Student Leadership Initiative

The Student Leadership Initiative helps students recognize their leadership potential, develop the skills to lead with and for others, and make a meaningful difference in their communities.

Grounded in The Offer of the College’s promise of graduates “who are to be leaders in all walks of life,” the Initiative has two goals: helping students recognize and tap into their leadership potential and helping them develop the practical skills to lead with and for others. It reaches students through first-year programming, campus-wide events, and one-on-one coaching and mentorship.

At Bowdoin, leadership isn’t a position or a title. It's a way of being. It shows up in how students understand themselves, navigate challenges, build relationships, work with others, make decisions, and contribute to their communities. We’re not just interested in what students can and will achieve—we’re invested in who they will become, and in helping them become the kind of people who can lead meaningful lives and make a difference in the lives of others.

Overseen by the inaugural director of leadership development, Sara Binkhorst ’15, the initiative appears across campus in several ways:

• First-year leadership development: Early opportunities for students to explore who they are, how they lead, and how they want to contribute to the Bowdoin community.
• Individual coaching and mentorship: Direct work with students as they navigate challenges in their own leadership journeys and lead with and alongside their peers.
• Campus-wide collaboration: In partnership with the Hastings Initiative for AI + Humanity, the initiative hosted Human First: The Leadership Skills AI Can’t Replace, bringing together students and alumni across fields and career stages to explore what makes us distinctly human.
• Women’s leadership: Now in its fourth year, the Women’s Leadership Celebration brings student leaders together in community with other women leaders at and beyond Bowdoin. This past year featured Harvard professor and negotiation expert Hannah Riley Bowles in partnership with the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center and the Bowdoin Network of Women.

Your gift to the Student Leadership Initiative creates more of these opportunities—so that every Bowdoin student, regardless of title or position, leaves the College feeling confident in their ability to lead a fulfilling life and make a difference in the lives of others.