Empowering Students to Lead with Purpose
The Southern Leaders Program is Georgia Southern University’s premier student leadership experience, designed to equip students with the tools, experiences, and mindset needed to lead positive change—on campus and beyond. Through collaborative projects, leadership courses, and service opportunities, Southern Leaders grow into compassionate, effective leaders ready to make an impact.
What Do Southern Leaders Do?
Southern Leaders are empowered to grow as ethical, effective changemakers through hands-on leadership development grounded in transformational leadership theory. The program is built upon the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadershipfrom The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes & Posner, along with other established leadership models.
Through structured programming, students:
- Discover how their values and personality influence their leadership style
- Learn to lead teams by leveraging personal strengths and emotional intelligence
- Develop advanced leadership skills and strategies to create positive change in their communities
In 2018, the program was enhanced based on student feedback and aligned with the leadership competencies outlined by Seemiller (2014). It now offers a more intentional experience, emphasizing both academic theory and real-world leadership application.
Why Join Southern Leaders?
Students in the program not only receive leadership certificates and digital badges for their resumes and LinkedIn profiles—they also:
- Build meaningful connections on campus
- Gain real-world experience through service and applied projects
- Develop critical soft skills like emotional intelligence, collaboration, and civic responsibility
Get Involved
- Meet Our Team – Connect with the faculty, staff, and student mentors who support Southern Leaders.
- Incoming Freshman – Learn how to join the program early and begin building your legacy.
- Apply Now to take part in this transformational experience.
- Schedule of Events – Stay informed about leadership workshops, service events, and student recognition celebrations like the Eagle Excellence Awards.
Southern Leaders Program Breakdown
Southern Leaders is composed of three year-long certificate programs, each focusing on a specific area of leadership. Upon successful completion of a certificate program, Leaders receive a certificate and a digital badge to showcase on their LinkedIn profile.
Furthermore, Southern Leaders who complete all three certificate programs receive the prestigious Leadership and Service seal for their diploma, a recognition reserved for the most distinguished programs at Georgia Southern University. At the end-of-the-year showcase, these outstanding individuals are celebrated for their achievements.
Aside from fulfilling the specific requirements of each certificate program, all Southern Leaders are expected to actively participate in the program by attending regular events and completing 10 hours of community service annually, which must be logged in Eagle Engage.
Emerging Leaders: Building the Foundation
If you’re new to the program, Emerging Leaders is your starting point. Through LEAD 1000: Self Leadership, students explore their personal leadership style by completing assessments, participating in guided activities, and applying the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 1987). Along the way, students gain confidence, connect with peers, and begin building their leadership portfolio.
Team-Based Leadership: Collaborating for Impact
In the second tier of the program, Team-Based Leadership, students deepen their understanding of how to lead effectively within teams. Through LEAD 2000: Collaborative Leadership, students assess their leadership strengths, build team strategies, and apply their knowledge in a real-world Leadership in Action project—making a direct impact on the Georgia Southern or local Statesboro community.
Leading Positive Change: Putting Leadership Into Practice
The final phase, Leading Positive Change, prepares students to apply their leadership knowledge in broader contexts. In LEAD 3000: Rethinking Community Leadership, students reflect on what they’ve learned and complete a Leadership Incubator project—a hands-on leadership experience such as an internship, service initiative, or campus leadership role. This culminating experience helps students take their leadership into the real world.
Entering into the Southern Leaders program, all students begin their journey as Emerging Leaders. The Emerging Leaders tier is based on the tenets of transformational leadership developed by Kouzes & Posner’s (1987) Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.
Students will engage with each of these practices of leadership and more through the Emerging Leaders’ curriculum, which includes:
- LEAD 1000: Self Leadership
- Emerging Leaders events
- Complete the first portion of your LinkedIn project
During the Emerging Leaders tier, Leaders get the opportunity to learn more about the Southern Leaders program as a whole. Emerging Leaders will participate in events that help them get to know other people in the program. Each Emerging Leaders event is put on by the Southern Leaders staff as well as a group of upperclassmen Southern Leaders known as Facilitators. Throughout their first year, participating in these Emerging Leaders events will help to make new Southern Leaders feel a strong sense of belonging within the program and will be a great way to forge life-long friendships with your fellow leaders!
