LEAD IU aids next campus leaders

IU is home to more than 700 student organizations, and each requires a leader. Although moving into such positions can be overwhelming for students, LEAD IU is here to help.

LEAD IU, a quickly growing program, is a collaboration between the Student Activities Office, the Indiana Memorial Union, the IU School of Education and Residential Programs and Services. The program aims to help students navigate campus and get involved.

R.J. Woodring, assistant director for leadership and self-proclaimed logistical coordinator of the program, said LEAD IU is a “curricular and co-curricular program that strives to reveal and provide access to the many paths to leadership.”

LEAD IU offers a series of courses through the School of Education such as U206: Orientation to College Life, U210: Survival Skills at IU and leadership retreats in the fall and spring of each year.

Anyone can enroll in the classes and apply for the retreats regardless of experience.

“You don’t have to be in a position of leadership to benefit from the program,” said Sarah Nagy, assistant director of leadership and orientation.

“Leadership is practiced all day, every day through decisions as small as what time to get out of bed or whether to skip your next class.”

LEAD IU caters to students of varied experience. The Emerging Leader Program is aimed toward freshmen who want to learn how to get involved, while the Advanced Leader Program is catered to experienced leaders who are looking to supplement their skills.

“You decide how much time you will devote to the program,” Nagy said. “But we find that once students get started, they get addicted and want to be more involved.”

Classes and retreats are offered à la carte and students are free to experiment with different courses in order to find the one that suits them the best.

Student Body President Michael Coleman attended the Student Leader Retreat last year before IUSA elections.

“I had fun and met a lot of great people, including my IUSA opponent,” he said. “The retreat showed us how we don’t really know what else is going on in the community and how to combat that and share our skills.”

Coleman said the retreat helped him value all the different ways of communicating with the people he works with.

“There is leadership in every area on campus,” Woodring said. “LEAD IU is the commonplace for student leaders to come together and share
their ideas.”

Application deadlines have passed for the fall retreats, but students can still enroll in courses for the second eight weeks.

“The more people that participate, the better the ideas are that get shared,” Nagy said.