Leadership Studies at Ripon College

Academics | Leadership

Leadership Studies

The Leadership Studies Program at Ripon College provides a national center for the study of leadership focusing on the need to integrate individual free will with social responsibility and the human capacity to learn and grow through reflection, experience, and example.

Courses in leadership studies are designed to achieve three interdependent objectives: to develop awareness of the roles and responsibilities of leaders and followers in a democratic society; to develop critical skills for effective “follower-ship” and enlightened leadership; and to provide a focus for liberal education by integrating knowledge from a variety of intellectual perspectives within the Ripon College curriculum.

 

Faculty

Jack Christ

 

Course Guide: Leadership Studies

 

Advising

Ripon College encourages all students to embrace a Four-Year Career Development Plan. This plan is based on the premise that career planning is a development process that involves learning and decision-making over an extended period of time.

First Year

  • Incoming students are assigned a Faculty Mentor based on their interest area(s). Please see the FACULTY tab under your major area;
  • All Freshman are required to enroll in a First-Year Seminar, which is designed as a transition from high school to college learning, providing an interdisciplinary introduction to the liberal arts and the pursuit of in-depth study;
  • Freshman are encouraged to meet the career development staff early on and complete interest and skills inventories, and self-assessment tools; and,
  • Attend the pre-Fall Break “Major Fest” to explore the various major options and career tracks.

Third Year

  • Assume leadership positions in on-campus clubs and organizations;
  • Participate in mock interviews with the Career Development Office;
  • Attend the Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges Job Fair in February and other relevant career fairs;
  • If relevant, begin to research potential graduate school programs and take the appropriate entrance exam(s);
  • Continue to meet regularly with your Faculty Mentor;
  • Continue to build a solid network and a list of work references, and build your resume;
  • Consider off-campus study: Semester and/or alternative Spring Breaks;
  • Continue to job shadow; and,
  • Gain further career experience associated with your education during the academic year and as part of a summer job or internship.

Second Year

  • Get involved with on-campus clubs and organizations, athletic teams and/or intramural sports;
  • Attend the pre-Fall Break “Major Fest” to explore the various major options and career tracks;
  • Declare a major;
  • Meet regularly with your Faculty Mentor or match your interests with a faculty member in your major department. Determine which professors have areas of expertise most similar to your interests. Talk to people in the academic department to find out about faculty research, scholarly, and creative interests;
  • Attend on-campus career workshops;
  • Work with the Career Development Office to create an approved resume;
  • Job shadow people involved in various careers and professions of interest; and,
  • Gain further career experience associated with your education during the academic year and as part of a summer job or internship.

Fourth Year

  • Complete a Senior Capstone/Thesis in your major area(s);
  • Continue to meet regularly with your Faculty Mentor;
  • Perfect your interviewing skills;
  • Expand your existing network of contacts;
  • Finalize your resume and prepare cover letter;
  • Build a credential file in the Career Development Office;
  • Interview with on-campus recruiters;
  • Set-up informational interviews with target companies;
  • If relevant, apply to graduate school programs, and if necessary, re-take entrance exams; and,
  • Practice career goal-setting.

 

What can I do with a Leadership Studies minor?

A focus on leadership can start a path towards success in any professional field. Alumni of this program have gone on to leadership positions in education, marketing, politics, athletics and many other fields.

Alumni of our program are pursuing graduate and professional degrees in law, medicine, political science, and mechanical engineering.

Recent graduates of our program work for…

  • Aerotek, Inc.
  • Big Bay Brewing Co.
  • Boston University
  • City of Philadelphia
  • Edward Jones Investments
  • Interra Health, Inc.
  • Lakeland College
  • Ralph Lauren
  • US Bank
  • UW-Madison
  • Xerox Corporation

Job titles of recent graduates include…

  • Recruiter
  • Library Director
  • Attorney and Legislative Assistant
  • Financial Advisor
  • Director of Transportation
  • Project Coordinator
  • Risk Compliance Analyst
  • Men’s Soccer Assistant Coach
  • Regional Director of Admissions
  • Asst. Coach, Women’s Basketball
  • Marketing Manager
  • Development Coordinator
  • Assistant Professor in Rhetoric & Media Studies
  • Senior Banker
  • High School Guidance Counselor

 

Unique Opportunities

The Leadership Institute at Ripon College The Leadership Institute is a co-curricular, project-oriented enterprise sponsored by the Leadership Studies program. Its mission includes development of communication channels and opportunities for collaboration with individuals and organizations outside the Ripon College community and development of educational materials on leadership processes for a variety of audiences.

Off-campus programs Leadership Studies students have taken advantage of many off-campus programs available at Ripon College. The Washington Semester in our nation’s capital and the Urban Studies Semester in Chicago are especially popular with students involved in the Leadership Studies Program.

Double majors Because Leadership Studies is offered as a minor, students must combine this study with a major in another discipline. Leadership Studies is closely related to other courses throughout the curriculum. Some of the more popular majors that students have combined with Leadership Studies include politics and government, history, speech communication, and business management.

Working Together for the Common Good

The Collaborative Leadership Network (CLN) is the primary initiative of the Wisconsin Leadership Institute (WLI). Both are headquartered at Ripon College and managed by Dr. Jack Christ, Director of Ripon’s Leadership Studies Program.

The CLN’s initial publication, Leading Together: Foundations of Collaborative Leadership, is the first volume in a new curriculum for secondary-school students and teachers and was published in the fall of 2008. Co-authors are Laurie Frank, Carol Carlin, and Jack Christ.

CLN website