In addition to my work with the Communication and Media Studies program, I have worked over the last four years to redesign, implement, teach, and update a new curriculum for the Leadership program at Eureka College.

This curricular overhaul had three goals:

Reimagine the Leadership program as a certificate rather than a minor
This included the elimination of the Leadership minor, which was suffering from low enrollment, and the construction of a new Leadership certificate. This certificate was part of the initial certificate offerings at Eureka College (alongside certificates in Graphic Design and Spanish Language Studies). This and other certificates have been designed as accessible offerings for students that can be used to supplement their primary programs of study in disciplines across the college.

The Leadership certificate curriculum is as follows:

LDR 115: Introduction to Leadership (3 credits)
LDR 215: Digital Leadership (3 credits)
LDR 315: Diversity and Leadership (3 credits)
LDR 415: Leadership Capstone (1 credit)
Approved elective in a non-LDR discipline (3 credits)
13 credits.

Update the Leadership curriculum to position students for success in 2025 and beyond
This included the creation of three new courses in Leadership focused on digital media and technology (LDR 215), identity, power, and bias (LDR 315), and portfolio creation and professional development (LDR 415). Likewise, this curricular overhaul has included the revision of LDR 115 through the blending of both a traditional leadership curricular focus with a semester-long attention to rhetorical theory and practice. This combination invites students to develop their leadership skills while also carefully attuning to their (and others’) communication, reasoning, and ethical habits within leadership contexts.

Support the college through increased course offerings that contribute to Eureka’s general education curriculum
Eureka College, in addition to general education requirements in writing and mathematics, requires students to complete coursework in the following 10 areas:

Aesthetic Sensibility
Analytical Inquiry and Problem Solving
Communication
Ethical Reasoning
Health, Fitness, and Well-being
Intercultural Understanding
Justice and Civic Responsibility
Scientific Literacy
Spiritual Engagement and the Examined Life
Sustainable Practices and Environmental Conscience.

While a small program, the Leadership curriculum nevertheless contributes to two of these requirements. These courses are listed below:

Communication (LDR 215: Digital Leadership)
Intercultural Understanding (LDR 115: Introduction to Leadership).

This curricular overhaul has led to a revitalization of the Leadership program at Eureka College. Entering AY 25/26, the program now includes 12 students pursuing certificates. It has also graduated 8 certificates in the three years since the program was implemented in AY 22/23.