We Build Teams That Win: Strengthening Graduate Student Success Through Leadership Development

A cross-campus LSU team worked together to design a leadership initiative that helps students succeed beyond the classroom. 

Following a graduate student survey in which 67% of respondents reported a positive experience, the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School developed the Faculty Fellows for Student Success program.

Through this effort, the Graduate Student Leadership Initiative (GSLI) was launched by a team made up of:

• Missy Korduner, one of the selected Faculty Fellows, assistant professor of Professional Practice and MS Graduate program coordinator/academic advisor in the School of Leadership and Human Resource Development
• Tyler Flynn, program manager of Graduate Student Success
• Kristen Williams, director of Graduate Student Success

For their work supporting students, the team was recognized as part of LSU’s We Build Teams That Win employee recognition program for their collaborative efforts and impact on student success. 

The GSLI program is designed to expand leadership development, give students a sense of belonging, and achieve overall success at the graduate level – personally, professionally, and academically. 

Grounded in strengths-based leadership, the GSLI is a semester-long initiative that helps students identify and develop their innate talents and strengths. The cohort-style program includes completing the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment, which is designed to identify an individual’s top talent themes and natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving, participating in a 2.5-day conference-style workshop, developing a personalized leadership plan, and engaging in 1:1 coaching and a final group workshop before completing the program with a closing ceremony. 

“This program has not only strengthened my leadership skills but has also given me clarity, confidence, and renewed motivation for my journey ahead,” one GSLI participant said. 

For their work supporting students, the team was recognized as part of LSU’s We Build Teams That Win employee recognition program for their collaborative efforts and impact on student success.

Initial data from the first cohort indicate a huge impact on student development and success. Participants showed a 15.5% increase in leader identity following the program’s conference experience, a 17.7% increase by the end of the semester, and a 29.9% increase in strengths awareness overall. The evaluation overall indicated students truly valued the experience, gained confidence, and had a better understanding of when and where to apply their strengths in a variety of settings.