Book Description

Author's abstract: This study explored alumni' valuation of an undergraduate leadership program by gaining an understanding of what leadership learning and leadership behaviors transferred into their work environments. The alumni graduated from the same university in the southeastern United States, and while enrolled completed a four-year, co-curricular leadership program. In this mixed methods study, eight participant alumni engaged in semi-structured interviews as well as completed the Leadership Practices Inventory. Alumni perceived that leadership experiences, learning community, classroom learning, peer coaching, and intentional reflection were the most valuable attributes of the program. The leadership learning that effectively transferred to work environments included collaboration, leveraging differences, communication, diversity awareness, negotiating conflict, strengths awareness, emotional intelligence awareness, and leadership confidence. Program alumni were frequently engaged in the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership at work to some degree. Some recommendations include the program should be more career focused and expressed desire for an alumni group. This study fills a gap in the literature as limited research exists that assesses the transfer of leadership learning from an undergraduate leadership program into alumni work environments. When developing leadership programs, practitioners may consider incorporating similar programmatic attributes and leadership learning deemed valuable by program alumni.