The University of Colorado at Boulder has been selected to host a new student leadership development program sponsored by the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute.
The principle objective of the six-week course called, "Collegiate Leadership Development Program: Building the Next Generation of Latino Leaders," is to cultivate upcoming Latino leaders through greater activism on campus and in their communities.
The course is designed to create a better understanding between Latino students and university officials through constructive dialogue and interaction. The three components are Administration, Operations and Academics.
Chancellor Richard Byyny will participate in the dialogue with students at the first session on March 10 along with Phil DiStefano, vice chancellor for academic affairs and Ron Stump, associate vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students.
"Leadership training, along with intellectual development, is an important element of a good education," Dr. Byyny said. "Our campus is a dynamic place where learning happens in many different and innovative ways. This course presents an excellent opportunity for me and other administrators to work with students on developing leadership skills."
According to DiStefano, "This program provides students and administrators an opportunity to interact with each other and to learn from each other. I am personally looking forward to very active and interesting dialogue with these talented students."
Stump noted that the most exciting thing about the program was the opportunity it provided to involve students not normally included in the mainstream to develop their leadership skills and to expose them to university officials and how the university works so that they can work within it effectively.
"One of the results is a group of student leaders who feel better connected to the university and who are working in concert with it on behalf of student diversity. Long term, the program should enhance our student-life environment and better prepare our students to take their roles as involved citizens in society," he said.
Araceli Rascon, a senior and USHLI scholarship recipient, believes the course is a valuable one. " It's important to have a dialogue with administrators, because once we know who they are we can feel more comfortable knowing what their positions are and what our role is in the university," she said. "As a leader of a student group I think it is important for all leaders to know who administrators are because the policies they make affect students' lives."
The program will stress the importance of student participation in the university structure. The goal is for students to see the opportunities they have to influence and create positive results on their campus.
Teresa Estrada, a sophomore, is looking forward to learning how to apply the principles of the program. "Our goals as student leaders are to be proactive instead of reactive, to solve problems before they arise and to take care of campus issues," Estrada said. "It's very important for members of all different Latino student groups to come together to unite for a common goal."
According to Dale Trevino, campus coordinator for the course, ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä was chosen because of the university's commitment to developing young Latino leaders.
"During the past two years more than 100 ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder students have participated in USHLI activities. We have already identified 15 to 20 student leaders to participate in the program," Trevino said.
Featured speakers for upcoming sessions include administrators from the offices of Planning, Budget and Analysis, Housing and Admissions.
The pilot is currently focused on Latino students. Plans for the future include enhancing the program to include other groups.