Teaching and providing opportunities for student leadership have become more prominent goals for universities, going well beyond the traditional obligation to prepare their graduates for citizenship.

For one thing, in the flatter, more decentralized organizations that now typify the private and nonprofit sectors, even new employees soon find themselves leading groups and facilitating the work of constantly shifting teams.

So, how is UND doing in preparing its graduates for this world?

Very well, according to surveys of both current seniors and alumni who have been in the workforce for three years. Both groups gave UND higher marks for preparing them for leadership than did respondents at peer universities nationwide.

For example:

• Seventy-six percent of seniors were very satisfied or satisfied with their leadership opportunities, compared to 68 percent elsewhere.
  
• Alumni ranked UND higher than its national peers in 10 of 13 aspects of college life, including opportunities to learn “to work in groups” and as “a team member.”

The new focus on leadership ties in nicely with a decades-old tradition of partnering with students, says Dean of Students Lillian Elsinga. In the early 1970s, the federal courts ruled that 18-year-olds enjoyed all the rights of adulthood except those specifically excluded by law (such as limitations on the consumption of alcohol). This brought an end to the policy then known as in loco parentis, which had permitted colleges to act as substitute mothers and fathers.

UND was among the first to involve students as full participants in the direction of the educational enterprise. Overnight, students became voting members of the University Senate and all of its standing committees, from admissions to parking; were given oversight of the Dakota Student and other publications; and began to decide how to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees paid by students over and beyond tuition.

That last action, giving students actual control over a significant budget, still hasn’t happened on a lot of campuses, Elsinga observed.

But UND students turned out to be good stewards, she said, plowing student fees into the educational enterprise that rightfully could have been spent totally on extracurricular activities. Moreover, students often taxed themselves to pay additional fees to, for example, improve student health services, expand the Memorial Union, and, most recently, finance a $20 million wellness center.

The result, Elsinga said, has been that many of the brightest and most energetic students have been motivated to become involved not only in student government but also in a multitude of other opportunities.

The University recognizes more than 250 student organizations ranging from the Chess Club to groups such as the Student Ambassadors and the Alumni Association’s Telesis organization, both designed to involve students in official UND activities. Likewise, fraternities, sororities, and the residence hall system extensively involve students in planning and decision-making.

Effective skills can be built through lessons as well as experience. The University has expanded its educational opportunities for students who wish to explore more deeply the theory and practice of leadership.

For example, a Memorial Union project, open to all, is the Leadership Workshop Series, a semester-long sequence of seminars on such topics as “Leading With Soul: The Power of Ethical Leadership” and “Making It Happen: Turning Ideas Into Action.” As an option, students can participate in the series for credit by registering for an Introduction to Leadership Development course in the College of Education and Human Development.

Student Government offers the Emerging Leaders Program. It invites 25 promising new freshmen to participate in a year-long period of study, mentoring, networking, and gaining practical experience by working on campus and community projects.

More leadership initiatives are on the drawing board in various parts of the University. It’s the right thing to do, Elsinga said, and added that this emphasis is giving UND another advantage in recruiting top-notch students.