The Honors Leadership Challenge is a course taught by Peter Cohen whose mission is to challenge students and help them reflect on their interactions in class to prepare for life.
Students seek to identify ways to grow as individuals, and use their strengths to interact with the group. During one class session, students worked in pairs on an exercise known as Immunity to Change, in which students identify behaviors and beliefs which hinder them from achieving specific goals.
"You鈥檙e challenging students, challenging their mindsets and behaviors that work for them or don鈥檛, getting them out of their comfort zone and supporting them through difficult work," says Cohen.
According to Lucy Petroucheva, a former student who has become an assistant faculty member for the course, students who risk new behaviors in the class ideally abandon their assumptions and fears about others. They take ownership of situations with confidence in themselves.
Cohen and his faculty members provide a strong support system at all times during the semester to make sure that students manage the stress of the course well.
Jannet Balderrama, a former student, believes that Cohen鈥檚 support is integral to students鈥� success in the course.
鈥淗e鈥檚 more than just a teacher,鈥� said Balderrama. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a mentor. He鈥檚 a friend. He鈥檚 someone that I feel I could personally trust.鈥�
According to Petroucheva, Leadership Challenge is a course unique to Wichita State University. Although other universities like Harvard have similar adaptive leadership programs, few focus on the development of young adults and their interactions in social environments.
The class holds the idea that innovation happens in hearts and minds, and extends into every aspect of learning at 黑洞社区 and beyond.
Cohen encourages students to practice many of 黑洞社区鈥檚 core values, such 鈥渁daptive approaches,鈥� 鈥渢eamwork鈥� and 鈥減ositive risk-taking,鈥� and to apply the values to real-life situations.
HNRS 152F, Leadership Challenge, is offered as a semester-long course. Another course, HMCD 308, Leadership in Self and Society, is offered as a one week pre-session. Students should apply early, because courses fill quickly.