Atchison, Kansas

Gregorian Fellows Leadership Program

This program provides students with the enduring principles and cutting-edge practices leaders need. Fellows meet national Catholic leaders, travel, and become leaders on campus.

A speaker giving a lecture to a group of students

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A Gregorian Fellow meets with a speaker

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Program

Founded in 2011 and named for St. Gregory the Great, the first Benedictine to become Pope, the Gregorian Fellows leadership program is a unique educational opportunity for students to combine intellectual and moral formation with practical leadership skills to serve on campus and in the world.

Mission

The Gregorian Fellows Leadership Program at Benedictine College promotes Catholic identity in public life by equipping current Catholic leaders with the principles of Catholic identity in their field and by forming a new generation of Catholic leaders who unite faith and reason in their work.

Objectives

  1. To effect a transformation of individuals through intellectual, personal, and spiritual formation
  2. To inspire future leadership of self and others through individual reflection, discussion of enduring questions using classic and contemporary works, and experiential learning
  3. To contribute to the renewal of Catholic culture and freedom of religious expression in America through leadership in student, community, civic, and ecclesial organizations
  4. To disseminate the distinctive charism of Benedictine spirituality by providing a more in-depth education in this religious tradition
  5. To support the future life and work of the Church, by fostering a deeper commitment to the Roman Catholic faith and to campus/parish communities

Highlights

  • Retreat: Gregorian Fellows take part in a Fellows-only retreat that consists of academic and practical components.
  • Presidential Roundtable: Fellows meet with the President of the College and his Cabinet for an understanding of how leadership works within the college.
  • Mentoring/Coaching: Every Fellow has an opportunity for one-on-one mentoring and coaching with upper class students.
  • Campus Involvement: Gregorian Fellows are required to join a campus club or organization for the year to both observe peer leadership and to serve an active role on campus or in the community.
  • Freshman Year Courses: Fellows take two, 1 credit courses during their freshman year – GNST 1650 Leadership andOrganizational Change and GNST 1700 Leadership: Visions and Values. The instructors for the course are President Stephen D. Minnis and Director of the Fellows Dr. Joe Wurtz, but the courses are centered on bringing outstanding leaders to campus to share their leadership principles and personal journeys with the students.
  • Raven Standard Seminar: Fellows take this 1 credit course in their sophomore year. It is designed to help students encounter and analyze concepts that will promote their self-understanding, habits of excellence, and success. Students will develop actions plans to apply a deepened understanding of these concepts in their lives. Ultimately this course is aimed at promoting self-awareness, the clarification of personal values, goals, and a mission statement in support of living the mission of community, faith, and scholarship, presently, and in life after college. 
  • Discovery Research Project: Gregorian Fellows attend Discovery Day to be exposed to peer research and observe and critique oral forms of communication. Later in the program, Fellows conduct their own collaborative research project through the Discovery Program, Benedictine College’s undergraduate research opportunity.
  • Gregorian Scholarship: Gregorian Fellows receive a $2,000 scholarship after their Freshman year that can be spent on any approved educational endeavor.
  • Distinguished Speaker Series: Gregorian Fellows attend on-campus lectures delivered by accomplished scholars and leaders who are experts in their fields or organizations.

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