Leadership in Action is a leadership development seminar for undergraduates from schools in the  Global Liberal Arts Alliance. The seminar is comprised of three modules running from May 2025 to April 2026, including an in-person workshop to be held at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco in July 2025. 

The seminar is offered with the belief that all students have the capacity to lead. We embrace the notion of non-positional leadership, a small ‘l’ leader who can engage in leadership roles in different places and times within a group, organization, or community. Students will develop confidence and leadership skills to take on a variety of leadership roles in initiatives that address issues about which they are passionate and be prepared to continue their leadership development as they pursue additional opportunities on campus and in their communities. The competencies needed to develop leadership capacity and the contexts within which this happens are strongly aligned with the practices and learning outcomes of a liberal arts education, making our campuses a fertile and supportive space for young leaders to develop.

Through readings, conversations with peers from around the world, and guided reflection on personal experiences, students will write a personal philosophy of leadership and develop themselves within that framework to be prepared to take on a variety of leadership roles. In the process, students will develop transferable skills including self-understanding and identifying personal values, showing empathy, being empowering, goal setting, teamwork, being inclusive, communicating, listening and facilitation, conflict resolution, behaving ethically, and leading with confidence.