Founded in 2004, the Lisa A. Pierce Center for Leadership, located on the fourth floor of the Campus Center, is a club dedicated to teaching the students of NJIT how to demonstrate the qualities of leadership in both their own lives and in their future careers. The club, named for an especially devoted faculty member, focuses on teaching the seven Cs of leadership through a series of seminars held regularly throughout the semester. The seminars are free to all NJIT students.
The seminars are divided into three levels, the 100 level, the 200 level, and the 300 level. Students must attend four seminars in the same level to be certified in a specific area of leadership. Certified students are able to receive a certificate at an awards dinner. On average, twelve seminars are held a semester, and it’s possible to complete each level of the leadership course in two semesters.
The 100 level seminars focus on inward reflection, and on the seven Cs that make up the motto of the Leadership Center. These seminars focus on commitment, congruence, and consciousness of self. They encourage the students to think about their decisions and how they may affect others. Through this self-analysis, the Leadership Center hopes to instill a special kind of empathy that will make students think harder about how to delegate tasks to those under them. The idea is that being aware of your own values helps you become aware of the value of others.
The 200 level seminars focus on working in groups and with other people, and are based on the values of collaboration, controversy with civility, and common purposes. Many of NJIT’s classes include group projects, and working together is a part of life everyone has to deal with. The skills and ethics instilled by the 200 level courses will make these processes easier by teaching students conflict resolution skills. Controversy with civility is the focus, and it means that not every disagreement is an argument, but a chance to reach a better understanding between group members so that the group can do better. Beyond this, the 200 level seminars teach various efficiency and time management skills.
Finally, the 300 level courses teach the values of citizenship, and help with becoming a productive adult. Going beyond the scope of NJIT and dealing more with careers, these seminars teach students how to prepare a resume, how to apply for a job, how to behave in an interview, how to search for a career, how to act in the workplace, and how to dress the part. Furthermore, these seminars teach students how to apply what they’ve learned in the 100 and 200 level seminars to real world situations.
For more information on the Center for Leadership, students can contact the organization at [email protected], or visit their office in Campus Center room 485 between 10 AM and 5 PM.
