Providence, R.I.--Nine successful business executives will outline their views on leadership as part of a new course in Providence College's Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program this fall.

Leaders on Leadership is co-taught by Dr. Sue Lehrman, dean of the School of Business, and Dr. Matthew Eriksen, associate professor of management. The once-weekly, three-credit course meets on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Harkins Hall (LL12).

The first hour-and-a-half of each class will feature a business leader explaining what they think are essential elements of leadership. The presentations will begin on October 1 when the class will be addressed by Admiral George Naccara, Federal Security Director,Logan Airport, Rear Admiral (Retired) United States Coast Guard.

"In contrast to most leadership courses, this course is not about attempting to arrive at a universal understanding of what leadership is," Eriksen said. "Although understanding of leadership theories and development of some leadership skills will occur, at its core, this course is about facilitating students' quest of becoming leaders."

He added, "In this course, we will think of leadership not as a thing to be 'figured out' or 'a set of techniques to be employed,' but rather as something to be realized."

Part of revamped MBA Program
Over the summer, the School of Business revamped its MBA Program in an attempt to promote experiential learning, better reflect real-world decision making and hands-on learning, and provide students with a cutting-edge, 21st-century graduate business education. The Leaders on Leadership course is one of the outcomes.

Eriksen said from a teaching perspective, his goal is to "create a community within which we facilitate students becoming leaders and provide them with ways of thinking about leadership and life-long learning skills to continue this process after graduation." He said adding the speaker component to each course becomes a crucial part of the student's developmental process.

Eriksen said each business leader will be asked to convey several messages during their presentations. These will include articulating their personal definition or practical understanding of leadership, describing what it is like to actually lead on a day-to-day basis, and outlining their personal beliefs about leading effectively, among many other messages.

"Along with the students and professors, the speakers are seen as essential members of our community of becoming leaders," Eriksen said. "Thus, it's my hope that all of the speakers will be enriched through their engagement in self-reflection and discerning their definition of leadership in preparation for their talk and participating in meaningful dialogue about leadership and the actual experience of leading with the students."

The speaker's presentations are open to the College community and the public on a space-available basis. Request should be made to Katherine A. Follett, administrative coordinator, at (401) 865-2333 or kfollett@providence.edu.

• Admiral George Naccara, Federal Security Director, Logan Airport, October 1
• Lisa Churchville, President and General Manager, WJAR/NBC, October 8
• Paul Rich, Chief Development Officer, Deepwater Wind LLC (Providence), October 15
• Jonathan Duffy, President, Duffy & Shanley, October 22
• Constance Howes, President, Women & Infants Hospital, November 5
• Donna Cupelo '78, Regional President-Verizon New England, November 12
• Bill McKendree, Founding Partner, The Clarion Group, LTD, November 19
• Alec Taylor, CEO, Foster Grant (Smithfield), December 3
• Brian Goldner, CEO, Hasbro, Inc., December 10

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