Undergraduate Degree Program

The Erickson School Leadership Experience

The Erickson School Leadership Experience provides interactive self-exploratory and team-building opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in transformational experiences and traditions that promote self awareness and leadership development and enhance the overall quality of students lives.

The three phases of development - personal, practical, and experiential - that the program focuses on are called blazes. A blaze is defined as a marker along a trail to help find your way. Students blaze through sequential phases of leadership development, including skills training that they apply in their internship and in their career making Erickson student sought after by employers upon graduation.

Our Mission

The Erickson School Leadership Experience seeks to develop and empower future leaders who will have significant impact in their career and on society. In keeping with the integrative approach of the Erickson School, the Leadership Experience combines a balance of Personal (Be Who You Are), Practical (Know What You Bring), and Experiential (Do What You Know) learning opportunities.

• Be Who You Are:Self-awareness is a key component to the Leadership Experience. Students will have the opportunity to explore their core values, relational style, personal leadership style, and areas of leadership strength and deficit.
• Know What You Bring: There are components built into the Leadership Experience that allow students to explore key real-life leadership skills. A student who participates in the Leadership Experience has the opportunity to walk away with tangible leadership skills reflected in todays best-practices of business and higher education.
• Do What You Know: Exploration and discovery take a person far in the learning process; having the opportunity to apply what is learned is the step beyond that is crucial to real, lasting growth and development. In varying capacities students will have opportunities to learn in real timein other words, students see the concept of Leadership come to life.

Our Cornerstone Principles

The foundational philosophy of the Leadership Experience is based on several core principles that define exceptional leaders. Exceptional leaders

• Have a clearly defined set of core values and ideas.
• Are authentic, there is congruence between who they are and how they lead.
• Have a clear vision and the ability to move the vision forward.
• Inspire and motivate, they communicate the vision and values in a way that invites others to join them on the journey.
• Empower others, giving them the tools and opportunities to become leaders themselves.
• Are life-long learners, they continually seek personal and professional growth and development.

Leadership is the function of clearly defined values and vision and the ability to communicate them effectively to empower people and influence change.

Contact Us

If you are interested in learning more about the Erickson School Leadership Experience, contact Kristanna Jones at kristanna.jones@umbc.edu or 443.543.5637.