Sapphire Leadership Program

Your drive to be the best has always made you stand out from the crowd. Continue to fuel your far-reaching ambitions at Penn State with participation in the Smeal College of Business Sapphire Leadership Program. The Program is designed to enhance your college experience by focusing your drive and ambition to shape you into a future business leader. The Sapphire Leadership Program also provides the flexibility to cater to your leadership interests and the structure to create a community in which students with similar values, goals, and abilities learn from and collaborate with each other. As part of the Program's core components, you will design and implement your own leadership project within the Penn State community and beyond. This project enriches your experience as a student and gives you a broad base of skills not available in the typical classroom setting.

Being a part of Sapphire is a unique and exciting experience. Sapphire students are presented with real opportunities to harness the vast resources and personal focus of Smeal. As part of the program, you'll benefit from a culture willing to take the time to help you meet your objectives - an essential part of our heritage.

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.

Leadership Project

All Sapphires are challenged to become deliberate in their formation of a leadership project proposal. Each student works with the Sapphire Faculty Advisor 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 Academic Affairs, Communications, Community Involvement, Corporate Relations, Finance, and Recruitment. 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.

Meet our Sapphire Executive Board of 2009.

Sapphire Leadership Council

Members are also part of the Sapphire Leadership Council, which plans events such as company site visits, etiquette dinners, alumni networking, and various social activities. The Sapphire Leadership Council gives students the opportunity to develop their personal leadership skills while working to improve the Sapphire program. Board officers work with committees comprised of students across all cohorts to build a stronger Sapphire community.

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.

A Close-Knit Learning Community

Sapphire students benefit from the close-knit community that develops through being part of a cohort of students with a similar desire to succeed. Shortly after arriving to campus, students have an orientation program where they get to know other Sapphire students in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. In their first year, students take both Fall and Spring Sapphire cohort seminars, so they get to know their peers inside the classroom as well. These early relationships serve as a strong academic and social community throughout your education and turn into real-life networking opportunities after graduation.

Welcome/Orientation Breakfast

The Welcome Breakfast serves as a kick-off event for the new freshman cohort. This gathering is the freshmen’s first chance to meet and greet their Sapphire peers in a friendly atmosphere. New Sapphires will also have the opportunity to make contact with the Program’s Executive Board, the Executive Director, Associate Dean Gus Colangelo, and the Associate Director of the program, Frederick Battaglia. This affair generally occurs the Sunday before classes begin, thus giving the students an opportunity to not only learn more about Sapphire, but also to ask questions about any college concerns they may have.

Leadership Day

Leadership Day was an event held for all new Sapphire members to help get them accliamated with one another and learn the skills that are necessary to become a successful leader. Members of Students Engaging Students (SES) were in charge of the event, and brought equipment and ideas to share with Sapphire. The Sapphire members were divided up into their cohorts, and along with Teacher’s Assistants and Executive Board members, worked together to complete various activities. One activity required the cohort to work together to get all teammates through a cube without touching any edges while focusing on remembering the pattern they were supposed to follow.

Other activities included creating a commercial to promote Smeal and Sapphire using various objects, and blindfolding one another and relying on teammates to help you finish your tasks. The most challenging of the activities was recreating a map by sending messages between three different groups. One group was able to have full communication and access to the map, one group could only speak, and the other group was blindfolded and had to recreate the map.  Communication skills were enhanced through this activity along with trust. Leadership Day was a great way for freshman to start off their year, and their college career as a member of the Sapphire Leadership Program.

Vertical Adventures

Freshman Sapphire members were offered a unique opportunity to travel to Stone Valley and defy gravity on the Vertical Adventures Course. Students were able to pick between three different courses: The Odyssey III, The Carolina T-Wall, and the Team Development Course. The Odyssey III is designed for small groups of students to share a productive, fun and educational experience 35 feet above ground. Teamwork is encouraged and necessary to complete the course which includes cargo nets, wires, platforms, and a zip-line. The Carolina T-Wall allows participants to use their strength to scale the rock wall that varies on difficulty level depending on what side is chosen. Sapphire members were taught to trust one another, by holding onto each other’s ropes and offering words of encouragement to complete the difficult task.

The Team Development Course is a great way to enhance team-building principles. Sapphire members who chose this course were able to strengthen their leadership, problem solving, communication, and planning skills while taking on different challenging activities such as a rescue mission.  Each course allowed the Sapphire Members to refine their skills necessary to work in a team centered environment, and use communication to become effective leaders.

Corporate Involvement and Internship Opportunities

The Sapphire Program works with the Smeal Career and Corporate Connections Office and with other companies and experts to provide additional professional development opportunities. All Sapphires enjoy an emphasis on professional development through alumni and student networking and exclusive events.

Internships and real-world experience are crucial to your business education. The Smeal Corporate Connections staff will assist you to find an internship or co-op that meets your career aspirations. Your Sapphire credentialing will help you get there.

Faculty Support

Sapphire students begin working with their Sapphire Faculty Advisor immediately upon acceptance to Penn State. The advisor continues to work with you throughout your entire business education, providing individualized faculty support to set you ahead of the curve with leadership opportunities and personalized encouragement.

Study Abroad

Globalization is an important component of the business education for any Smeal student, and Sapphire students are no exception. Participation in study abroad helps you gain valuable experience while exposing you to the international business world.

Becoming a Sapphire Student

The Sapphire Leadership Program pooled its Fall 2009 class and asked the students why they accepted our offer to become a Sapphire and what they hope to gain from the program.

 Admission

Admission for 2009/2010 is closed.

Contact Information

The Sapphire Program
The Smeal College of Business
The Pennsylvania State University
202 Business Building
University Park, PA 16802

For further information about the advantages of the Sapphire Program, please contact the Undergraduate Education Office at 814-863-5887 or at cds14@psu.edu.