The
LU Lead program, a certificate program that strives to help students gain transferable skills for their future careers and unlock their maximum potential while at Lamar University, is now accepting applications for its fall cohort.
According to Morgan Pulliam, assistant director for New Student and Leadership Programs, LU Lead strives to empower students to ultimately get the most from their LU experience and beyond.
“Leadership skills are important because hiring managers are looking at these skills to stand out when looking for candidates for their open positions,” Pulliam said. “The more leadership skills students can obtain, the better their chances are to get hired, as they can help them stand out from other candidates.”
While it is mainly geared toward new students or upcoming leaders, the program is open to any and all Lamar University students that are interested in bettering their leadership skills.
“We are even offering a fully online version for our 100% online students,” Pulliam said.
The number of students in a cohort varies by semester, but the largest cohort consisted of 60 students.
LU Lead offers a variety of leadership-building activities such as team building, communication, public speaking and many other different activities for students who are at any point of their leadership journey, Pulliam said.
“The goal is to help students gain more leadership and transferable skills for their future careers,” she added. “Employers want to know the students they are hiring have good communication skills, teamwork skills, problem-solving skills and many other skills that can be learned and developed through this program.”
A capstone presentation also is required of students in the cohort and is a time for students to present on what they have learned during the semester. Their topics include what their new definition of leadership is, their favorite topic we covered during the semester and one topic they feel they personally improved on during the semester.
In combination with weekly sessions and its capstone presentation, LU Lead is a unique opportunity that greatly benefits students, Pulliam said.
“This program benefits students because it gives them an opportunity to learn skills that can help them with their future careers, learn about themselves and work with a diverse group of students that they may not have had the opportunity to work with in another setting,” she added. “LU Lead is an amazing opportunity and we highly encourage all students to apply, whether they hold leadership positions on campus or not.”
Individuals interested in joining the fall cohort are asked to complete
the application on LUHub or visit
lamar.edu/leadership. The deadline to apply is Aug. 26.