Rodin offers profile in leadership for final preceptorial

Over a candlelight dinner of lasagna and Caesar salad at University President Judith Rodin's Eisenlohr Hall home, 15 students reflected on leadership in the concluding session of Rodin's fall preceptorial last week. "Profiles in Leadership" -- one of several preceptorials sponsored by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education -- featured various essays and books about leadership, in addition to several guest lecturers. "Part of what was so wonderful was that the preceptorial itself was structured so that we had a lot of different experiences having to do with leadership," College and Wharton sophomore Elana Rosenberg said. Guest lecturers offered participants a chance to explore varied aspects of leadership, ranging from the political to the corporate. The preceptorial members attended a Philadelphia City Council session, eating lunch with City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and discussing political leadership with Council Chairperson John Street. And Alan Miller, founder of Universal Health Services, Inc., one of the nation's largest hospital management companies, shared his perspectives on corporate leadership with the group. "Our discussions were influenced by the external examples of leadership that we experienced," Rodin said. "The students and I were especially intrigued by the diversity of leadership styles we saw and the perceptions of leadership from the leaders themselves." Participants praised the course's open structure, emphasizing that it encouraged discussion and original ideas. "The atmosphere of the course really set the tone for it," College junior Sarah Federman said. "Rodin invited us into her home, and we had an open, relaxed discussion. "People really listened to each other, heard each other and responded to each other -- that doesn't happen in a regular class," she added. Rodin said she would "definitely" consider teaching another preceptorial, adding that she would like to develop a new topic. This is the second year of SCUE-sponsored preceptorials -- not-for-credit mini-courses taught by several of the University's top professors. Because preceptorials are limited to 15 students, their small size encourages student-faculty interaction, SCUE Chairperson Ari Silverman said. "That definitely took place in this preceptorial," the College senior said. "We got to learn more about [Rodin] and she in return learned about us." And preceptorials "create a learning environment that extends learning beyond the boundaries of the classic classroom setting," Silverman added. Other SCUE preceptorials this semester included a course centering on fly fishing, taught by Urban Studies Professor George Thomas. And Associate Vice President for Campus Services Larry Moneta taught students about life on other campuses in his "Road Rules" course. SCUE will release the courses for its fourth semester of preceptorials November 5 or 6, Silverman said.