wake semester abroad in Washington D.C.

“To me, the most important effect of LEAD is that it shows students that the future of our campus can be in their hands. It’s such a wonderful way for proactive students to connect with other student leaders and campus officials to get things done,” Sykes said.

“As you see from the things LEAD has started, the program is a kind of launching pad for student initiatives on improving campus life. And LEAD proposals are certainly not limited to life at Wake Forest; they can also serve to benefit the community.”

“LEAD is one of the most fun and fulfilling things I do at Wake Forest,” Ford said.

“Each year I experience the energy and excitement of working with a new and talented group of student leaders on their personal development and their hopes, dreams and aspirations for the university.” Sykes agrees.

“I’ve been lucky enough to know the program from all sides of involvement,” she said.

“This perspective has confirmed what I suspected all along: LEAD is one of the most influential, fun and fulfilling programs on campus. I would definitely encourage anyone interested in making a change on campus to apply.”

The application will be available online on the Student Development Web site by the end of the week and applications will be due Oct. 13 for mentors and Nov. 3 for first-time participants.