Leadership Fellows Common Good Initiatives

All Leadership Fellows complete a Common Good Initiative project that challenges students to apply their leadership learning to make a meaningful difference in the communities and groups of which they are a part. Through research, community service, or leadership involvement, students will identify a problem or opportunity, develop an informed and intentional response, and take action that contributes to the common good.

Students will select one of three pathways for their project:

1. Undergraduate Research: Students conduct undergraduate research on a leadership-related topic, using their findings to inform the development of a project that addresses an identified problem or opportunity. This pathway connects research and evidence-based learning with practical action to advance the common good.

2. Community Service: Students complete a minimum of 40 hours of service at a designated community partner or nonprofit organization. Through this experience, students develop an understanding of the community, its needs, and its assets. They then identify a problem or opportunity to address or respond to a need identified by the nonprofit organization. The resulting project must be endorsed and approved by the community partner to ensure it aligns with the organization’s needs and priorities.

3. Leadership Involvement: Students engage deeply in a campus or community group, organization, or team, with the goal of contributing meaningfully and, when possible, growing into a leadership role. Drawing on their experience and understanding of the group, students identify a problem or opportunity to improve the group or the experience of its members. They then develop and implement a project that strengthens the group and contributes to the common good of its members.

Core Project Expectations: Regardless of the pathway selected, all students move from learning and engagement to intentional action. The initiative emphasizes that leadership is not simply about holding a title; it is about understanding the needs of others, recognizing opportunities for improvement, and using one’s knowledge, relationships, and skills to create positive change for the common good.

These three pathways are different routes to achieve the same leadership learning goals:

  • Engage: Build knowledge and understanding through research, service, or sustained involvement.
  • Identify: Recognize a problem or opportunity informed by that experience.
  • Act: Develop and implement a project that responds to the identified need or opportunity.
  • Contribute: Demonstrate how the project advances the common good for a community, organization, or group.

Class of 2024 Common Good Project Presentations, May 2024