Emerge Leadership Program

Emerge is Augustana's award-winning leadership development experience for first-year and new students.

It helps students become influential leaders, encourages them to identify and use their personal strengths, and learn more about campus life.

This fast-paced seven-week program teaches everything from understanding the self and others to developing good communication skills.

Incoming students will receive an email invitation to apply to the Emerge program over the summer.

Program sessions

Emerge includes seven 2-hour sessions on Monday nights during the fall term with two off-campus excursions. Peer groups of 8-12 students participate with an upperclassman leader.

Emerge Orientation

You will meet 80-100 new Augustana students and the Emerge peer leaders, plus enjoy fun, interactive activities to help you make connections and set the stage for learning about leadership.

True Colors

Utilizing Don Lowry’s “True Colors” Personality Inventory, participants will identify the full spectrum of their operational style, allowing them to more fully understand their own needs and interests, as well as those of the people around them. 

Four Mounds High and Low Ropes Course

This off-campus excursion is an excellent way for students to get outside and enjoy team-building exercises and problem-solving scenarios while pushing the boundaries of their comfort zones to grow as a person and as a leader.

Diversity Competence and Communication

Explore the ways you communicate and work with individuals of diverse backgrounds in order to improve communication skills and diversity competence. Topics include verbal, nonverbal and written communication, as well as listening and technology. 

Organizational Leadership

Those who embrace conflict can build understanding and better relationships, and they experience greater personal and professional success. But managing conflict is not easy. In this session, you’ll discover your own emotional triggers and learn how to manage difficult encounters with diplomacy, tact and credibility.

Escape Room

For this off-campus excursion, team up with a group of your friends, put all your skills to the test by using teamwork to solve a series of puzzles and escape the room before your time is up.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotions play a role in decision making. Learn the ins and outs of how your emotions affect your decision making and be able to understand what kind of a leader you are and the best ways to productively manage your groups and teams.

The Headband Experiment

Individual behaviors and attributes affect group effectiveness. This interactive role-play will illustrate this principle and provide participants strategies to handle group differences. This will help teach participants how their words and actions affect others. Participants will learn about the impact of personal power and how to bring out the best in others.

Closing ceremony

At the end of the program, reflect on the skills, memories, and tips you've gathered from the program and receive your Certificate of Completion. You will also be able to meet current leaders of the college’s 140+ student groups and organizations as you get ready to use your Emerge leadership skills on campus and in the community.