March 2, 2005

New LEAD! Center Emphasizes Leadership, Service

By Jan Jennings

The Leadership-Engagement-Activism-Development!(LEAD) Center, designed to augment student academic experiences with leadership and service opportunities within the campus and the community, has been launched at the University of California, San Diego.

Its theme is “empowering students to serve society.”

“This innovative and exciting center promotes education that is integrative and connective,” says William S. Howe, the LEAD! Center’s director. “It seeks to link students to each other, to San Diego, to California, and, through computer and teleconferencing technology, to the rest of the globe.”

The name LEAD! was selected by a student panel from 482 possible names submitted by students.

“We’re empowering students from the start,” Howe says, “letting them name the center that will both serve their needs and help harness their passions in order to create real change in the university, the community, and the world.”

Howe says the center is designed to act as a nexus for leadership, social justice, and entrepreneurial and service opportunities intended to help students become fully engaged in meaningful activities that include student organizations, the six UCSD colleges, internships, mentorships, and community service.

“Students want to be involved with real issues and real problems,” says Julia Adame, the center’s associate director, “and to make a difference that will help society move toward a new world that values shared responsibility, diversity, and common purposes.”

LEAD’s mission is to insure that students become actively engaged with opportunities that enhance classroom learning and provide the skills needed to be effective “servant leaders” in a variety of careers.

Known in the planning stages as the Center for Student Leadership, Engagement, and Service (SLES), the LEAD Center is located in UCSD’s Price Center. For further information, contact Howe at (858) 534-0789 or Adame at (858) 534-1726.

Media Contact: Jan Jennings (858) 822-1684