Rice University has established a new initiative aimed at refining world-class leadership development practices across campus, bringing together key representatives from various departments and programs to drive this effort.
Rice’s new Leader Development Council consists of representatives from the Doerr Institute for New Leaders, Center for Career Development and Counseling, Office of the Provost, Rice Center for Engineering Leadership, Center for Civic Leadership, Rice Athletics, Office of the Dean of Undergraduates, Office of the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
“At Rice, students receive a holistic education, one that both sharpens their critical thinking and develops their character to lead with integrity,” said Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “This council will unify our efforts and help our students see more clearly that leadership is what they’re already doing: using their influence to guide and benefit others.”
“Leader development constitutes a key part of the Rice experience for both undergraduate and graduate students,” said Bernie Banks, director of the Doerr Institute. “Accordingly, the university and its leader development council are committed to ensuring that Rice’s efforts are best in class and reflective of insights derived from empirical research.”
The Leader Development Council brings together a group with the experience and resources to allow Rice to not only provide students the opportunities to lead and inhabit leadership roles, but to be developed as leaders through intentionally designed and aligned practices, said Danika Brown, executive director of the Center for Civic Leadership.
“This group is working to define how Rice students are ideally supported in their leadership development and identify the means of assessing leadership development and what the impact of that development is for students and all stakeholders on campus,” Brown said.
The council aims to create a set of written guidelines and targets in regard to leadership development that all entities at Rice can refer to.
“We are excited to develop and study a campuswide framework for leadership development as a ‘high-impact practice’ — a learning environment that produces significant outcomes for all students and especially those from low-resource backgrounds,” said Caroline Quenemoen, associate provost for strategic and educational initiatives. “This work promises to enhance Rice’s ability to develop ethical and responsible leaders who contribute to the betterment of the world and to advance scholarship on leadership development in higher education.”
Having a conceptual leadership framework that aligns with the strategic plan of the university will ensure that all initiatives are contributing toward Rice graduates being well-rounded and prepared to lead in their industry and in society as a whole, said Stephanie Taylor, associate director of leader development at the Doerr Institute.
“We have incredibly smart students at Rice who are going to be technical experts, so if we can combine that incredible education with also the development of the skills required for them to make that impact, we’ll be doing what we’re supposed to do,” Taylor said.