Student leaders play a pivotal role on the campus community at the University of Tennessee. And through the Center for Student Engagement, students have opportunities to elevate their leadership and improve their skills while connecting with other student leaders. The Rocky Top Presidents Institute provides a space for these campus leaders to learn from various departments and speakers through a 6-week program facilitated by the center, culminating in organization action plan presentations from the cohort members at the institute’s closing ceremony.
Nneka Walson, coordinator in the Center for Student Engagement, emphasized the program’s commitment to organizational success through encouraging student sustainability with leaders. As the students opt into the program, they are choosing to work towards improving the respective student organizations that they lead for the betterment of their organization and campus community.
“We believe it really is a transformative experience for them, and they leave this program feeling more empowered to serve,” Walson says. “We want them to understand the bigger picture of them serving as a leader, creating spaces where people matter and belong.”
Along with learning from various departments and speakers, one of the key aspects of the program is the ability for cohort members to connect with one another, sharing experiences from their time as organization leaders. Senior Caroline Rodriguez, the secretary of Women in Construction, believes the connections made through the program to be a pivotal part of her institute experience, particularly considering her organization was founded a year ago.
“I feel like I was lacking experience and learned about all the other opportunities out there for us,” Rodriguez said. “It’s helped to get more connected to other leaders.”
Rodriguez and other student leaders believe that the connections made across colleges have also been beneficial, as participants noted that often their cross-club communication tends to stay within their respective college, whereas the institute brings together leaders from a variety of organizations representing many areas of campus life.
Ali Heidari Shirazi, a third-year PhD student and president of the Graduate Association of MABE Engineers, valued the program’s work to help students gain a better understanding of who they are as a leader.
“The most important thing for me was getting a sense of who I am and how I lead, my leadership style,” Shirazi said. “It also helped me plan for the future, next year’s events, and determine a purpose and goals.”
At the final gathering of this semester’s cohort, each participant had the opportunity to present to their fellow leaders and community members, sharing insight on their personal leadership styles, as well as how they will implement what they learned through the institute into their organization to better serve in their role. This presentation also allowed students to analyze their own organizational structure and how it impacts their work, while looking down the road at how they plan to ensure that their organization continues to thrive.
On March 12, the cohort met for their final gathering to present their findings with each student showcasing their action plans for how they plan to incorporate what the institute has taught them into the organization they lead. Not only do these students leave the program as a stronger leader, they also gain connections across campus in their peer leaders of Rocky Top Presidents Institute.