The Impact of Leadership Education and Co-curricular Involvement on the Development of Socially Responsible Leadership Outcomes in Undergraduate Students: An Exploratory Study

Socially responsible leadership (SRL) is a “purposeful, collaborative, values-based process that results in positive social change” (Komives, Wagner, & Associates, 2009, p. xii).This approach to leadership focuses on creating leaders that are capable of tackling the predicted wicked problems the world will face in the next few decades. As the number of leadership education programs continue to grow throughout higher education, it is important to assess the impact leadership education and co-curricular programs are having on students. Utilizing the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, this study aimed to better understand whether higher education leadership development, community service and study abroad programs are successfully developing students with self-perceived socially responsible leadership.