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Elmira College Programs Focus on Leadership From the Start

This is the first of seven First-Year Friday articles that will run every Friday through the end of June.

Elmira, NY (05/14/2021) — From local to global communities, people everywhere are faced with complex challenges. In the US and in many parts of the world, global warming and social unrest loom large and will require creative thinking and innovative solutions. But in every challenge is an opportunity for leadership. That is the idea behind Elmira College's First-Year Seminar, which is the foundational course in the liberal arts and sciences for entering first-year students.

The goal is to develop critical thinking skills that will foster and develop young leaders as they begin to tackle complex issues.

"The skills they develop in the First-Year Seminar will support the students throughout their college career and beyond," said Dr. Corey Stilts, provost at Elmira College. "Our vision is that Elmira College will be recognized as a leader in broad-based, interdisciplinary education, offering innovative programs that combine experiential learning, on- and off-campus leadership opportunities, and community engagement."

As part of the College's focus on community engagement, entering first-year students are invited to join a Living Learning Community when they enroll at the school. These are small groups of students, interested in common themes, living in the same residence hall and taking similar classes. Students within a Living Learning Community will complete their First Year, First Service community service event and other activities together.

This year, EC students can choose a Living Learning Community focused either on sustainable living and environmental justice or social justice and how to make the world more just.

"We decided to add to the two new Living Learning Communities because we saw the excitement that exists for both environmental sustainability and social justice," said Rebecca Johnson, associate professor of Education and director of the First-Year Seminar Program. "By adding the Living Learning component, we could enable students to extend the First-Year Seminar conversations to their residence halls and connect students from the start with peers who are engaged in asking similar questions and seeking solutions. The Living Learning Community becomes a place that first-year students can find their people at EC."

Future articles in this series will delve deeper into the First-Year course topics and highlight how their instructors set out to inspire incoming students to learn to be the leaders they are. The courses cut across a wide range of fields, including science, health and medicine, art and literature. This breadth of study will challenge students to consider the complexity in today's world that will demand them to be at their best.

The articles, which will run through June 25, will serve as guides to students as they consider which courses to take and the Living Learning Community that best aligns with their own goals and aspirations.

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Students in the Fall 2019 First Year, First Service project worked with Elmira Downtown Development on a downtown clean-up.

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