One hundred incoming freshmen from the class of 2006 will be offered the opportunity to participate in a post-orientation program designed to familiarize students with life at Hopkins and build leadership skills, according to Special Assistant to the Director of Student Involvement Dr. Bill Smedick.
The program, which has no official name as of yet, is the result of a collaboration between Smedick and Associate Director for Development of Arts and Sciences David Mainella. According to Smedick, Mainella was working on establishing a program for freshmen based on the "University 101" programs offered at some other universities, and he was working on establishing a more formal leadership development program. Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell noticed overlap between the two programs and suggested their merger.
Smedick says he hopes that the pilot program next year will be successful enough to warrant its eventual expansion to a four-year leadership development curriculum for which students might receive credit.
Smedick also stressed that the program under development will, though similar to "University 101" programs at other schools, will have a "different twist and a different focus." Unlike other universities' programs, for example, the one at Hopkins will not be remedial.
The 100 freshmen participating in the program will be divided into five groups of 20 students each, with each group supervised by three facilitators: one student, one staff member from the Student Affairs Office and one faculty member.
According to Mainella, the groups will participate in nine one-hour activities, each involving a different aspect of life at Hopkins. Topics will include academics, student finances, leadership, working in groups, living in Baltimore, communication, campus resources and building pride in Hopkins.
The activities will take many different forms: A group participating in the living in Baltimore activity, Mainella says, would be given a tour of the city led by a faculty member who is a longtime resident. Additionally, the leadership-building activities will involve outdoor team-building exercises.
According to Smedick, a study by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, "a nonprofit organization whose mission is to apply knowledge to solve the problems of people," according to their Web site, outlined nine questions to be used in identifying the effectiveness of leadership programs. The questions addressed issues like cultural issues, mentoring, community involvement and the involvement of faculty members.
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