About Called to Lead
Called to Lead gives students the opportunity to develop leadership skills by exploring leadership styles and skills, personal identity and values, vocation and career choices, larger ethical commitments, and big questions of meaning and purpose. Following Elizabethtown College's commitment to Educate for Service, Called to Lead prepares students to actively engage in meaningful life work.
We invite all students to participate and explore leadership within the context of life meaning, vocational calling, ethical concerns, and big questions. Called to Lead is abundantly flexible - offering many sessions, events, and other opportunities that allow you to create a personalized program. Students can join at any time by simply attending an event. Points are earned throughout the program; points represent learning. Awards are given at certain levels of points.
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Called to Lead Experiences
- Participate in
with students from all majors, ranging from business to education to theater, each with different life and leadership experiences.
- Identify preferred leadership styles and unique leadership strengths through
- Engage in one-on-one
with faculty and staff whom the student selects.
- Develop a strong sense of
and belonging with students from across campus who have similar interests and goals.
- Discover what it means to have purposeful life work .
Called to Lead Goals
- Expand leadership potential by exploring leadership within the context of life meaning and the things that ultimately matter.
Experience the Elizabethtown College mission: To educate students ethically for lives of leadership and service.
- Receive recognition for completing program milestones by accumulating points from participating in events and courses and directly engaging in leadership. Students who reach 1,000 points receive a Called to Lead certificate and signature sash to wear at Commencement. Other milestones are at 300 and 600 points.
Called to Lead Highlights
Students report mentoring is one of the most valuable parts of Called to Lead. Students select a faculty or staff member to work with them in one-on-one mentoring on a topic chosen jointly by student and mentor. We are happy to make recommendations for a mentor based on the topic you wish to pursue. Find out more about the mentoring program.
Another popular Called to Lead component is networking dinners.
What Matters to Me and Why Dinners: The What Matters to Me and Why series began at Princeton in the 1980s, was picked up at Stanford in the 1990s, and has been used at many other colleges and universities, including USC, Goucher College, and Dartmouth. The main goal of the program is to encourage campus reflection on life philosophies, ethical commitments, personal values, effective decision-making, and meaningful work. Each semester, we have a faculty or staff member speak about what really matters to them and why it matters, followed by an up-scale dinner.
Networking Dinners: These dinners feature opportunities to network with other student leaders, alumni, and experts in various fields.
Learning by doing and learning from real experience is one of the hallmarks of Called to Lead. Students gain hands-on leadership experience on campus, in the community, and around the world. Students reflect on their experience, describing the definition of leadership in the current setting and analyzing the various aspects of their leadership situation, experiences, and outcomes.