University of South Carolina
IN-4: Innovation 4

Campus sustainability organizations can be an important avenue for student leadership development and at the University of South Carolina, the Green Leadership Program incorporates training modules, service-learning, and integrative learning opportunities to provide an innovative approach to student leadership development. Sustainable Carolina, a campus organization composed of the Office of Sustainability, the Green Quad Residence Hall, and the Learning Center for Sustainable Futures, is an integral part of student leadership development at the University of South Carolina. We have developed an innovative approach to developing leaders by providing students training on various leadership skills, opportunities to lead established project teams, and ultimately, the chance to implement and lead their own campus and community sustainability projects. The skills they develop through the program include being able to develop and utilize effective facilitation and organizational skills and the ability to understand and apply the principles of Environmental Communication. The Sustainable Carolina Leadership Program provides a model for how to give students the opportunity to take leadership of and make significant contributions to campus sustainability programs.

While other schools have leadership programs, our Green Leadership Program is innovative in many ways, from the way the students are trained to the hands-on experiences they receive. Students are recruited from various Residential Learning Communities, departments, and student organizations. After being selected for the program, students participate in a two-day orientation which focuses on understanding green values, assessing personal work and leadership styles, and learning how to use various organizational tools. Throughout the semester, workshops are provided for individuals and teams to help support leadership and success on project teams. Some of these workshop topics include delegation, consensus-decision-making, conflict resolution, and maintaining and Sustainable Life-Enhancing Pace. The structure of our program is designed for students to not only get hands-on experience, but progress to develop their own projects and lead teams of students, faculty, and staff. Students progress through our program honing their leadership skills, personal sustainability values, and ultimately learn the skills to help lead us to be a more sustainable society. Many of our program graduates go on to positions with AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and regional sustainability programs. The Green Leadership program included approximately 70 students in 2010-2011.