The Observer, September 15, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 3
Editorial: Case leaders needed to set example for students
As a student in today's modern world, it seems like getting good grades, being a model citizen, and giving back to society is just not good enough. Apparently, you need to be a leader to get somewhere. In high school, we begin to feel the pressures of becoming a leader as classmates compete for an officer role of an organization or sports team. For most students, being the president of a club also meant going to a better college. The same concept can be applied to students at the university level. Being a leader in a college can bring about more internship, graduate school, and employment opportunities.
At institutions such as Case, leadership is highly encouraged and the opportunities to become a leader seem limitless. With activities such as Leadershape as well as the Emerging Leaders Program and the Second Year Institute geared towards first and second year students, it seems as if every student can be a leader if they want to be. But this is obviously not the case. So who are the people that are benefiting from these programs? They are the students who took the initiative to apply. In the world after graduation, no one is going to lead you to an opportunity and no one is going to hand you a position of integrity and responsibility. A leader does not have to be the president of an organization or an officer of a club – he or she is just someone who took a moment to try.
Although many opportunities have been made to maximize students' best qualities, is Case really the place where leaders are born? Take a look at our own administration and the many holes that now reside in it. We currently do not have a permanent president to lead the university and the one who was previously in office resigned after the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences voted no confidence in him. The resignation of Edward Hundert was soon followed by the resignations of four deans from the university.
So consider the most important question – what kind of example is the university setting for Case students? How are students to become great leaders if the university that they attend has no real leaders of its own? Much of the spotlight is now focused on finding the desperately needed leaders while less emphasis has been placed on making strides to fulfill Case's once highly touted vision of becoming the world's most powerful learning environment. Prior to the budget crisis, Case was a bustling place with enthusiastic leaders, but over the course of just one year, the university has fallen into a sinking hole without any leaders to pull us out.
We are in need of strong figures who have the ability to become long standing role models for the students at Case. The idea of leadership programs is highly commendable, but they can never be fully effective if students are doubtful of the waning administration. Students may be taught on the qualities of leadership but their education won't be complete unless examples from true leaders are fully visible.
