Four Gustavus Adolphus College students have been selected to participate in the Greater Mankato Collegiate Leadership Academy (CLA). This collaborative leadership development program is a partnership between Gustavus, four other area colleges, and Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.
The purpose of the program is to develop leadership capacity and skills within area college students in order to equip them to lead and serve their campus communities, local communities, the country, and the world. The four Gustavus students participating are senior Sonja Anderson, and juniors Katelyn Johnson, Kyle Johnsrud, and Alexandra Prahl.
“Leadership is a vital and precious skill in today’s world,” said Stephen Bennett, Assistant Dean of Students at the College and co-founder of the Collegiate Leadership Academy. “This is a unique opportunity for these students to seize.”
The CLA held its first event on Thursday, Oct. 9 at Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Adventure Education Course — a high ropes course intended to promote positive growth and development through adventure-based and team building activities.
The CLA’s next event will be hosted by Gustavus on Thursday, Nov. 13 when members of the CLA will take part in a workshop on emotional intelligence and leadership. All CLA members will have taken a new EQ-I emotional intelligence assessment instrument specifically developed for college students. CLA members will see the results of that assessment which they will then use to develop an individual leadership development plan.
The participating institutions include Gustavus, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Bethany Lutheran College, South Central College, and Rasmussen College. For more information about the Greater Mankato Collegiate Leadership Academy, go online to greatermankato.com/cla or contact Bennett at sbennett@gustavus.edu.
Leave a Reply