Frequently Asked Questions
What are you looking for in verification?
Leadership Roles:
- Position description/expectations.
- Letter of verification.
- Personal goal statement of what was hoped to be achieved.
- 500 word summary of what was learned and how role(s) relate(s) to 1 of 3 content areas.
- Maximum of 20 hours.
- Major responsibilities are leadership related and allow for personal growth.
- Employed ability to lead others.
- Positively impacted others.
Out of Class Learning:
- Certificate, letter, or card of participation.
- Includes workshops, seminars, conferences, or equivalent activities.
- 500 word summary of what was learned (1 summary for each activity) and how activity relates to 1 of 3 content areas.
- Itinerary of each activity (seminar, workshop, conference, etc.).
- Maximum of 30 hours.
- Did not receive credit.
- Involves leadership learning.
Academic Courses:
- Transcript.
- Syllabus.
- Obtain grade of 3.0 or better for the class to qualify.
- 500 word summary of what was learned and how it relates to 1 of 3 content areas.
- Max of 30 hours.
- Principle material relates to leadership or global competence and at least 1 of 3 content areas.
- Included material that can be applied to life in regards to leadership or global competence.
- You must pass in a pass/fail course.
Civic Engagement:
- Volunteer position description.
- Non-profit agency description.
- Written verification of participation from community service agency.
- 500 word summary of what was learned and how it relates to at least 1 of 3 content areas - how it affects or impacts a broader community.
- Maximum of 20 hours.
- At least 50% of total hours submitted is completed through the same service agency.
- Certificate, letter, or card of participation from community service agency.
- Must benefit community, not a specific organization or individual.
Work Experience:
- Job description/expectations.
- Letter from supervisor.
- 500 word summary of what was learned and how it relates to 1 of 3 content areas.
- Maximum of 20 hours.
- Documentation on paid, unpaid, or for-credit experience.
- Position fostered personal growth.
- Position was skill based.
What is an Educational Artifact?
The Education Artifact is your personal action plan for how you plan to continue your leadership development in the future. This is not a reiteration of what you have shared in your reflections, but a capstone of how you grown as a person from your leadership experiences. Past examples include: 5-page paper, 15-minute presentation, interactive website.
What do I need to verify my Academic Course?
The course that you choose for this activity area must already be completed. We cannot accept courses that you are currently taking because there will be no final grade available by the time we award recipients. Please be sure to include the course syllabus, official/unofficial transcript (to show a 3.0 grade), and a one page summary of what you learned and how it relates to the activity area.
What if I can't fulfill the maximum hours in each activity area?
The Leadership Certificate requirements are set up so that you have a chance to complete a maximum of 120 hours of service and activities, but you are only required to complete 100. This should help give some of you a little leeway in the activity areas where you might be lacking hours. You are not required to record a leadership experience in EVERY activity area.
Can one position or activity be used for more than one activity area?
No. Although one activity may fulfill multiple Activity Areas, the purpose of this Certificate is also to be sure you are educated in multiple aspects of leadership.
Can a service-learning course count for both the Academic Courses and Civic Engagement activity areas?
No. Although a service-learning course could fulfill both academic courses and civic engagement, you must choose one activity area in which to use it.
Can one position or activity be used for more than one content area?
Yes.
Could philanthropy be considered civic engagement?
No, although philanthropy is a very worthy cause, the purpose of civic engagement is to emphasize engagement with community members that showcases your leadership skills.
Does the Leadership Certificate appear on my academic transcript?
No, but you can include it on the Leadership and Involvement Record.
The Leadership and Involvement Record is an official document from the University of Wisconsin recording the leadership roles, student org involvement, or group membership students have had on campus. The record is not limited to student organizations but can include community service activities, intramural sports, research activities, and more. Offered through My UW's Student Center, this document can be used to verify out-of-classroom activities to employers, assist with completing graduate school applications, provided to individuals writing letters of reference, and assist with the development of resumes.
I see that there are 5 activity areas. Do I have to do everything?
No, you don't have to do everything but there are two exceptions. The academic course is required (a maximum of 30 hours, where 1 credit = 15 hours), and out-of-class learning (a maximum of 30 hours).
Do I have to formally declare that I am applying for the certificate?
No, we recommend you begin working on the certificate a semester before you plan on submitting it, but you can submit when you're ready. In order to begin your online submissions, however, you must register online at: http://insites-it.com/php/soo/leadership_app/ and create a profile.
How much time should I be spending on my application?
That varies. As long as you're a UW-Madison student, you can work on applying for the certificate. We recommend beginning the certificate at least one semester prior to when you plan on completely submitting.
Is the orientation mandatory?
No, but if you're interested it's Tuesday, September 22nd, in the Masley Media Room in the Red Gym (first floor) from 5:00 - 6:30pm.
Is the educational artifact submitted or presented?
The paper and website are submitted without presentation. If you would like to present your artifact, however, you must present it to the reviewing committee. If you are doing an artifact please indicate online and you will be contacted by the Center for Leadership and Involvement.
Can I email you to see if my academic class will be accepted?
Our review is based off the syllabus. If you have a question on whether or not we can accept your choice of class, send your request and syllabus of the course to leadership@odos.wisc.edu and mlucchesi@odos.wisc.edu.
What should I reflect on to help me write my summaries?
The committee is more interested in seeing a reflection of your experience rather than a summary of what you did. Below are some questions that might help you reflect:
- What talents can you bring to a group and what areas can you work on?
- Explain the impact of your leadership experience and how it is a positive change on behalf of others in the community.
- How do/might you use your distinct leadership talents to further develop the leadership skills of others?
- What specific individual leadership skill, value, or characteristic was developed through your experience?
- Thinking about your experience, how might the group have accomplished its task more effectively? In what ways did others help you and how did you help them?
- How did this experience challenge your leadership style and skills?
- What can you do as a leader to create a successful, productive team where team members feel empowered and included?
How do I write my summary for my civic engagement activity?
Just like every summary that needs to be submitted, civic engagement summaries must not recall what an applicant did, but rather what the applicant learned as a result of his or her experience. The committee recommends that a one paragraph intro describes the experience of the applicant and the rest focus upon learning. Below are some questions to help with the reflection portion of the summary:
- How can you use your experience to be a more effective leader in the community?
- Explain why you need to be aware of community needs in order to be an effective leader.
- Explain how you became responsibly connected to the community through this experience.
- Through your experience, what other community assets could you involve to help you achieve your vision and objectives and how could your leadership style help with this?
- How, specifically, has the community benefited from your leadership experience?
- What seems to be the root causes of the issue/problem that you assisted with? What role could you play in addressing this issue? How would you engage the community to be involved in this situation?
- Discuss a community problem that you had contact with during your leadership experience. What do you think are the root causes of your problem? Explain how your leadership skills and your experience relate to this.
Final Comments
The Leadership Certificate provides a student leader who has excelled in her/his role and in the development of new skills and knowledge with a formal acknowledgement of these contributions and achievements. It is not expected that every student engaged in leadership at UW-Madison will qualify for the Certificate. The Leadership Certificate Program will continue to evaluate all aspects of the certificate to continue to ensure high quality participation from those leaders who do and will make a difference in the life of individuals, groups, and the community.