Colleges and universities all over the United States play an integral role in shaping tomorrow’s leaders. At Saint Leo University, the faculty and administration take this charge to heart, infusing visionary leadership into the curriculum. I recently sat down with Arthur F. Kirk Jr., president of Saint Leo University, to discuss his approach to leadership preparation.
Q: Saint Leo is known for its commitment to developing leaders. Would you tell us about your university’s approach to developing future leaders?
A: The notion that leaders are born and not made was once widely accepted. However, this belief is fading, as research suggests that much can be done to help grow leaders to their fullest potential. That certainly has been my experience as a university president for nearly 30 years.
When students arrive on our campus, they quickly realize that much will be expected of them. The days of sitting in the back row of a classroom and going through the motions as a college student are no more. That type of attitude is unacceptable to potential employers, and eliminating it while on campus is the first step to cultivating future leaders.
For this reason, our classes are intentionally small (our student-teacher ratio is 15:1) and students do not get lost in a crowd or back row; rather, we engage them, ensuring greater opportunities to develop their skills and prepare for leadership roles.
At Saint Leo, all first-year students must take SLU 100, a foundational course upon which freshmen can build their leadership skills throughout their education and long after. The course focuses on understanding and applying the university’s core values of excellence, community, respect, personal development, responsible stewardship and integrity. The only way to cultivate leadership qualities among our students to ensure each of these values is thoroughly explored as principles of leadership—and followership.
