Cornell LEADS
Cornell LEADS (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Distinctive Service) is a distinctive leadership program in which students examine the qualities of leadership and its social importance by interacting with leaders from all walks of life. Each year a select group of 20 students has the extraordinary opportunity to learn about leadership by participating in a seminar, a panel discussion and a field trip in which they meet distinguished leaders in eastern Iowa and Chicago.
In the 2011-2012 program, students attended a leadership seminar hosted by former Cornell president Les Garner, participated in a panel discussion on entrepreneurship, and traveled to Chicago to meet with community leaders in Albany Park, business executives at Motorola and Pepsico, and the management team at the renowned museum of science and industry.
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President emeritus |
In the seminar hosted by Les Garner students considered the “10 Commandments of Leadership” by viewing contrasting leadership styles in the BBC docu-drama “The Last Place on Earth”, chronicling the race to the South Pole between Roald Amundsen (Norway) and Robert Scott (Britain) in 1911. |
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Students interact with panelists |
In the panel discussion students interacted with five young entrepreneurs from the Iowa City area (all under the age of 30), who talked about the leadership challenges associated with launching start-up businesses ranging from a moped company to a frozen yogurt store. The panel was moderated by social entrepreneur Andy Stoll and hosted by Gilda Boyer, ’84. |
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Students at the Museum |
The Chicago trip led off with a visit to Albany Park, one of the most ethnically diverse communities in the U.S., where students met with community leaders to discuss the immigrant experience. The challenges of global business was the focus of a conversation with Joni Walsweer, ’88 (controller at Motorola) and Jay Walsweer (senior marketing manager at Pepsico). The Chicago experience concluded with a tour of the Museum of Science and Industry, and meetings with the management team to discuss the scientific and financial challenges of running the top science center in the country. The visited was hosted by David Hanses, ’88. |
For more information about Cornell LEADS,
please contact the Associate Director of the Berry Center.