Leadership Development Program Honored by NASPA

Leading up to its 2022 conference, NASPA, the professional home for the field of student affairs, recognized student leadership programs and professionals at universities around the nation. This year, NC State Student Leadership and Engagement’s (SLE) Leadership Development Program received NASPA’s 2022 Outstanding Leadership Program of the Year Award. Additionally, Sarah Fayard, who oversees the program, earned the 2022 Outstanding Contribution to Student Leadership Programs Award. 

Under Fayard’s leadership, NC State’s Leadership Development Program (LDP) offers 10 interactive workshops of content that weaves Gallup’s CliftonStrengths and the Relational Leadership Model into a cohesive, sequenced experience that engages students at all leadership levels. To earn a co-curricular certificate, students also participate in a leadership experience where they apply their learning in a real-world setting, engage in a structured coaching relationship, and submit a final reflection paper. The program utilizes a qualitative assessment that evaluates students’ learning as demonstrated through their leadership actions, and uses data to continually improve the program.

LDP brings together a diverse group of students, first-year to post doctoral students, international students, new to experienced leaders, to learn together and from one another. The curriculum is created, updated and presented by a large group of campus partners and content experts. The program’s success can be measured in the assessment showing students’ achievement of desired learning outcomes and in the continued growth in program graduates to over 130 annually. One student who graduated from the program said, “LDP gave me the fundamentals to effectively lead and connect with others and the confidence to lean into my strengths and passions.”

Learn more about Student Leadership and Engagement and the Leadership Development Program here: https://sle.dasa.ncsu.edu/ldp/.