A new certificate that evaluates a student’s leadership through workshops, classes and activities is being employed at Towson.

The I.L.E.A.D. (Initiatives for Leadership Education and Development) certificate is a non-academic certificate that aims to honor and reward student leadership involvement and participation, Assistant Director of Student Activities Beth Steiner said.

Students must complete several requirements to earn the certificate: the student must attend 12 workshops ideally in four semesters, including three core seminars (Cultural Competency, StrengthQuest, and Civility), three electives (including any leadership program on or off campus) and six leadership skill workshops from Student Activities.

In addition to the workshops, students must also participate in a hands-on competent.

Student recipients will be awarded with a certificate and an I.L.E.A.D. pin at the annual Student Affairs Leadership Awards banquet in May.

“This certificate is to recognize what our students are already doing, they are attending leadership workshops and they are already involved in various leadership positions on campus,” Steiner said.

This certificate is aims to involve students in leadership programs and allows them to discover who they are, Steiner said.

The certificate will encourage students to develop skills that will become a crucial asset when they eventually enter today’s competitive market, Sophomore Bilphena Yahwon said.

“You can never stop learning as a leader and not only is this certificate going to encourage you to obtain skills that you can use at Towson University but also skills you can use in the real world,” Yahwon said.

The motivation behind creating this certificate is not only to encourage leadership but also reward students, Steiner said.
“We already have students who are doing amazing things in terms of their own leadership development and growth and we want to recognize and honor that and show the students that we appreciate what they’re doing,” she said.

Students will able to track their progress through the curriculum feature on the Involved@TU site. Students can go on the site and check off the workshops that they have attended and answer reflection questions.