Seton Hall Leadership Institute

About the Institute

Mission

Provide a competitively-selected cohort of undergraduate leaders with a comprehensive, four-year, leadership development certificate program (non-credit bearing) that includes:

• A cross-disciplinary, foundational understanding of leadership principles focused on how to lead yourself, teams, and organizations.
• A nuanced, industry/discipline specific leadership development program.
• Experiential opportunities (workshops, intra- university, and intra-college leadership positions) designed to apply leadership theory and concepts in practice.
• Professional coaching certified by the International Coaching Federation and mentorship from Institute leadership, industry leaders in their respective fields, and a network of Seton Hall graduates starting their own careers.
• A virtual community of Seton Hall leaders built via a website, blog, podcast, and a suite of social media platforms to connect and serve as a reliable source of information for young leaders.
• Exposure to cutting-edge peak performance psychology techniques to help students perform at their best when the pressure is the highest.

History

Formalized leadership development is not new to Seton Hall University. In 1995, the Stillman School of Business established the Gerald P. Buccino ’63 Center for Leadership Development. This perennially award-winning program develops an elite cohort of business undergraduate students to master their leadership competencies and is funded, in part, through the Center’s namesake, the esteemed Seton Hall alumnus, Mr. Gerald P. Buccino. In 2017, the decision was made to expand this initiative to a university-wide program headed by LTC (retired) Bryan Price, Ph.D., its inaugural Executive Director. In addition to Stillman’s highly successful leadership development program led by Michael Reuter, five other colleges within the university established Associate Directors to stand up individual leadership programs within their disciplinary fields. Today, the Buccino Leadership Institute, under the leadership of Dr. Stanton Brown, is a robust Institute, with two directors of undergraduate programs, an assistant director, and faculty fellows, who bring leadership expertise and specialized knowledge to the Institute's leaders. 

Contact Us

Address:
Seton Hall Buccino Leadership Institute
Seton Hall University
Second Floor, Schwartz Hall 
400 South Orange Avenue
South Orange, NJ 07079-2692
Telephone: (973) 761-9103
Email: buccinoinstitute@shu.edu

Leadership Team

Executive Director: Stanton Brown, Ph.D.

Director of Undergraduate Programs: Elizabeth V. Halpin, M.A.

Assistant Director: Staysha Taylor, B.A.

College/School Associate Directors:

College of Nursing
Katherine Connolly, DNP, RN, APN-C
Clinical Instructor

The Henry F. and Maryann Roman Diplomacy and International Relations Leadership Center
Elizabeth Halpin, M.A.
Associate Dean of External Affairs
Benjamin Goldfrank, Ph.D.
Professor

The Lloyd A. McBride Communication and the Arts Leadership Center
Jane McManus, B.A.
Executive Director, Center for Sports Media

The Louis and Vivienne Gentile Arts and Sciences Leadership Center
Christopher Kaiser, Ed.D.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Donor Relations

College of Education and Human Services
Brian Conners, Ph.D., BCBA

Senior Faculty Associate
Omayra Arocho, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, College Engagement and Community

Stillman School of Business
Ruchin Kansal, M.B.A.
Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer 
Instructor, Department of Management

Program Specifics

The comprehensive, four-year program is designed to provide selected Seton Hall undergraduate students with the leadership skills needed to succeed in today’s world. The program is unique in that students first learn about themselves and the fundamental concepts of leadership in a cross-disciplinary environment with students from across the university. In weekly sessions during their first two years, Buccino Leadership Institute students learn about the pillars of leadership that our graduates need to excel in their respective fields when they leave Seton Hall. In addition, Buccino Leadership Institute students will also receive industry- and discipline-specific leadership development, especially in the final two years. Combining this foundational understanding of leadership and nuanced industry/discipline-specific leadership development, along with professional, certified leadership coaching, ensures our graduates have a leg up on their contemporaries in the job market and positions them to make meaningful contributions in whatever field they pursue.

