Universe of Opportunity for Student Leaders

Picture the solar system in your mind. Visualize a star at its center and planets in orbit around it. The sun in this model, however, is leadership, with its corona emitting light waves of knowledge and interconnections to the various forms of leadership opportunities for students.

Exciting changes are happening for leadership development at San Diego State University. Working in collaboration with other areas on campus, Student Affairs plans to provide a hub to connect leadership opportunities for students.

In July 2009, the Student Life & Leadership office was reorganized and renamed to reflect its emphasis on leadership for all interested students. Randy Timm was appointed its new director.

Working with Student Affairs management, including Vice President for Student Affairs James R. Kitchen and Associate Vice President for Campus Life, Timothy Quinnan, an ambitious, achievable agenda was put forward to expand and connect leadership at SDSU in 2010.

First priorities

• Campus Needs Assessment: A team of MBA students, under the direction of senior lecturer Jeff Glazer, conducted an environmental scan of the leadership opportunities and needs at SDSU. Key university, alumni and student leaders provided insight and ideas. Recommendations for essential elements needed in a holistic student leadership program, as well as ideas for expanding the minor in leadership development, will be part of the team’s formal presentation. They will also provide a business plan to establish a Leadership Center on campus.


• Strengthen and Expand the Minor in Leadership Development: Almost 40 students, mainly freshmen, took the introductory course in the leadership minor during fall 2009 semester. This cohort, along with many upperclassmen, is now enrolled in the second course in the sequence. More than 60 students have declared the minor. Student Life & Leadership will spearhead promotional and recruitment efforts to attract additional students to the minor, targeting learning community residents, Greek students, the Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA) Leadership Scholars, Compact Scholars and Honors Program participants. Student Affairs is working with the College of Education to provide a three-year enrollment projection plan.


• SDSU Leadership Summit: A revamped SDSU Leadership Summit is coming on Feb. 27. Offering two tracks, one for emerging student leaders and the other experiential, it promises meaningful content for today’s students, as well as a tantalizing lineup of presenters. The summit will accommodate 250 students intent on honing their leadership knowledge and skills. Long term, it is anticipated this summit will put SDSU on the national student leadership map, as well as becoming the anchor event in a rich array of leadership initiatives for students.


• The Leadership Center: In the future, a place on campus will exist where students, staff, faculty, alumni and influential persons from business and government will gather frequently to discuss contemporary leadership concerns, deliberate solutions and strategize on steps for implementation. Conference rooms, classrooms, computer work stations, along with staff offices and an inviting, informal gathering space will be part of an emerging Leadership Center. While leadership education and training will be delivered at multiple sites across campus, the new center will proudly serve as headquarters for all leadership activities. In turn, it will be widely recognized throughout the region as a symbol of the university’s commitment to this critically important area. A final proposal articulating the structure, programming and resources needed to operate such a facility will be finished this spring. Fundraising is underway to make the new center a reality.

Leadership at SDSU is collaborative and inclusive. It runs across all divisions and will be open to all interested students regardless of their stage of leadership development.

Future opportunities

What comes after 2010? Much more is envisioned as the leadership program evolves.

One idea is an online leadership aptitude inventory that each student could use to assess his or her strengths, as well as areas for growth. The results of this inventory would serve as the basis for a counseling session between the student and a leadership advisor during which an individual leadership development plan (ILDP) is assembled, tailored to the student’s unique requirements.

As this plan unfolds, a co-curricular transcript might record and reflect the student’s achievements, providing another credential to supplement the academic transcript. Volunteer work, leadership internships and international leadership exchanges are just a few other leadership possibilities.

More information

For more information, please visit the SDSU Student Life & Leadership website.