Office of Student Engagement

Leadership Programs

Thomas Jefferson University's mission motivates our faculty and staff to do more than educate professionals — it seeks to develop students as leaders in their chosen profession. As an institution, we work toward that mission by focusing on leadership development as corroboratively as possible, both inside and outside the classroom. Student Engagement advances a leadership framework that formalizes and acknowledges the educational impact that experiential and integrated learning has on students who are effectively engaged in leadership positions and participating in leadership development programs on campus.

In general, our leadership development framework is used as a method to outline and evaluate specific experiences and skills that students gain while involved in leadership positions. Student affairs professionals engage student leaders in training programs and workshops that enhance their strengths and seek to build on or create new areas of competence. These formal positions and programs are supplemented by individual supervisory and advising meetings where student affairs professionals work with student leaders on leadership competency areas that have been benchmarked for development.

Emerging Leaders Program

A cornerstone of the leadership programs for new students is The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). The co-curricular certificate program has been designed to help new students understand learning experiences in co-curricular lives and their relationships with classroom work; to assist students in becoming effective leaders on campus and in the community ; and to encourage personal growth and development through active participation in discussion, exercises, and workshops. 

LEAD Program

National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS)

Leadership Positions

Involvement in formal student leadership positions affords students an opportunity to practice effective leadership skills. Effective leadership means more than running meetings and planning events; it involves making an impact on one’s community. Leadership skills are life skills. The staff members in Student Engagement are committed to developing the leadership potential of all students. When individual students become more effective leaders, our student organizations, and the educational experience for all students, are enriched and strengthened. At Jefferson, formal student positions with leadership potential include:

  • Executive Members of Student Organizations
  • Resident Assistants
  • Orientation Leaders
  • Student Athletes
  • RAMbassadors
  • Teaching Assistants & Tutors
  • Commuter Leaders
  • FYE Coordinators
  • FYS-100 Peer Mentors
  • Kanbar Building Managers