Leadership Development

Today’s employers are searching for candidates that exhibit exceptional leadership skills. Sapphire students have access to leadership development opportunities that will help them assess their own leadership skills, abilities, practices, and values. Students are able to better understand their own strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to grow as effective leaders. The Program fosters personal and professional success through meaningful contributions to community and society.

Sapphire Leadership Curriculum

Sapphire students will have the unique opportunity to be exclusively taught by the Faculty and Staff Advisers for two key courses.  They begin with the First Year Seminar (PSU 006S) in the fall of their first year where they will examine the many facets of Penn State, the Smeal College of Business, and will begin the evolution of their leadership development and transformation. Further, the faculty will be intimately involved in assisting the Sapphire student in effectively choosing an appropriate leadership project, to be fully proposed by the student through the Leadership Development Seminar (BA 297C).  When students take this seminar will be determined by when they entered the program - students entering in their first year will complete the course and develop their leadership project proposal by the end of the fall semester of their Sophomore year.  Students entering during their third year will do so by the end of the fall semester of their Junior year.

Leadership Project

All Sapphires are challenged to become deliberate in their formation of a leadership project proposal. Each student works with the Sapphire Faculty Advisers to design and complete a self-directed, multi-semester leadership project specifically tailored to his or her own interests that will synthesize learning from various components of the program and expand each student’s leadership heuristics. The proposal may involve a position, initiative, or project on or off campus that fulfills Sapphire's mission:  to cross the boundaries of theory and application and, as genuine leaders, bridge the gap between today's challenges and tomorrow's solutions.

Sapphire Executive Board

The Executive Board assists the student membership in driving the Sapphire program into the future. The President oversees six Vice President positions in the areas of Marketing, Leadership, Communications, Community Involvement, Corporate Relations, and Finance. Through these offices, the board is able to actualize a wide array of events, including various fundraisers, community service outings, professional development opportunities, and activities for prospective Sapphire students. Further, the board facilitates the relationship between Sapphire students and the administration. Students are elected to positions at the end of fall semester and serve for one calendar year. Each board position also over sees committees that help in building relations between Sapphires and the Smeal community and provide more leadership positions for the program.  Please view the current organizational chart.

Sapphire Executive Board of 2011 (Pictured above)

Sapphire Executive Board of 2010

Sapphire Executive Board of 2009.

Sapphire Committees

Committee members serve under the board and are great way to take on a leadership position.  If you are interested in serving on the Executive Board, it is also helpful to serve on a committee to learn more about how the governing body is run.  Sapphires interested in being a committee member need to apply and will be appointed by the board.  The positions terms run the same as the Executive Board.  Opportunities are as follows: Alumni Relations, Social Networking, Webmaster, Fundraising, Recruitment, THON, LeaderSHIP, Sapphire Connections, Corporate Relations, Community Service, Social and Leadership Day.  If you view the link to the Organization Chart above, you will find which committee serves under which member of the Executive Board.

Sapphire Elections

The election process to fill the Executive Board of the Sapphire Leadership Program has been modified from how it has been in the past.  Students will no longer be making speeches in front of the general body, but rather go through an interview process to more closely simulate the business world.  In order to become eligible, interested members must submit their resume and a brief response as to why they are running for a position on the board to the Vice President of Communications before a set date.  Each prospective candidate will be interviewed by the current executive board, led by the President.  If a current member of the executive board is also running for a position, they will not participate in the interviews of the others whom they are running against.  The current executive board will elect the new members by consensus and the executive board will not leave the room until all decisions have been made.  Candidates may also be considered for positions they are not explicitly running for.  Current executive board members however, will only be considered for the position they have expressed interest in.  In the case of replacing the President, only officers and committee leaders are eligible to run for the position.

Sapphire Mentors
Since many Sapphire students are interesting in mentoring peers, the program also offers the opportunity for upperclassmen to mentor incoming Freshman.  As a Sophomore, Junior or Senior Sapphire, you can sign up on the student run website to become a mentor to an incoming freshman.  Your duties will include attending the Orientation Breakfast held every year the Sunday before classes start and keeping in touch with your mentee to help them find their way at Smeal.

Sapphire List Serve
Once you enter as a freshman, you will be added to the Sapphire List Service.  This is a weekly email that is sent out by the Executive Board helping to keep students informed about upcoming events, professional development, leadership and other opportunities.  It will also prompt you about information on how to sign up to be a mentor, become a committee member, executive board member, etc.  These emails can be very helpful and, if you are chosen as a Sapphire, reading these emails provides valuable information.

Smeal Alumni Mentoring Program

The Smeal Alumni Mentoring Program allows all Smeal students to pair up with successful alumni in the business world. Alumni mentors help pave the way to successful careers for future graduates by providing advice and answering questions that will better prepare them for job interviews.