The Student-Centered Leadership program provides structured training for faculty, staff, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers across NewFoS institutions. Each year, SCL focuses on a core theme within leadership development, giving participants the opportunity to strengthen their professional practice and collaboration across research and academic contexts.

For 2025–2026, the theme is Mentoring Skills — preparing participants to guide, support, and develop students and peers more effectively in research and professional settings.

Program Focus (2025–2026: Mentoring Skills)

• Strategies for building effective mentoring relationships.
• Practicing communication for constructive feedback.
• Approaches for setting expectations and supporting growth.
• Applying mentoring practices in diverse academic and research contexts.

Who Can Participate

• Faculty
• Staff
• Graduate students
• Postdoctoral researchers
• All from NewFoS partner institutions.

Structure

• A series of monthly interactive sessions across the academic year, paired with monthly working sessions for graduate students, post docs, and research scientists serving as mentors for the follow year's REM program.
• Each session combines case studies, applied exercises, and opportunities to practice mentoring strategies.
• Facilitated by NewFoS leadership and guests with contributions from partner institutions.

Outcomes

• Greater confidence in mentoring and leadership roles.
• Practical tools for supporting students and peers in labs, classrooms, and research groups.
• Stronger cross-institution collaboration and professional networks.

Resources & Past Work

The Student-Centered Leadership program has been offered annually with a variety of themes. Past cycles have included projects, presentations, and activities designed to build leadership capacity across NewFoS.

Available Resources (coming soon)

• Slide decks and handouts from past sessions.
• Examples of participant projects and activities.
• Summaries of professional development topics covered.