In the early days, leadership skills were a by-product of having to get things done. Later, helping students develop those skills became a stated goal—but focused mostly on members of the Steering Committee.
Today, IUSF is committed to developing leaders across its entire membership. For each class year, we’ve designed programs and activities—some old standards, others new—that will build specific professional skills. These experiences are structured to build on and reinforce each another, so the longer a student stays involved, the stronger his or her leadership abilities will be.
We’ve taken our earlier practices and formalized them, improved their quality, and increased their effectiveness. We’ve entered into partnerships with other organizations on campus. And we’ve proposed new initiatives that, given sufficient endowment support, will add materially to our students’ skill sets.
The goal is simple. Every student, regardless of how long they stay with IUSF, should feel that they have grown. Those who stick with us, however, will get the most benefit. They will become team players with strong professional competence, refined communication and networking skills, and a lifelong spirit of giving back.