Mount St. Mary’s College Women’s Leadership Program

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The Women’s Leadership program provides hundreds of MSMC students with vital leadership skills and knowledge to enhance their educational and professional growth. Moreover, our students, often from economically disadvantaged areas, have valuable opportunities to become successful leaders in their communities. A grant of $10,000 from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation will continue to enhance the program’s core activities, namely our students’ participation in the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) and the Leadership Scholars.

Short (three sentence) description of how the money will benefit the world. The mission of the Women’s Leadership program is to prepare students for participation and leadership in our local and global communities. Our students graduate with a commitment to using their knowledge and skills to better themselves, their environments, and the world. Furthermore, many of our students emerge as leaders in service-driven careers such as education, counseling, and nursing.

When the Women’s Leadership program first began in 1975, it had the distinction of being the first college leadership program for women in the Western United States. Today, the program has grown to include Orientation Programs for the College’s two campuses as well as the Associated Student Body, clubs and organizations. The expanded Women’s Leadership program is a valued example of the College’s mission to provide a superior education enhanced by an emphasis on building leadership skills and fostering a spirit to serve others. The training and experience our students receive from the Women’s Leadership program prepares them for educational and professional success.

With the renewed support of the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, participants in Women’s Leadership activities will be able to take advantage of a variety of leadership enhancing workshops and activities including, but not limited to the following:

1) The Leadership Portfolio is an online tool that helps students document their co-curricular involvement. Students record their leadership activities, upload writing samples, track their research, or add a personal mission statement to their portfolios. From their Leadership Portfolio, students are able to create a Leadership Transcript, which serves as a record of specific leadership skills acquired during their college years. The Leadership Transcript can be used to supplement their work resume and academic transcript enabling students to showcase their leadership experiences to potential employers and graduate schools.

2) Leadership Scholars: At the beginning of each year, the Women’s Leadership program selects and recruits students to be part of this four-year comprehensive leadership development program. Leadership scholars sign an annual contract stating that they will be active participants in Women’s Leadership, and fulfill certain programmatic and academic requirements. In addition, scholars take a year-long “Introduction to Leadership” course, taught by Women’s Leadership staff on each campus, as well as a senior capstone course. They are also expected to organize and participate in a number of community service projects.

3) Leadership Boot Camp is an annual daylong event for all students to encourage participation in leadership-related activities centered on team building. Students learn personal and team-building skills through participation in group activities, as well as the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while in college. Each year an average of 100 students attend Boot Camp.

4) The Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) is a national consortium of women’s colleges working together to prepare women for public leadership. Member institutions offer opportunities for students to learn about and practice leadership as student government leaders, public policy interns, and community service volunteers. Through PLEN, students attend seminars and network with members of Congress and other women leaders in Washington, D.C. Seminars address issues of law, science, technology, congress, as well as international and national policy. The estimated total budget per student is $900, which includes airfare, hotel, and seminar fees. Partial or full scholarships are made available to students. The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation’s past partnership with Mount St. Mary’s College has been instrumental in our efforts to provide students with diverse activities centered on leadership development through our Women’s Leadership program. It is our sincere hope that the Foundation will once again offer its support for the Women’s Leadership program with a grant of $10,000. Your support would reaffirm the importance of our students’ goal of becoming exemplary leaders in their local and global communities. Thank you in advance for your consideration of our request.