Purpose:
Leadership Salina, a project of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Salina Community Foundation, is a program to develop leaders who will have the skills and capacities to move our community forward. Leadership for the twenty-first century includes a thorough understanding of the assets as well as the needs of their community. Salina’s community leaders must have skills and understanding, as well as a sense of responsibility, caring and compassion for others, the desire to serve, and to give back.

Leadership Salina graduates will receive course credit towards Kansas Wesleyan University's MBA program. Graduates who meet the application requirements will receive experiential credit in the equivalent of one elective course, leaving the participants with just nine courses to complete the MBA. Former Leadership Salina graduates will be grandfathered in.

Program Structure:
The program includes six full-day sessions plus a one day session at the Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita. Each session will include learning a new leadership skill or capacity, a community panel, and community tour. The graduation will include a celebration of class accomplishments.

2018 Dates of the sessions are:
  • Session 1: Thursday, August 23 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • Session 2: Thursday, September 6 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • Session 3: Thursday, September 20 - 9:00am to 5:00pm
  • Kansas Leadership Center: Thursday, October 4 - 9:00am to 3:00pm
  • Session 4: Thursday, October 18 - 8:30am to 5:00pm 
  • Session 5: Thursday, November 1 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • Session 6: Thursday, November 8 - 8:30 to 5:00pm
  • Graduation: Wednesday, November 14- 5:30-7:00pm

Leadership Skills and Capacities:
Skills needed to lead effectively today are different than in the past. Leaders today must understand the value of collaboration and possess the ability to be a facilitator. Leadership Salina class members will learn:
  • Learning Styles
  • Steps to a Performing Community
  • Wisdom Cycle
  • Consensus and Collaboration
  • Vision Process
  • Facilitation Techniques
  • Creative Thinking
  • Listening
  • Storytelling
  • Servant Leadership

Community Exposure:
Community leaders must have a good understanding of their community. During each session, the class members will be exposed to a segment of the community by:
  1. Listening to and conversing with a panel of community experts;
  2. Community tours that will introduce the class to a wide variety of businesses, cultural events, social service agencies, economic development strategies, healthcare, education, and tourism opportunities.
Each class session will be held at a different venue in the community. The location of the class will be connected to the community context for that session. Session topics include: Social Services; Education; City/County Government; Health Care; Economic Base; Tourism;, and Arts and Culture.

Group Projects:
Class members will have the opportunity to use their leadership skills for the direct betterment of the community through a group project. Class members will determine their group project or projects based on their vision for the community. Group members will be responsible for researching their idea(s), determining feasibility, acquiring resources to complete the project, completing the project, and celebrating their accomplishment.

Tuition:
Tuition for the Leadership Salina Program is $500 per person, which includes all program materials, meals, social functions and lodging. Tuition can be paid by a business or organization for a participant, or an individual can pay his or her own tuition. A limited number of partial scholarships are available.

Participants:
A diversified group of up to 30 participants will be selected from various business, professional, governmental, educational, religious, civic and minority organizations. The Leadership Advisory Board will review the applications and determine class participants. Leadership Salina does not discriminate in its enrollment policies on the basis of race, sex or religion. Participants must meet the following requirements:
  • Attend all sessions.
  • Accept responsibility for tuition fee being paid.

Applications:
The application  deadline for this class has passed but come back soon for more information.

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