Public Leadership
Examining today's events to develop tomorrow's leaders
Introduction
As a nation and as a world, we face multiple urgent challenges, from unemployment to climate change. How might our differing perspectives play into how we address these problems? And how do we assess what could work, and why?
Public Leadership (PL) focuses on current events and policy issues to explore the theory and practice of leadership. Students are encouraged to use their own leadership skills to address pressing social, political, environmental and economic problems. They explore:
- Different models of leadership, citizenship and social change;
- Forms of power and how to use them effectively; and
- Ethical approaches to decision-making and negotiation.
Through panels, debates, role-playing, group discussion and dialogue with guest speakers, PL students become informed citizens able to engage in a healthy discussion of issues and reason critically and persuasively about public matters. Personal and professional development are also integrated into the curriculum: Students will develop their writing and presentation skills; learn negotiation fundamentals; and accurately assess their own leadership styles and strengths.
PL welcomes students of all majors who are committed to developing their leadership skills in pursuit of the common good.
Colloquium and Lecture Topics
- Leadership and social change application
- Negotiation and conflict resolution
- Persuasion and motivation
- Understanding leadership strengths in yourself and others
Joining the PL program was one of the best decisions I made at Maryland. Because of PL, many career opportunities opened for me that otherwise would have been a long shot, and the floormates I lived with in the PL dorms are some of the best friends I've made at UMD.
Other Learning Opportunities
Located near the nation's capital, the state capital and a large international diplomatic community, the University of Maryland is an ideal setting for examining and growing public leadership. Students:
- Take engaging field trips, such as to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.S. Capitol and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts;
- Experience professional development seminars and speaker events; and
- Participate in a team-based grant-making experience, where they seek grant proposals from campus student organizations serving an identified social issue, evaluate proposals and award grants with actual funding from the Do Good Institute.
Finally, through the program’s practicum requirement, students gain valuable professional experience that allows them to leverage their newly learned communications and leadership evaluation skills in their field of choice. Past students have interned on Congressional committees, for local nonprofits, in the Student Legal Aid office and even engaged in research in labs on and off campus.
Curriculum Overview
Over the two-year program experience (four semesters), students will complete a 3-credit oral communication course that will count toward their PL Scholars citation and General Education requirements. Note that your Scholars courses will generally be in addition to any courses you take to satisfy major requirements.
The following table represents a typical two-year curriculum, but individual schedules may vary. Details about courses and requirements can be found on the PL Citation Checklist.
| SEMESTER | COURSE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman Fall | Scholars Colloquium | 1 credit |
| Public Leaders and Active Citizens | 3 credits | |
| 3–4 courses toward degree and major requirements (including possible supporting course) | 9–12 credits | |
| Freshman Spring | Scholars Colloquium | 1 credit |
| Academic Writing | 3 credits | |
| 3–4 courses toward degree and major requirements | 9–12 credits | |
| Sophomore Fall | Scholars Colloquium | 1 credit |
| Oral Communications Course (may be taken during any of the 4 semesters) | 3 credits | |
| 3–4 courses toward degree and major requirements (including possible supporting course) | 9–12 credits | |
| Sophomore Spring | Scholars Practicum | 3 credits |
| 4–5 courses toward degree and major requirements (including oral communications course if not already completed) | 12–15 credits |
Sponsoring College
Residence Hall
Cumberland Hall
Office Address
1120 Cumberland Hall
Office Phone
Faculty
Social Media Etc.
Do Good Institute: Public Leadership Students Award Grants to Local Nonprofits, May 2022
School of Public Policy: How Networking Landed Public Leadership Student Lexi Naskiewicz an Internship at the National Police Foundation, December 2021
Do Good Institute: Five Social Impact Groups Awarded $1,000 by Freshman Public Leadership Students, May 2021
Public Leadership News
Scholars recognizes Citation Class of 2022, Founders Circle Award winners
Students in College Park Scholars’s Citation Class of 2022 began their University of Maryland (UMD) careers in the fall of 2020, under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. They spent their first year almost entirely online: Some Zoomed into their program colloquium from their double-turned-single dorm rooms; others attended virtually from their families’ homes, away from campus.
UMD Grant Initiative Bolsters Scholars Curricula With Additional Experiential Learning
Hands-on, active learning has always been a hallmark of College Park Scholars. Thanks to new grants from the University of Maryland (UMD), some Scholars programs will expand upon those traditions with more resources and support. The grants come from UMD’s campuswide Teaching and Learning Innovation Grants initiative, which is providing significant funds—up to tens of thousands of dollars in some cases—for innovative educational projects that focus on active and experiential learning.
4 Scholars Among the Freshman Cohort Spotlighted in Maryland Today
College Park Scholars students are an impressive bunch, and this year's entering cohort is no exception. Four Scholars students were among the handful of first-year Terps profiled in today's issue of "Maryland Today," the University of Maryland's daily newsletter: Marcus Barros, Public Leadership Aidan Borden, Media, Self and Society Shonchori Mukherjee, International Studies Sayee Naresh, Media, Self and Society
Sounds of a New Start
The following article originally appeared in Maryland Today: The rumble of yellow move-in carts, the cheers from the stands at Maryland Stadium and the fanfare of the marching band rehearsing its pregame show supplied an upbeat soundtrack of Fall Welcome Weekend at the University of Maryland. In cars and SUVs stuffed with their still-in-the-wrapper gear, over 4,700 freshmen—and thousands of other students—and their families arrived on campus over the past few days to begin the academic year and get to know the campus, and each other.
6 Scholars Alums Selected to Serve as Spring Commencement Senior Marshals
The University of Maryland has announced its senior marshals for Spring Commencement, slated for Friday, May 20. Six College Park Scholars alumni number among the 60 graduating seniors serving as marshals:
4 Graduating Scholars Alums Recognized With Prestigious University Awards
Four Scholars alumni are among the handful of graduating seniors recognized this month with some of the University of Maryland’s most prestigious awards. Gabriela Winter, an alum of the Public Leadership Scholars program, received the Wilson H. Elkins Citizenship Awards, presented each year to one of the top students in the graduating class who has displayed outstanding involvement and leadership in campus activities.