Leadership Institute

The Zane Showker Leadership Institute instills the principles of leadership in Bridgewater College students and empowers them to apply those principles on campus and throughout their lives as members of a global community desperately in need of strong, passionate and ethical leaders. The Institute does not focus on ways students can obtain power, authority or status, as those do not make great leaders. Instead, the Institute encourages students to delve into the aspects of outstanding leaders - vision, strategy and change. The Institute’s goal is to hone students’ abilities, helping them gain a deep understanding of the factors that will bear on their effectiveness and ultimate success, and equipping them so they can apply their knowledge, skills and aspirations in effective ways.

The Leadership Institute is designed to:

• Identify in their first year of studies students who demonstrate the acumen and motivation to practice leadership in the College and surrounding community.
  
  
• Develop among these students ethical, service-minded, visionary leaders in keeping with the heritage and mission of Bridgewater College.
  
  
• Survey in an academic setting the practices of respected leaders in order to comprehend the benefits and consequences of their implementation.
  
  
• Partner selected students in their sophomore year of studies with mentors who they will shadow to enhance their leadership skills.
  
  
• Provide students in the Institute with opportunities to practice their leadership skills through service opportunities in the College and surrounding community.