Learning Objectives
After completing the Emerging Leaders tier, students will be able to:
- Explain their personal definition of leadership
- Identify their personal core values and character strengths
- Explain how values and character strengths influence the leadership process
- Describe different styles of leadership
- Articulate the key aspects of their personal leadership style
- Describe the role of ethics in self-leadership
- Explore intersecting identities and how these inform leader identity
- Examine the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership ®
Leadership Competencies
Through Emerging Leaders, students will develop the following leadership competencies (Seemiller, 2014):
- Self-Understanding
- Personal Values
- Ethics
- Reflection & Application
- Self-Development
- Empathy
- Vision
Leadership Certificate
After finishing the curricular and co-curricular requirements for Emerging Leaders, students will receive a certificate at the end of the year.
In the Team-Based Leadership tier of Southern Leaders, the name of the game is teamwork! Through the LEAD 2000 course: Collaborative Leadership, Leaders will engage with interactive course materials that focus on important tenants of teamwork including: group development, conflict navigation, working with diverse teams, and building resilient teams. Team-Based Leaders will also have the chance to see these concepts in action through the Leadership in Action project, a group project aimed at helping out in the local community.
Students will engage with these different facets of teamwork and more through the Team-Based Leadership curriculum, which includes:
- LEAD 2000: Collaborative Leadership
- Participating in and completing the Leadership in Action project
- Complete the second portion of your LinkedIn project
Leadership in Action Project
During the Team-Based Leadership tier of Southern Leaders, all students will complete the Leadership in Action project. This project is a chance for Leaders to put their teamwork skills to work in order to do something great for the local community.
Team-Based Leadership students will work in teams of 5-6 to complete this project. The aim of their project should be to work with a community partner to complete a service project that fulfills some sort of need in the local community. Previous projects have included: a supply drive for the Eagle Essentials Pantry and work with the Ronald McDonald House in Savannah.
Learning Objectives
After completing the Team-Based Leadership tier, students will be able to:
- Describe the stages of group development and identify them in a team setting
- Understand their personal themes of talent and those of others and identify the leadership domains to which those themes belong
- Apply their understanding of themes of talent and leadership domains to develop effective teams
- Recognize that to be effective, teams should create inclusive spaces and view diversity as an asset to the team
- Discuss how they would apply team members’ strengths to create and inspire a shared vision
- Illustrate their practice of leadership through team-based activities
Leadership Competencies
Through Team-Based Leadership, students will develop the following leadership competencies (Seemiller, 2014):
- Group Development
- Listening
- Conflict Negotiation
- Productive Relationships
- Others’ Contributions
- Personal Contributions
- Collaboration
Leadership Certificate
After finishing the curricular and co-curricular requirements for Team-Based Leadership, students will receive a certificate at the end of the year.
Leading Positive Change represents the culmination of Southern Leaders’ learnings throughout the program. In this tier, Leaders explore the complex nature of leading change. They take part in the LEAD 3000: Rethinking Community Leadership course, where they analyze the factors that impact communities and organizations. Through interactive classroom experiences and engaging discussions, LEAD 3000 focuses on leadership and community engagement, allowing Leaders to develop a deeper understanding of their interconnectedness. Afterward, Leaders apply their leadership skills in real-world settings, such as workplaces or leadership positions, through the Leadership Incubator. This practical experience is accompanied by guided reflections, further enhancing their grasp of leadership in action.
Students will engage with these experiences and more through the Leading Positive Change curriculum, which includes:
- LEAD 3000: Rethinking Community Leadership
- Complete a Leadership Incubator Experience
- Complete the third and final portion of the LinkedIn project
Leadership Incubator
Southern Leaders actively practice and develop their leadership skills through the Leadership Incubator. They take part in internships, co-ops, student leadership positions, work experiences, or other approved spaces to exercise their leadership abilities. During these experiences, Southern Leaders engage in guided discussions and receive personalized coaching from the Southern Leaders team. This process enhances their overall leadership development.
