Linking Leadership Program Overview
Linking Leadership is an intentional leadership development program hosted by the Office of Student Life in collaboration with many units across Southern Oregon University.
The intent of the program is to:
- Prepare students for the future, personally and professionally
- Host intentional leadership learning and development opportunities
- Live the SOU Vision, Mission, and Values
- Develop a shared language across campus about leadership
- Create fun and positive connections across campus
Linking Leadership is competency based, allowing students to learn at their own pace and through methods which best work for their personal learning styles. Competencies are knowledge, values, abilities, and behaviors that help an individual contribute to or successfully engage in a role or task. Many students, staff, and faculty helped craft the leadership competencies in this program.
Each competency guides students to create a leadership experience that is individualized yet aligns with the parameters set by the model. Linking Leadership is likened to an apprenticeship program in technical or facilities management related fields, as well as management trainee programs in business fields. After successfully meeting all seven leadership competencies students will create a special project demonstrating their meaning making of each competency. Special projects could be a portfolio of achievements, a SOAR presentation, video tutorial on leadership, or something else. Each student decides on the special project with approval from Larry Locke, Assistant Director of Student Life (lockel@sou.edu).
Linking Leadership and the associated activities helps students to more deliberately focus on their goals and the competencies that they need to develop and achieve those goals.
Program Staff:
Amanda Smith (She/Her/Hers), Student Leadership Coordinator, smitha23@sou.edu
Amanda is in her senior year at SOU. She is a Psychology major and a Communication minor and plans to attain her Ph.D. in either I/O psych or positive psych and leadership development. Amanda is passionate about serving others, leadership development through improvisation, and helping those around her live their best life. At SOU, Amanda is involved in The First Year Mentor Program, The Student Housing Board, Linking Leadership and various clubs. Outside of SOU, Amanda is a small business owner, a runner, an adventurer and a skilled underwater basket weaver.
Larry Locke (He/Him/His), Assistant Director of Student Life for Leadership, lockel@sou.edu Twitter Handle @LarryML
Larry has been working in higher education for almost 10 years and started working at SOU in Student Life the summer of 2015. Larry is an educator, community organizer, and traveler. He holds a Bachelors of Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College and a Masters of Arts in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University. Some of Larry's happeist moments outside of work have been backpacking Thailand, finishing the Eugene Marathon, and anytime someone buys him pizza.
Instructions for Students
- Sign up to participate in the program here (LINK).
- Attend a required orientation session to review the program. Larger orientations are offered at the start of each term but one on one orientations can be set up.
- Create a plan to meet the seven competencies in orientation.
- After each complete competency complete an assessment. The assessment will be reviewed by the Linking Leadership team to be determine if the competency was achieved.
- Special badge awarded for each competency you officially complete.
- After competencies are achieved, you will be invited to complete a special project to demonstrate the meaning making of the experience.
- Students who complete the special project are given special recognition at the Raider Academy Awards and earn a special graduation honor cord.
The Competencies
Motivates and Mentors
Empowers others by teaching, coaching, motivating, and sharing appropriate resources, and challenges others in order to help them reach their full potential.
Growth Mindset
Demonstrates consistent resiliency to promote positive change through adversity. Identifies potential change opportunities and actively seek to adapt. Assesses and utilizes creative strategies to create individual, organizational, or societal change within a situational context.
Works Collaboratively
Cultivates connections with others that contribute positively to the well-being of those involved. Works toward a common objective through the sharing of ideas and distribution of responsibilities across team members.
Engages in Inclusive Behavior
Builds a welcoming environment that empowers a diverse group of people to participate in organizational roles, processes, and experiences in order to foster a greater sense of belonging and shared commitment.
Utilizes Feedback
Consistently offers timely, respectful, and constructive feedback, and encourages others to offer it in return in an effort to improve both persons’ future decisions, productivity, and effectiveness.
Initiative and Follow Through
Takes initiative to identify and assess needs, creating measurable objectives, and building relationships with people who will be able to help achieve the measurable objectives. Follow through on working towards determined measurable objectives and assessing needs as applicable.
Reflection
Regularly practices reflection about actions in association with values and betterment of one’s skills and abilities, and fit within groups which one is a part of.
Achieving the Competencies
The following list are suggested methods to help achieve the competencies. It is important to remember that everyone is different, what might help one student achieve a competency, may not work for another. Some students may have a learning moment from focusing on one activity, while others may need to complete several. Students previosly lived experinces may also have helped them achieve one or more of the competencies. In keeping with the “Growth Mindset” competency students are encouraged to think of their own ideas for achieving competencies. Students who believe they have met a competency should see the "assessments of the competencies" tab.
- Volunteer to be a mentor with the First Year Mentor Program
- Serve as a Raider Ambassador or New Student Orientation member
- Take on a leadership role within a student organization or resource center
- Learn more about potential departmental/institutional workgroups/committees and participate as appropriate
- Attend free campus events with an educational component
- Student government offers many opportunities for learning (internships, elected positions, volunteer opportunities, and even conferences)
- Find volunteer opportunities on or off campus
- Take an academic course outside of your comfort zone but you find interesting
- Go on an overnight trip with the Outdoor Program
- Ask a staff or faculty whom you admire to be your personal mentor
- Write to an elected official with questions or concerns you may have about an issue
- Attend events on campus related to a diversity or social justice topic you are unfamiliar with and actively listen.
- Be a student athlete
- Take the UGS Leadership Course or the Career Exploration Course as an elective
- Contribute to student art show
- Participate in a club sport or intramural team
- Sign up for a Raider Alternative Break or other Civic Engagement program
Assessments of the Competencies
Often individuals are their worst critic or have a hard time being realistic about their achievements. Therefore, this program requires each student to complete an assessment of their work towards each competency. The two assessment types available for students to choose from. The first competency a student achieves must be assessed by the second option (interview) to help develop positive relationships early on in the program. Students should complete an assessment when they feel they have met each competency.
- Reflection Paper: Clearly state how you meet the competency. Discuss personal examples. This paper should not rehash the competency or its importance, but focus on how you have made meaning of the competency and created a significant practice of it in your life. The paper should be emailed to Larry Locke, Assistant Director of Student Life at Lockel@sou.edu. He and the the Linking Leadership Team will read and provide feedback to the paper.
- Interview with the Linking Leadership Team: Clearly state how you have met the competency in a conversation with two Linking Leadership Team members. Similar to the reflection paper, you should be able to express your personal meaning of the competency, how you have created a significant practice of it in your life, and have several examples of your work with selected competency. To schedule your interview contact Larry Locke, Assistant Director of Student Life at Lockel@sou.edu with your general availability.
Once the Linking Leadership Team determines that a student meets the requirements of the competency, the student will receive a congratulatory email with the associated electronic badge.
Special Project
After successfully achieving all seven leadership competencies students will create a special project to demonstrate their meaning making of each competency. Special projects could be a portfolio of achievements, a SOAR presentation, video tutorial on leadership, or something else. Each student decides on the special project with approval from the Assistant Director of Student Life. Students must complete their special project to receive a graduation honors cord for the program. If a student has funding concerns about their project they should contact Larry Locke, Assistant Director of Student Life at lockel@sou.edu to discuss options.
Completion Expectations
The Linking Leadership program recognizes that leadership learning takes time. Students may work towards completing the program over the course of a year or the student’s entire time at SOU. Students who complete their special projects during a single school year will receive special recognition during that year’s Raider Academy Awards. An end of year celebration will be hosted for every participant in the program annually.
