Leadership Preceptorial
January 23, 2009
Penn President Amy Gutmann co-hosted a preceptorial on leadership with Professor Michael Useem entitled "Essence of Leadership."
Preceptorials are short, small, non-credit seminars generated by students and led by distinguished faculty, outstanding graduate students, lauded external educators and exceptional undergraduate students. The program is designed to foster an interactive and educative environment that values learning for learning's sake. To that end, there are no grades or tests. Preceptorials are not graded, so that students are given the opportunity to have a guided learning experience outside the traditional setting of a classroom. Most Preceptorials emphasize a hands on approach to learning, and meet three times over the course of the semester.
Essence of Leadership
Description: Leadership can be vital to any organization, whether a hospital, company, or university, and it is certainly critical to the nation, particularly during a period of uncertainty and crisis. Drawing on history, research, and their own experience, Professors Gutmann and Useem explore the defining qualities of leadership, how those qualities are developed, and their impact on others. They consider the role of the leadership team, the governing board, and a culture of integrity in shaping an organization's operations and future. They examine the importance of vision, personal character, strategic thinking, and an ability to make good and timely decisions in defining a leader's effectiveness. And they do all this through vigorous dialogue with preceptorial participants.
Preceptorial Leaders: Amy Gutmann, President of the University and Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, and Michael Useem, Director of the Wharton Leadership Center and William and Jacalyn Egan Professor of Management.
Penn Preceptorials
PDF of 2009 Preceptorials Brochure
Daily Pennsylvanian Coverage
