Each spring, the Department of Political Science conducts a seminar on leadership development.  Based on their strong academic achievement and leadership within and beyond the NIU community, 12 POLS undergraduate majors are invited to participate in the one-credit hour course.  The participants are exposed to a variety of leaders in the areas of law, academia, and public service.  The goals of the course are to:

• Recognize traits that seem to be universally accepted as necessary for strong leadership
• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles
• Comprehend how effective leadership may change depending on the situation and the profession
• Assess their own qualities as a leader and begin to develop a personal leadership model

Previous speakers include former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, Congrassman Don manzullo, NIU President John Peters, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Chris McCord.