Office of Student Leadership and Engaged Learning

2025-2026 Program Expections for ELP

As participants in the program, Emerging Leaders will:

  • Engage weekly with a second-year mentor who will be assigned to them as a guide throughout their Emerging Leaders Program experience.
  • Participate in university and community events throughout their first year, including the completion of 20 engagement hours each semester.
  • Attend weekly meetings with the full program staff and participants, Wednesdays from 5-7pm.
  • If you are a residential student, live in the Emerging Leader community located in the West Grace North residence hall. **Please note that ELP students living on-campus can only live with other ELP students**
  • Enroll in and successfully complete VCU Emerging Leaders courses: REAL491 in the spring semester.
  • Attend the Emerging Leaders Program kickoff and orientation

We also highly recommend that our ELP students attend RAM CAMP, a week-long leadership camp for incoming first-year students, from Sunday, August 11-Thursday, August 15.  More information available at www.ramcamp.vcu.edu

Required Coursework

Spring Semester: REAL491: Principles of Leadership – 3 Credit Hours

This seminar will provide an overview of the theories, models and perspectives of the field of leadership studies. Students will explore leadership in terms of the role of leaders, the role of followers and the context in which leadership occurs. With an emphasis on practical application of leadership, students will evaluate their own leadership experiences in terms of the course contents, while also exploring contemporary examples of leadership. 

 

Weekly Meetings

We have two hour meetings from 5-7pm every Wednesday during each semester. These meetings are mandatory for all ELP students and students are expected to schedule their classes around these meetings to stay in the program.