Leadership Incubator experiences must be at least a semester long, and the job/leadership role must be held during the semester you are completing your Incubator experience. As mentioned above, Leaders will participate in guided reflections during their Incubator experience; these are completed via Google forms on a monthly basis during the semester. At the end of the semester, Leaders participate in a one-to-one coaching meeting with a member of the Southern Leaders staff to round out their Incubator experience.
Learning Objectives
After completing the Leading Positive Change tier, students will be able to:
- Articulate how context influences the change process
- Demonstrate personal, group, and contextual reflection
- Connect the leadership behavior of ‘Challenge the Process’ to leading change
- Articulate your source(s) of power and how it affects your leadership in communities/organizations
- Develop a personal philosophy for leading positive change in the community
- Implement a team-based project that meets an identified community need
- Connect leadership development to future career aspirations or community involvement
- Reflect on their practice of leadership
Leadership Competencies
Through Leading Positive Change, students will develop the following leadership competencies (Seemiller, 2014):
- Power Dynamics
- Creating Change
- Organizational Behavior
- Social Justice
- Social Responsibility
- Problem Solving
- Systems Thinking
Leadership Certificate
After completing the curricular and co-curricular requirements for Leading Positive Change, students will receive a certificate at the end of the year. Additionally, if students have successfully completed all three tiers of Southern Leaders, they will be awarded the Leadership and Service diploma seal and the prestigious Southern Leaders graduate medallion.
Southern Leaders Scholarship
Southern Leaders is looking for ambitious high school students ready to make a difference. In this program, you’ll take part in interactive leadership courses, tackle community issues through service and develop impactful projects.
We recognize your potential and dedication with the Southern Leaders Scholarship. This one-time $1,000 award is given annually to up to 25 incoming freshmen who have demonstrated leadership and volunteerism and are ready to grow as a leader at Georgia Southern University.
Do I Qualify?
In order to be considered for the Southern Leaders Program and program scholarships, you must submit your Application for Admission and respond to the essay required for consideration for the Honors College. Additionally, you must meet the following criteria:
- Academic High School GPA of 3.0 or higher (as calculated by the Office of Admissions)
- Record of extensive high school leadership involvement
- Record of volunteer community involvement and leadership
- Personal desire to advance leadership and service experience
Perks & Expectations
Students who are awarded leadership scholarships will:
- Be awarded a $1,000 scholarship ($500 for the fall semester, $500 for the spring semester) for their first-year.
- Enroll in LEAD 1000: Self-Leadership in Fall Semester.
- Participate in the Southern Leaders Program with team building and monthly events throughout the year.
- Earn a grade point average of at least 3.0 in Fall Semester.
How Do I Apply?
To apply for the Southern Leaders Program and associated scholarships, you will need to:
- Complete the Application for Acceptation to Georgia Southern University through the Office of Admissions.
- Complete the specific essay for the Honors College and leadership programs as well as check the box “Yes” for the question “Are you interested in leadership programming at Georgia Southern University?”.
- Complete the application and specific essay by the February 1st deadline.
Apply for Southern Leaders
Are you interested in joining Southern Leaders? If so, we recruit current Georgia Southern students on a yearly basis. We review applications throughout the year, and usually start the review process in the Spring. Once accepted, students start the program in the Fall semester. Students with a 2.75 GPA or higher are eligible to apply for membership.
As a note, the Southern Leaders program offers three year-long certificate programs. At the end of each year, students will get a digital badge and certificate to showcase on their LinkedIn profile. Additionally, if students successfully complete all three years, they will earn the Leadership and Service diploma seal and the Southern Leaders Graduate medallion.
Furthermore, if you have any questions about the program or your application status, please email us at southernleaders@georgiasouthern.edu.
Connect with Southern Leaders
Email: southernleaders@georgiasouthern.edu
Phone: 912-478-1435
Mailing Address: Southern Leaders, PO Box 8114, Statesboro, GA 30460
Follow us on social media and explore related programs through the Office of Leadership and Community Engagement (OLCE) including:
- Serve912
- Sustain Southern
- OLCE at Armstrong