Overview Leadership Carbondale begins in May and consists of a one-day kick-off retreat, and eleven full day, topic oriented, sessions that take place one Friday each month, from May to April, at various locations throughout the Carbondale area.
Day Sessions Day sessions include topics ranging from the history of Carbondale
, education, healthcare, government, mass communications, economic development, law enforcement and fire protection, to tourism and recreation. The sessions are designed to give participants a broad perspective of various topics impacting the Carbondale area and to provoke thoughtful discussion of how businesses are connected or how participants can become more involved.
Community Exposure The program is designed to expose participants to the Carbondale community – its history, government, business and industry, its assets, challenges, and possible solutions. Participants will gather valuable knowledge and resources to enhance their effectiveness as leaders in their chosen field or profession.
Leadership Training There is a leadership component with a DVD training series. Each month, members of the class get tips on leadership skills and also discuss methods of leadership and how to best use these skills on their jobs, in the community, and even in personal life situations.
Individual and Class Projects There are individual and group projects for students in the class. The individual projects get the class members involved in the categories of business and economic development, education, human needs and community service, government, health care, public process, environment, and tourism. With the group project, the classmates put their heads together to address a challenge they see in the community, coming up with ideas for solutions and appropriate actions.
Class Size and Application ProcessThe Leadership Carbondale class size is limited to a maximum of 14 participants. Applicants from all sectors of the community are encouraged to apply. All participants are chosen on their own merits through an application process conducted by the program’s steering committee. There is a $500 tuition fee, to be submitted upon notice of acceptance to the program. This is typically paid for the business. A limited number of scholarships are also available.
