Collegiate Women of Color
Leadership Development Institute

The first Institute was held in the summer of 2006, and funding is currently being sought to repeat the program in the summer of 2008 or 2009 (depending on support).  Interested students should watch the FIHE website for announcements.

The goal of the program is to lay a foundation for collegiate women of color (rising seniors) to develop the skills and experiences that enable them to pursue and achieve executive-level leadership positions throughout their careers. The program objectives are:
           

• To recruit and select 50 women of color from 650 private colleges and universities who are completing their junior year of college;
• To sponsor a week-long summer leadership institute for the participants in Washington, DC on August XX - XX, 2008*;
• To sponsor a mentoring program for the participants who are matched with women mentors already in leadership roles from September 2008 to April 2009; and
• To provide participants with an opportunity to test and improve their leadership skills through the implementation of a leadership internship project that is conducted on their campus or in their local community during the senior year of college.

The summer institute is based both an understanding of the challenges women experience that can derail and restrict their career growth and the common success factors that support women’s career development and graduate school success. Accordingly, the institute’s curriculum is built around these factors and will offer four major tracks: personal leadership development; leadership theories and practice; career exploration and success; and graduate school preparation and success.

To be accepted into the institute, the women must:

• Write a one to two-page essay;
• Have a 3.0 average or above at the end of their junior year of college;
• Submit a transcript and two letters of references, either from a college professor, administrator and/ or community leader/organizer;
• Be a United States citizen or legal resident; and
• Be a woman of color.

Participants  also perform a leadership internship project on their campus or in their local community, as a way to test and enhance their leadership skills.  They also write a final report/essay on lessons learned from participating in the program.