The Leadership and Social Change Certificate is a program that has grown in importance since its approval in 1999 at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. It not only encompasses College of Notre Dame of Maryland's mission to "educate women as leaders to transform the world" but it's offered to all majors.
The certificate was developed to offer students useful leadership skills, abilities to bring positive change in their community and a vision to create concrete goals through classes, workshops and seminars according to Helene Murtha, Associate Dean of Students and long-time head of the program. "Since it's a state recognized program, it's a step above, since no other schools in the immediate area offer this certificate," Murtha said.
Interested students start participating in the Emerging Leadership program in their freshman year, in Foundations of Leadership in their sophomore year and take interchangeable general education or department requirements in ethics, leadership, organization development and professional development in order to advance to the certificate. Senior leadership students then conclude the certificate process by taking Seminar in Leadership and Social Change, which is taught by Dr. Anne Henderson, Associate vice president for academic issues.
Henderson's background experience in working with conflict situations in civil wars for the U.N, in countries like the then Soviet Union and Iraq, inspired her to work in Women Wage Peace: an organization that brings in women from all backgrounds to go to conflicted nations to bring peace talks.
She realized from her past experience that women are the ones who can bring peace. When she first came to Notre Dame in 2007, Henderson was more than eager to head the Leadership and Social Change program as a way to develop more women peacemakers.
Currently students from Foundations of Leadership and the Capstone course will create programs for teens transitioning to high school, as a final project in April, for Sisters Academy, a school located in Southwest Baltimore. Both Henderson and Murtha, who also heads the Foundation in Leadership program, says that this is the first year younger and older leadership students will work together.
"I am also excited about our student leaders leaving a mark for future students when they create a joint program that involves fundraising, teamwork, and creating leadership activities for teens by the end of the year," Henderson said.
Senior Hannah Brown said she was grateful for being a part of this project and the certificate program. She plans to incorporate her leadership skills after she graduates into working with organizing events for her church.
Brown has been an "under the radar" leader for the last four years by getting involved as a schoolteacher at her church and by taking a supportive role as vice president for Association of American Women in Communications. . "I'm personally happy with the program," Murtha said, "because it's exciting to see students put their passions into action."
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