Gala Celebrations Mark Jepson School 10th

The Jepson School of Leadership Studies observed its 10th anniversary April 25-27 in Reunion Weekend activities on campus and off.

On Friday, April 25, the celebration opened with remarks by James MacGregor Burns.

Leadership studies is the brainchild of Dr. Burns, a nationally prominent historian who is a senior faculty member at Jepson, the country’s first stand-alone college for leadership studies and named for its principal benefactor, business executive Robert S. Jepson.

Dr. Burns, whose subjects have included such historic leaders as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, focused on his latest book, "Transforming Leadership: The Pursuit of Happiness."

Following Dr. Burns’ talk was a reception for Jepson alumni. In addition to graduates, guests included faculty and friends. About 400 people attended.

Despite a driving rainstorm outside, Friday’s event inside the Jepson Alumni Center Pavilion was a spirited, upbeat affair. And, though Bob Jepson did not attend the weekend-long celebration, he was very much on the minds of participants.

Joanna B. Ciulla, who holds the Coston Family Chair in Leadership and Ethics, described Jepson as a "bigger-than-life character" who "let us do our work; led us make our mistakes."

On Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, nearly 20 visiting scholars from across the country joined Dr. Burns in discussions on developing an integrated theory of leadership.

On Sunday evening, activities shifted several miles east, from the university’s leafy campus to the ornate Hotel Jefferson in downtown Richmond for a commemorative, black-tie dinner featuring remarks by David Gergen, the journalist and former White House adviser.

Gergen, co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University , described leadership as the "X factor in human affairs."

"Individuals matter; individual leaders matter," Gergen told his audience of students, alumni and political, corporate, community and academic leaders.

A counselor to four presidents -- three Republicans and one Democrat – Gergen emphasized that leadership studies should be primarily directed at young people, many of whom are turned off by the hurly-burly of politics and public policy.

"We need to re-engage the younger generation; go deeper and build this field," he said.

After a decade, the topic is firmly rooted at Jepson.

As Jonathan Zur, president of the Jepson Student Government Association, put it, the school is producing "socially engaged citizens."

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