Leadership: It is what we study and what we do. Since our founding in 1992 as the nation’s first undergraduate school of leadership studies, we have been committed to educating students who understand and practice ethical leadership.
To educate future leaders, we mix participatory classroom learning with hands-on experience. This Dean’s Report — our first digital version — offers examples of students who thrived using this educational model: One who founded a student-run magazine, one who investigated human rights in three countries, one who presented research at an international conference, one who explored sustainability investing, and eight who are enrolled currently in post-graduate programs as Jepson Scholars at the University of Oxford.
Students who participated in Ethics Bowl competitions and in the McDowell Institute Student Fellows Program learned to analyze complex issues from multiple perspectives and defend their positions in civil debates.
Our interdisciplinary faculty excel as teachers, mentors, and scholars. This year, the State Council of Higher Education bestowed its Outstanding Faculty Award on long-time Jepson professor Terry Price, and I had the honor of serving as a Fulbright specialist in Chile and being selected as a Distinguished Fellow of the History of Economics Society.
Our alumni, too, make invaluable contributions to the school, including leading our annual professional development program and supporting the school during the UR Here fundraising campaign. At Reunion Weekend, the University recognized three Jepson graduates for their professional and civic leadership.
Finally, I am proud of the school’s efforts to extend the leadership conversation through the Jepson Leadership Forum and McDowell Institute Public Lecture Series. We closed out the academic year on a high by welcoming national and international scholars to campus for the History of Economics Society Conference.
It is indeed a privilege to serve as the dean of such a vibrant, consequential school, and I am grateful to the many individuals who make it so!
Warmest wishes,
Sandra J. Peart
Dean and E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies
President, Jepson Scholars Foundation