Freshman Leadership Institute
Announcements
About the Freshman Leadership Institute
The Freshman Leadership Institute is an innovative leadership program for freshman students. This program encompasses a weekend retreat and regularly scheduled programs with student leaders. This unique opportunity allows freshman to make connections with other UMass Boston students interested in leadership and helps them figure out how they can get on the path to making their mark as a leader at our University. Each summer we recruit and select 60 freshman students who will participate in the program and are matched with a Peer Mentor to provide a great first experience at UMass Boston.
The program has three major components:
- Leadership Session – The leadership curriculum is based on the book The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner who promote five areas of leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enables Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. The program will help students learn these concepts and show ways they can be beneficial to students’ leadership development.
- Service Project – Students will participate in a community outreach day with other freshman students and mentors to reinforce the importance of civic engagement and community.
- Mentoring – Each freshman student will be paired with a Peer Mentor who will provide coaching and serve as an “involvement advisor” to get students involved and integrate them into campus life
Peer Mentors
Peer Mentors play a vital role in the Freshman Leadership Institute as they will have the most interaction with the students for the duration of the program. We are looking for a group of energetic, passionate, civic-minded, and committed students to serve in this role for the 2013 Freshman Leadership Institute. Peer Mentors will have the following responsibilities:
- Lead and mentor a group of 4-6 freshman students
- Facilitate leadership sessions during the fall semester
- Participate in a service project with your group of freshman
- Coordinate 1 – on – 1 mentoring sessions with your mentees
- Attend the summer training retreat
- Attend weekly meetings with all peer mentors
- Coordinate involvement opportunities for your mentees
Peer Mentor Requirements and Important Dates
Requirements for all positions are as follows:
- Have at least a 2.5 Cumulative GPA
- Be enrolled as a degree-seeking full time student for Fall 2013
- Complete application along with short answer questions
- Submit at least one recommendation letter from a UMass Boston employee (faculty or staff)
- All eligible candidates must participate in an interview
Important Dates
- Interviews - April 24 – 25, 2013, 9 AM – 3 PM
- May 1, 2013 Peer Mentors Announced
- Mandatory Mentor Meeting the Week of May 16, 2013
- Peer Mentors Training Retreat – August 28 – 30, 2013
- Freshman Leadership Retreat – September 20-22, 2013
To become an FLI Peer Mentor, click here.
