Getting Involved on Campus with the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement

By: Aleksandr Wittemann, Peer Advisor

The Office of Leadership and Community Engagement is a great way to get involved at UNC Charlotte. They provide several programs to students to develop leadership skills, offer community engagement and volunteering opportunities, personal and professional development opportunities, as well as the Forty-Niner Forum and the Jamil Niner Food Pantry.

According to their website, “the mission of Leadership and Community Engagement is to provide UNC Charlotte students with Leadership skills and developmental opportunities through individual programs, retreats, and experiential learning. These students will develop lifelong leadership skills that can be utilized within diverse educational, social, and business settings. The experiences students gain through academic-sponsored leadership programs and courses will influence the campus socially and culturally.”

I was a part of Leadership Fellows during the Fall 2020 semester. I went through an application and interview process where I was selected to the cohort. Currently, I am serving as a STAR Mentor who helps lead and facilitate the program with a small group. Through my time at Leadership Fellows, I have improved my public speaking, learned more about my unique leadership style, learned to be more professional, and how to creatively solve problems.

One of my favorite things that I have gotten out of Leadership Fellows is the community. As a STAR Mentor, we all work together and interact quite often which has led to some great friends at UNC Charlotte. It has been the biggest example of making friends via Zoom to having those same friends in person. The program has allowed me to meet and interact with students from other colleges on campus that I otherwise wouldn’t have ever interacted with.

One of the highlights of the Leadership Fellows program is the retreat. Each program, students are required to attend an overnight, off campus retreat where there will be speakers, games, activities, and community bonding. This year, Leadership Fellows is going to York, South Carolina where we will get to spend some time getting to know the fellows and the other peer mentors.

The Office of Leadership and Community Engagement offers many other programs outside of Leadership Fellows: 

• Emerging Leaders is a program geared towards first-year, first-time students who are looking to develop their leadership skills while making friends and having mentors. Deadline for current freshman to apply is September 30th!!
• LEAD team (Leadership Education and Development) is a group of student ambassadors who facilitate workshops on a variety of leadership topics.
• PILOT program (Programs in Leadership and Organizational Training) provides participants non-academic credit for leadership training. 
• The Women’s Leadership Development Program is offered for students who are nominated by faculty and staff across campus to join a conversation series to develop leadership skills.
• The Executive Leadership Program focuses on the transition from undergraduate leadership to leadership as a new professional.

There are also countless Community Engagement opportunities through the office. SERVE team (Students Engaging in Rewarding Volunteer Experiences) is another great opportunity that offers monthly events. SERVE team assists in planning, recruiting, and implementation of monthly community engagement events that are mutually beneficial for the community partner they serve.

Q&A about the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement

What should be my first step in getting involved? You can check out their website (leadership.charlotte.edu) where you can find information on every program that they offer as well as contact information to people who work in the office that can answer questions.

Where can I find the office of Leadership and Community Engagement on campus? They are located in Student Union 280 and are there during normal business hours.

Why should I be concerned about developing my leadership skills? Many employers today are looking for applicants who have soft skills. Therefore, it is important to jump at every opportunity while you are at UNC Charlotte to develop interpersonal skills that will transfer over to the workplace. Having these skills and experiences on your résumé will help set yourself apart from other applicants.

Thanks for your time in reading today Belk College of Business students! Have a great week!

--Aleks