The ideal CLA Fellow Candidate is a student that is highly motivated and eager to be involved. The criteria include a commitment to personal growth, active involvement in the campus community, dedication to the public good, a passion to lead, and high academic achievement. However, we are also looking for those students who may not be actively engaged in leadership activities, but feel they would greatly benefit from intentional development opportunities in order to expand & build confidence in their capabilities. 

While in the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy (CLA), all CLA Fellow Candidates have a myriad of required and elective events and opportunities to enhance their leadership skills, confidence, and network. [For a sample schedule of the required events, check out this calendar.] 

Required events are times when the whole cohort comes together to learn from and with one another. These include:

• Eight Self Reflection Workshops which take place once/month on the City campus on Friday afternoons from 1-4pm. The heart of the CLA, these sessions are designed to dive into foundational leadership mindsets and skill-building, develop greater self-awareness, and the opportunity to learn from and with a diverse group of motivated student leaders.
• Two Wheelhouse Talks, which are 2-hour public events that include a TED-style talk with a local or national leader, along with community conversation, Q/A, and great food!  These are typically on Friday afternoons (1-3pm or 4-6pm)
• Two Fireside Chats - a private event to the CLA, this opportunity allows students a more intimate opportunity to learn from and dialogue with a local or regional leader about their life and leadership lessons.
• Two Hauenstein Center events which afford students the opportunity to engage with topics such as civic engagement and discourse, democracy, and relevant history. These typically take place on Wednesday or Thursday evenings.
• Two community service events, where CLA students volunteer with local non-profit organizations to support their local, national, or global efforts for the common good.  
• CLA Fellow Candidates are each paired with a mentor from the community in order to expand upon leadership skills and build further connections. Mentor meetings take place one a month (October-March).

The CLA seeks to find innovative ways to support our Fellow Candidates’ leadership development. Because each leader's goals are unique, students are also asked to pick 10 hours of elective opportunities to build their leadership capacity. A sampling of options include:

• Etiquette Dinner: Pro tips in navigating formal meals so you can enjoy the context and conversations.
• Public Speaking Training: Learn how to share your message with confidence. 
• Networking + Educational Events: Economic Club of Grand Rapids lunches, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce events

Other resources & programming to support this include:

• Access to apply Independent Initiative funding. An Independent Initiative is a transformational professional development opportunity of the student's choice that helps them further develop as an ethical and effective leader. Qualifying opportunities include conferences/conference presentations, work groups, study away, study abroad, projects/initiatives, and any experience that will help further the fellow candidate's growth and development as a leader in a fundamental way.  

Yes! After being nominated, you must still submit an application to the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy in order to show your interest in joining and to help us get to know you. You will also be asked to submit a a resume. We strongly encourage you reach out to the GVSU Career Center for help in creating or updating a resume, or check out their resume-building resources here. They are happy to help!

After applying to be a part of the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy (CLA), you will receive an email confirmation letting you know that we have received your application. After applications have closed (typically early-February), we will begin to review all CLA applications. All applicants will be then notified via email to them know whether or not they have been invited to interview and move forward in the process. Interviews take place throughout the month of March; these are 30 minutes long and take place with 2-3 staff, students, or mentors who are connected to the CLA. After interviews are completed, selections will be made in early April and students will be notified of their status via email.  

If you know of an excellent student who you believe should apply (or re-apply) for acceptance into the CLA, please nominate them! We also strongly encourage you to personally let your nominee(s) know of your nomination and your rationale for doing so - this feedback is meaningful to students even if they don't apply, and is also just the encouragement they need in order to apply.

Nominations for the following academic year's cohort open in late November/early December and run through the application deadline the first week in February. For this year's specific timeline or to submit a nomination, please go to www.gvsu.edu/hc/nominate.