General 4-year Structure

Freshman – Leading Yourself

During the first year at Seton Hall, students in the Leadership Institute’s program will spend the majority of their time as a university cohort comprised of students from all across campus. They will focus on arguably the most important aspect of leadership – leading yourself. In doing so, they will learn about their individual strengths and weaknesses, personality traits, and ultimately their preferred leadership style through industry-standard tools and assessments, guest lectures, and field trips. Buccino Leadership Institute faculty will introduce them to the pillars of leadership. Additionally, students will work in interdisciplinary teams on a semester-long project.

Sophomore – Leading Others

After receiving a better understanding of themselves and the principles of leadership in the first year, students in the Leadership Institute program will focus on leading others in the second year. In addition to reinforcing and applying the pillars of leadership, the faculty will introduce students to leadership theory, organizational behavior, and critical concepts of culture, power, motivation, and influence. Students will understand how to motivate, inspire, and lead others in dynamic organizations. They will apply these concepts in interdisciplinary team projects where they will apply the skills learned in the first semester.  Each student will receive professional, ICF-certified leadership coaching in the second semester.

Junior – Leading in the Discipline I

After spending the majority of time with their interdisciplinary cohort in the first two years, juniors in the program will start spending more time with discipline specific cohorts to learn how to lead in their discipline. While many aspects of leadership are universal, we also want our graduates to have nuanced industry/discipline-specific leadership development within their respective fields. Here students will have the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in challenging and rewarding career development focused activities, receive mentorship from junior and senior professionals in their field, and participate in intra- and inter- disciplinary cohort leadership opportunities leading their peers.

Senior – Leading in the Discipline II

During their senior year, students in the leadership program put it all together. In addition to receiving additional industry- specific leadership development, seniors will have the opportunity to challenge themselves with enriching opportunities to lead their peers and underclassmen in various initiatives in and outside the university. Students will have the opportunity to participate in projects which serve as the capstone of their leadership experience. Finally, seniors will participate in end-of-program assessments to improve the program moving forward.

Program Activities/Experiences

• Professional coaching – each leadership student will receive one-on-one sessions from a professional coach with experience working with undergraduate students. These sessions will help identify strengths/weaknesses and help the student reflect and apply leadership lessons to their undergraduate endeavors.
• Guest speaker program – a combination of thought leaders and experienced executives in various fields as well as young professionals at the start of their careers.
• Internship opportunities – working with the Career Center, the Leadership Institute will use its network to identify and secure internships that are tailored to providing leadership opportunities for our students.
• Field trips – faculty-led field trips to inspire, motivate, and educate our leadership students about leadership in the “real” world. Examples include the National 9/11 Museum and Memorial, Gettysburg, Lincoln Hospital’s Emergency Room, United Nations, etc.
• Mentorship – students will receive mentorship from older students in the program, Buccino Leadership Institute faculty, young professionals in their future field, and more senior professionals who are where our students want to be.
• Mental skills training – students will be exposed to the same mental skills training that is given to elite athletes in the Olympics, NFL, NBA, and MLB, elite Special Forces soldiers tasked with executing the most dangerous missions, and CEOs of leading Fortune 500 companies. These are techniques found in peak performance psychology, such as positive self-talk, energy management, goal setting, use of imagery and visualization, and breathing techniques where you can watch biometric feedback change in real time. These mental skills will enable our students to perform at their peak under pressure and are applicable for everything from sports, the operating room, the boardroom, and public- speaking.

Selection and Retention Requirements

Students can apply to the Leadership program before their freshmen or sophomore years. The application and criteria are available on the Buccino Leadership Institute website. GPA and leadership experience and potential are weighed. Leadership students are required to maintain in good standing with the university and sustain a standard GPA. Enrollment in the leadership program is a privilege – students may be removed from the program due to lack of participation, poor performance, or inappropriate conduct.