Wilson Leadership Fellows Program
The Wilson Leadership Fellows Program is Hampden-Sydney College’s experiential leadership development program. The program is rooted in active citizenship and servant leadership. Wilson Leadership Fellows learn to lead by leading teams in complex situations. Our faculty and staff create these complex situations in a variety of ways, including decision games, case studies, simulations, strategy games, our on-campus Leadership Reaction Course, staff rides, and wilderness adventures. In addition to practicing leadership, Wilson Leadership Fellows engage with accomplished leaders and important ideas through our speaker series and during annual trips to Richmond, Virginia and Washington, DC.
Benefits of Becoming a Wilson Leadership Fellow
In addition to earning fast-track access to the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest, the benefits to each Fellow will include:
- Practical leadership experience
- Close-knit community of engaged students and faculty
- Enhanced academic advising
- Access to nationally-recognized thinkers and speakers
- Skills to transform self and society
"The Wilson Leadership Program taught me monumental life skills such as the ability to make important decisions under pressure, the ability to establish, execute, and debrief an action plan, and the ability to adapt to change both internally and externally of the team. These skills have transformed my business, relationships, and perspective."
~Kent Bero ’25
Who Should Apply
Students who have already made a difference in their communities, in their clubs and organizations, or on their sports teams as participating members or leaders; or students who believe they have the talent and will to be successful leaders are excellent candidates for this program and encouraged to apply. Candidates selected for the Program will develop these skills:
- Ethical decision-making
- Effective leadership for diverse contexts
- Active citizenship
- Civil and rational exchange of ideas
To become a Wilson Leadership Fellow, a student must submit a separate Wilson Leadership Fellows Program application by February 15 of his senior year. Typically appointments will be made no later than April 11.
Required Materials
- A Wilson Leadership Fellow nomination form submitted by a Hampden-Sydney alumnus, high school principal, headmaster, teacher, coach; religious or community leader; employer; local, state, or U.S. government official; or anyone who can attest to the applicant's current leadership experience and potential as a leader on our campus
- The Wilson Leadership Fellow application.
- Interviews will be conducted during the spring semester.
You will be contacted by the Admissions Office about the program once you are accepted by the College.
As they progress through the program, students engage in progressively more difficult leadership challenges while also enjoying increased opportunities and benefits to expand their leadership horizons.
As freshmen, Leadership Fellows participate in the Martin Leadership Program. This program begins with a 4-day workshop in August prior to freshman orientation. During the fall semester, freshmen Leadership Fellows take Introduction to Leadership, an interdisciplinary, 3-credit, experiential learning course in which they are introduced to the mental models and methods employed throughout the four-year program. In addition to this course work, the freshmen integrate into teams consisting of Wilson Leadership Fellows from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes. These teams meet weekly and all students practice leadership by leading those teams in simulations and exercises. In addition to learning to follow in an active and engaged manner, the freshmen are expected to be ready to lead when their turn comes.
As sophomores, Wilson Leadership Fellows are enrolled in the Society of ’91, the college’s oldest leadership development program, created by General Sam Wilson and dedicated to the premise that “those who would be great are those schooled to serve.” The program equips Fellows with skills and abilities needed to effectively assume and carry out leadership responsibilities on campus. Sophomores continue to meet weekly with their teams, practicing leadership and setting the example for freshmen.
As juniors, Leadership Fellows assume full-time responsibility for leading their team of underclassmen in a variety of experiences, including competitions against other teams. They learn to build a cohesive team by investing in the team’s culture and providing feedback to underclassmen. Juniors are assigned an alumni mentor, who helps them consider how they will serve the public interest after graduation. Juniors enjoy increased opportunities to represent the college off campus at conferences and during intercollegiate leadership competitions.
Seniors run the program for the underclassmen and prepare to apply their leadership skills beyond the college. After focusing on leading teams for their first three years, seniors are able to individualize their leadership development during their fourth year in the program. They facilitate programming for underclassmen, lead groups of students to conferences, and work closely with faculty, staff, and alumni mentors to transfer what they have learned in the program to their careers.
Soldier. Spy. General. Director. President. Farmer. At one point or another, all those titles referred to Lieutenant General Samuel V. Wilson (USA, Ret.) one of the most revered leaders at Hampden-Sydney College—and its president from 1992 to 2000.
Upon his high school graduation in 1940, young Sam Wilson heard the call of service and enlisted in the Virginia National Guard. Over the course of his career, he rose through the ranks, to serve as a Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army. General Wilson's lengthy career in the Special Forces and military intelligence took him from the WWII-era jungles of Burma, where he fought with the legendary Merrill's Marauders, to the streets of Berlin and Moscow during the Cold War, where he was a leader in U.S. intelligence operations, ultimately serving as deputy director of the CIA and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
General Wilson's counsel was often sought by leaders including U.S. Presidents Nixon, Carter, Ford, and George H. W. Bush. His leadership and expertise was essential in establishing the Army's elite Delta Force.
General Wilson received an honorary degree from H-SC in 1979, and began teaching courses at the College on national security in 1981. In 1992, he became the 22nd president of the College. General Wilson passed away in June of 2017.