$50k Awarded to Leadership Institute

In an era of shrinking University finances and recession-related budget cuts, one student organization—the Leadership Institute at Harvard College—just received a $50,000 cash infusion.

The grant from the Flora Family Foundation, which supports public service initiatives, will be given to the student group in two yearly installments of $25,000. The money will be used to expand the Leadership Institute’s existing programs as well as develop new curriculum.

The student-run Institute—started in 2004-2005—seeks to provide concrete leadership training to supplement academic education for students. The organization holds skill-building workshops, hosts guest speakers, stages discussion forums among student organization leaders, and runs a program to mentor middle school students.

John W. Coleman, a member of the Institute’s board of advisers, said he hopes the funding will help “kickstart the institutionalization of the Leadership Institute at the College.”

The Institute was originally formed to address what its founders perceived as a void in formal leadership training at the College.

“There was no real dedicated office to leadership,” said Ben L. Brinkopf ’11, president of the Institute. “There was no leadership institute at the undergrad level.”

Now, Coleman said, the grant will allow the organization the opportunity to grow.

“At a time when financial resources are tight around the University, this gives the Leadership Institute the confidence to move forward with a lot of different initiatives that they were hoping to execute,” he said.

The Leadership Institute applied for the grant after being nominated by one of the council members at the Flora Family Foundation, which often supports small organizations seeking to expand.

“What I believe they saw in this situation was an organization that has the potential to expand to affect Harvard, the greater United States, and the world,” said Jonathan P. Doochin ’04-’05, the chair of the Institute’s board of advisers.

Brinkopf also said that he believes leadership training “cannot be compromised,” especially in these “tough times.”

“Leadership is more critical now than ever,” Doochin said, pointing out that faulty leadership was a potential factor in the current financial crisis.

—Staff writer Michelle L. Quach can be reached at mquach@fas.harvard.edu.