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Spotlight Leading by Example Terry College of Business University of Georgia Athens, Georgia courses in leadership and can pursue the Interdisciplinary Certificate in 80 are assigned faculty coaches who help them develop personal leader- ship action plans. The program also incorporates regular leadership assessments and feedback, intern- ships, and opportunities for students to shadow high-level executives. "The coaching component is a unique aspect of the program," says Chris Riordan, ILA's director. "All of our undergraduate scholars are assigned a coach responsible for their personal development for the year. Executives in the program are assigned an executive coach." ILA students take specialized College opened its Institute for Leadership Advancement and launched its Bebe and Earl Leonard Undergraduate Leadership Scholars Program, a two-year program tar- geted to juniors and seniors. The scholars program is highly competi- tive, drawing more than 100 appli- cants for approximately 30 slots. This fall, ILA will also launch a program targeted to MBAs. Students in the scholars program When Dean George Benson came to the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business in 1998, he and the staff began to reevaluate its strategic approach to education. They concluded that it was of utmost importance to provide students with experiential leadership training. As a result, in 2003 Terry Personal and Organizational Leadership. They also participate in community service projects—stu- dents in the inaugural 2003 Leadership Scholars Program, for instance, worked with Project Safe in Athens, a nonprofit organization that helps victims of domestic vio- lence. Students upgraded its book- keeping software, improved its finan- cial tracking systems, updated its Web site, researched grant opportu- nities, and helped establish a thrift store to generate additional revenue. ILA's Undergraduate Certificate Clockwise from top left: George Benson, dean of Terry College; Brooks Hall, one of three buildings that house the Terry College of Business; Chris Riordan, director of the Institute for Leadership Advancement; The Arch, a landmark that serves as the entrance to UGA's campus from downtown Athens; students in the inaugural 2003 class of the Leadership Scholarship Program. cific leadership problems. In one project, a national company came to the consortium to discover the best way to improve its inclusion climate in its Southern region. "Usually when a school establish- in Leadership Program is open to students throughout the university. Students complete three required courses and are invited to attend the Leadership Speaker Series and uti- lize online resources and assessment tools. The executive leadership pro- grams, offered through open enroll- ment or customized courses, hone corporate officers' leadership skills. Finally, the Leadership Research Consortium arranges for business leaders to work with faculty on spe- BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2004 need to be leaders the first day on the job," Benson adds. "We want to cre- ate a vision for the students to strive for from the moment they enter our doors.We work hand-in-hand with them to realize that vision." ■ z $7 million in funding, on the way to meeting its $25 million target. Its future goals, says Riordan, include launching a major marketing cam- paign and providing grants to edu- cators whose research on leadership can provide hard data to business. "We give students the skills they es an institute or department, it becomes a detached silo of sorts," says Benson. "We didn't want that, so we made sure that faculty across the college were engaged in the lead- ership program." As a result, 45 of 110 regular faculty now participate. The program already has received