The Oaks Leadership Scholars Program: Transformative Leadership in Action

Transformative leaders are committed to values and outcomes that serve the long-term interests of society (Caldwell, Dixon, Floyd, Chaudoin, Post, & Cheokas, 2012). The Oaks Leadership Scholars Program is rooted in the premise that the transformation of self, required to become a transformative leader, can be supported through development of active and public identities of learner, ally, advocate, and activist through engagement in related behaviors and participation in Communities of Practice surrounding social justice causes. Students are nominated for the program, proceed through the application process, are interviewed, and are selected from throughout the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University based on their ("their" will be used interchangeably in this manuscript as both a singular or plural pronoun) engagement in learner and ally identities and their interest in, and commitment to, issues of justice and equity. Included in this article are the program's learning objectives, teaching component examples, evaluation results, and a description of future directions for the program.