Learning to Lead: Wilson Fellows Look Back at Inaugural Year

In its inaugural year, Hampden-Sydney’s Wilson Leadership Fellows Program prepared 47 freshmen for a future of principled leadership, guiding them through a year-long process of understanding themselves and their spheres of influence. Interest in the program is even stronger for the coming academic year, with more than 75 members of the Class of 2023 entering the College as Wilson Fellows, which will ensure them access to nationally-recognized thinkers and speakers, a four-year leadership advisor, community-building activities on campus, and excursions beyond the Hill.

From their academic achievement—the cohort’s average GPA outperformed the freshman class average both semesters—to their extracurricular involvement in all areas of campus life, the Wilson Fellows excelled in their first year on the Hill and are poised to take on leadership positions in student government, student publications, clubs, and residence life next year. “I can talk about the things the Fellows have been able to accomplish—all that’s well and good—but I’m even more impressed by the type of young men that they are,” says Dr. Ryan Pemberton ’00, director of the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest. “They’re smart, humble, hardworking, earnest, and genuinely nice young men.”

Foundational goals of the Wilson Fellows Program include ethical decision making, effective leadership for diverse contexts, active citizenship, and the civil and rational exchange of ideas—goals that are accomplished in part through mentorship, community, reflection, and practice.

After an application process that requires a nomination, essay, and in-person interview, Wilson Fellows arrive on campus three days before their peers for workshops and excursions centered on a guiding definition of leadership: the process by which an individual influences a group to meet an objective. “At the Wilson Fellows orientation, I learned about cultural contexts that leaders need to consider when making decisions, the necessity of communication in developing strong followers, and the critical thinking skills that being a good leader demands,” explains Wilson Fellow Michael Van Citters ’22. “It also gave me the opportunity to break the ice with new people even before matriculation.”

“Freshmen don’t have the opportunity to captain athletic teams or serve on the honor court, for example,” says Pemberton, “but that doesn’t mean they can’t make an impact on campus, learning to lead from where they stand.” This principle becomes clear on their first excursion to Farmville’s Moton Museum, where 16-year-old Barbara Johns’ actions eventually became part of the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education that ended segregation in public schools. “The goal,” explains Pemberton, “is for our students to understand that they can impact those around them in a positive way no matter their formal position in the hierarchy.”

Although Wilson Fellows do not receive academic credit for their participation, the program directly supports what is happening in the classroom and incorporates the principles of experiential learning at the core of the College’s new Compass initiative, which Pemberton says provides a natural framework for leadership development. “We want the Wilson Center to be deeply embedded and engaged in all aspects of the College,” says Pemberton, “and our relationships with departments across campus have been key in developing a successful program.”

As it prepares young Hampden-Sydney men for a lifetime of leadership and service, the Wilson Leadership Fellows Program is yet another way the College is accomplishing its mission “to form good men and good citizens.”

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