Pace’s NYC Student Development and Campus Activities (SDACA) is introducing a new leadership program that will take place in the Spring 2019 semester. The program will focus on various leadership development theories, social change model, and strengths finders.

This is the first year that Pace is involved in a program as such, although similar programs run at other institutions. Despite the fact that students from the Pleasantville campus are not permitted to apply for this particular program, there will be a similar program introduced for students of the Westchester campus. According to Michael Cordova, the SDACA Associate Director of the NYC campus, SDACA is looking for students who “believe that everyone is a leader within their own rights.”

“Our hope with this program is that students are able to learn, grow, and challenge themselves both personally and within a team setting from their fellow peers on what being a leader means to them,” Cordova said.

This program provides students with learning opportunities to build their own leadership skills and development in areas including learning and reasoning, self-awareness and development, interpersonal interactions, group dynamics, civic responsibility, communication, strategic planning, and personal behavior. Students will be introduced to these areas through a high/low ropes course, community service event(s), an ‘Escape the Room, Beat the Bomb’ experience, a leadership conference, and a leadership video team project.

Applications to be a part of this program are due November 14, with 12-16 students anticipated to be accepted. There will be no membership fee for this first year of the program, but the application process may be competitive. The application asks candidates to answer a few short questions regarding leadership. If students are passionate enough about the topic of leadership, the answers to these questions should pour out of them with ease.

The program will begin on Jan. 26 with a “Kick-Off Retreat” on the NYC campus. The bulk of the program will revolve around leadership workshops, that are to take place several Tuesday’s during Common Hour. Students involved in this program will also have the chance to attend a leadership conference at Rutgers University on March 2.

“My hope with this program is for students to help themselves find the ‘LEADER’ within and to navigate what it means to be an authentic leader based on learning what makes them great and successful on their own terms,” Cordova said. “Too many people do not focus on themselves and what they bring to the table, but rather fixate on wanting skills that others have, which is something that I hope our students within the program learn how to be self-confident in the skill sets and talents that they have.”