The Bucknell Leadership Institute

Leaders bring people together, navigate complexity, and act with purpose and integrity. At Bucknell, leadership development can be a defining part of every student’s experience. Through self-awareness, mentorship, real-world experience and coaching, we help students discover how they lead and build the confidence to lead others.”

— Moe McGuinness, Vice President for Student Affairs & Fritz Family Dean of Students

Leadership: the skill no algorithm can replace

At Bucknell, the residential experience extends the academic one. It is where character is forged, purpose is discovered and leadership is lived. As AI and automation reshape every industry, human skills like setting a vision, motivating a team, cultural humility and ethical decision-making matter more than ever.

Employers consistently rank leadership among the most critical and hardest-to-find skills in new college graduates, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report. The AAC&U’s Agility Imperative found that 81% of employers are significantly more likely to hire candidates who held a leadership role in college.

A degree opens the door to a first interview. Proven leadership drives what comes after: faster promotion, more mobility and stronger career trajectories over a 40-year career. Formal leadership training also levels the playing field for first-generation and underrepresented students, teaching the unwritten rules of the workplace and the confidence to speak up in any boardroom.

The Solution: An Institute For the Entire Student Journey

Grounded in the Social Change Model of Leadership Development and the NACE Career Readiness Competencies, the Bucknell Leadership Institute pairs foundational programming for every student with targeted coaching for active student leaders. Students find their voice, sharpen their communication and emotional intelligence and learn to navigate conflict. They graduate ready to lead from day one — and no Bucknellian grows as a leader alone.

What your gift Makes possible

Housed in the Office of Leadership & Transition (OLT), the institute connects foundational programs — including the National Society for Leadership and Success (NSLS), the Leadership & Inclusive Excellence Awards and the Pathmakers Mentorship & Networking Program — into one progressive four-year leadership journey.

• Staff Capacity and Professional Leadership Coaching: Adds a named associate director of OLT to deliver specialized coaching in ethics, conflict resolution, facilitation and student support referrals for active student leaders.
• Immersive Retreats and Experiential Treks: Funds high-impact experiences, including the Leadership Pre-Orientation Program, intensive fall and spring LeaderShape Retreats and an annual Experiential Leadership Week industry trip that rotates among the colleges.
• Universal Self-Awareness and Assessment Tools: Gives every incoming student personality and leadership profile assessments that build emotional intelligence, clarity of values, time management and cultural humility.
• Campus-wide Leadership Conferences and Recognition: Sponsors the Annual Leadership & Career Conference and connects students with networks like NSLS and the Leadership & Inclusive Excellence Awards.

Recognition Opportunities 

• Associate Director, Office of Leadership and Transition (Named): $3 million
  • Current use or endowed position endowing dedicated staffing capacity
• Leadership Pre-Orientation Program Fund: $60,000
  • Establishes an immersive pre-orientation leadership track for incoming first-year students
• LeaderShape Retreats (Fall and Spring): $50,000
  • Funds intensive off-campus fall and spring leadership retreats
• Experiential Leadership Week Trip Fund: $35,000
  • Sponsors off-site industry immersion trips tailored to individual colleges on a rotating basis
• Personality and Leadership Assessment Fund: $17,000
  • Administers foundational personality and leadership assessments to all incoming students
• Annual Leadership and Career Conference Fund: $7,500
  • Hosts a comprehensive campus conference integrating leadership development and career readiness

Institutional Promise

By supporting the Bucknell Leadership Institute, you make sure every student, regardless of background, builds the human-centered skills to take on the next century’s hardest challenges. Your partnership connects who our students are with who they can become and strengthens Bucknell’s reputation for developing ethical leaders.