STUDENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

As the leadership center at NYU Wagner, RCLA serves as a hub for leadership courses, trainings and resources for students. 

NYU students comprise the majority of the Center's staff, providing fresh insights, a commitment to excellence and expansive knowledge of public service practices and organizations for every program.

Wagner Leadership Academy

The NYU Wagner Leadership Academy (WLA) launched in fall 2009 to provide a space for leaders of graduate student organizations to enhance their leadership capacity and to engage in cross-causal conversations.

Student leaders are the force behind some of the most compelling programming at NYU Wagner and play a key role in building bridges among diverse student groups, between students and the school, and NYU Wagner and the greater community.

The WLA enables these leaders to reflect on how they are taking up their roles and helping each other approach leadership challenges. Further, the Academy offers students useful tools they can bring back to and apply in the work of their organizations at NYU Wagner and beyond.

The 2009-2010 Academic Year is the pilot year for the WLA and sessions include:

“Leadership as a Collective Achievement”
This session offered participants an introduction to collaborative leadership practices by encouraging them to explore the nascent mental models they hold for leadership and asking them to consider how to be more collaborative in the work of their NYU Wagner organizations. Student leaders were also offered a framework for mapping and supporting their key stakeholders.

“Peer Learning and Collaboration”
This event was a peer-learning session for leaders to share across various student groups. A part of the session was devoted to intergroup work on actual collaboration opportunities. The remainder of the session offered participants an opportunity to pose specific leadership challenges they are facing to the group and to learn from the experience of their peers.

“The Student Organization’s Role in Fostering Community & Leadership for Transition”
This event encouraged leaders to explore the ways in which student organizations represent and inspirit community. The conversation focused on the role of the individual organization as well as the collective student organization family. Additionally, a portion of the session was dedicated to a discussion of best practices for leadership transition at the organizational and school-wide level.

The Wagner Leadership Academy is offered by the Research Center for Leadership in Action in partnership with the Wagner Dean’s Office, Student Affairs team, and Student Association.  Space is provided to two leaders from every Wagner Student Association group for each event.