At the University of Central Arkansas, the word “leadership” is a very meaningful word; it is the key to a successful college career and is a large factor in accomplishing goals after graduation. UCA is not just a place to culture skills in academics, but it is also a place to develop leadership. The university recognizes the need for student leaders and has introduced an office dedicated to leadership cultivation and many RSOs to develop this skill as well.

Becoming involved on campus may seem like a trying task, but UCA’s new Center for Leadership Development acts as a homing device to help both undergraduates and graduate students find their place on campus. Before the leadership office opened, there was never a place where students could go and gain leadership skills for organizations. Steven Shook, the assistant director for Student Leadership Programs, said, “Our goal is to bridge the gap between the students that have never had a leadership position and the top student leaders on campus.” The idea is to diversify leadership and not make it only available to students lucky enough to find themselves on certain organizations. This office is to help bring all organizations together to culture leadership together.

Turning every student on campus into a leader seems daunting, but the new office is constantly introducing new programs and organizations to hone the leadership skills of students it helps to develop. RSOs and events such as IDEAL, Big Event, Relay for Life and Leadership Summit were moved into the leadership office with additional organizations and events such as TedX Talks, LEAD Team, Presidents Leadership Fellows, Leadership Library, personality assessments and Lead groups being introduced just recently.

Any student can use the services that the leadership office provides, and the office welcomes any student to visit. There are books on leadership to check out or you can take personality assessments to figure out your love language, your spirit animal or your true color (I’m orange).

Leadership is one of the most important skills any student can gain during college, and joining organizations that develop these skills are priceless decisions. Leadership is considered a soft skill in the grown-up world, and soft skills are some of the most important factors when interviewing for a job. So why would you not take the time to develop your skills at leading people? And this isn’t only provided by UCA. Many schools around the nation are introducing leadership programs on their campuses as well because the need for leadership is growing so much.

By developing your leadership skills, you are opening new doors in your life. You are creating new paths for yourself to adventure upon. Looking to get involved on your campus? Consider joining leadership organizations, but if you don’t feel confident in your skills, start looking for ways to develop your skills and increase your confidence in yourself. It’s one of the best ways to get involved on any college campus, and the knowledge that you obtain in the process is priceless.

Feel free to follow UCA's leadership office on Twitter and Instagram @ucaleadership.