Student Leadership Fellows

True leadership is not about prestige, power or status. It is about personal responsibility and personal engagement. It is about collaboration and community. –Marilyn Carlson Nelson

At the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy we intend to train students to lead change in the healthcare system we know today. This change requires inspired individuals to work tirelessly to modify our system, based on an understanding of today and a vision for a better tomorrow. In an effort to bring these initiatives, ideas, and passion together, the Student Leadership Fellows (SLF) Program is a venue to advance student leadership development.

Student Leadership Fellows are selected annually in the Fall. Questions can be addressed to

Dr. Jason Varin
CLHC Fellow & SLF Advisor
vari0001@umn.edu

Advancing Student Leadership Development

The SLFs function as a “think tank” that is dedicated to advancing student leadership development at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy (UM-CoP). The SLFs are responsible for developing the vision for student leadership development at the UM-CoP and for pursuing that vision by challenging the college to continue to excel.

The SLFs serve as a bridge between the Center for Leading Healthcare Change and the College of Pharmacy student body. The SLFs will work with the Center to leverage resources to advance the vision for student leadership development.

The SLFs are expected to lead change that aids in the development of future pharmacy leaders. As such, it is expected that the Fellows will convene regularly to assess data on the leadership development needs of the student body. SLFs will discuss and debate approaches to leadership development and their applicability for the U of M. SLFs will advocate for an evidence basis and a scholarly approach to the design, delivery and evaluation of leadership development initiatives. In addition, SLFs will develop recommendations for new leadership development initiatives and work with the Center to move recommendations forward.

The SLFs are a learning community, connected by their common dedication to student leadership development. As such, they are actively engaged in learning from and with each other. They draw on external expertise as needed to develop and enrich their own understanding of leadership and educational related concepts and strategies. Their meetings are characterized by constructive, intellectual debate focused on pursuit of the common good for the student body.