Leadership & Civic Engagement

The Office of Student Engagement at Chatham University provides many opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills and to make an impact on the local community. On this page, you will find several signature programs.

Leadership Programs

  • Emerging Leaders Retreat: The Emerging Leaders Retreat is an outdoor experience that introduces students to the foundations of leadership through a series of sessions and activities including low ropes and high ropes courses. First-years and sophomore students are encouraged to apply.

  • Women of the World (W.O.W.) Retreat: The Women of the World Retreat is an annual leadership retreat open to all graduate and undergraduate women. Each year, the weekend-long retreat engages participants in a series of facilitations, discussions, and activities focused on a different theme related to leadership.

Civic Engagement

  • Social Activism Institute: This one-credit spring semester course allows students to explore their ability to become change agents in their local communities and beyond through a series of classroom discussions and educational seminars. Students will learn about the impact through service, civic work, and advocacy through experts in their fields.

  • National Education for Women (NEW) Leadership Pennsylvania: NEW Leadership is an intensive, week-long residential leadership and public policy institute designed to educate and empower young women for future political participation and leadership. Academic credit is available.

  • Community Service Opportunities: Chatham’s signature community service events are the fall semester’s Make A Difference Day and spring semester’s MLK Day of Service. During both of these service opportunities, students, staff, and faculty complete service projects at non-profits and sites around the local area. Other smaller scale service projects are promoted throughout the academic year.

  • Chatham Student Government: The Chatham Student Government (CSG) is the governing structure that is representative of all undergraduate students and that advocates for the concerns, interests, needs, and welfare of the entire undergraduate student body.

  • Graduate Student Assembly: The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) is the governing board for the graduate student body. GSA strives to work with representatives from each graduate program to represent graduate students with University administration, initiate social and educational programs, and oversee the GSA budget.

Photo of a group of Chatham University students at an obstacle course in the forest

Chatham Leaders Emerge at Camp Guyasuta

Eighteen college students head into the wilderness. If you’ve seen enough movies, that sounds either terrifying or like the kind of fun you can’t write home about. But these folks—first-year students, one sophomore, and Emily Fidago, associate director of student engagement and retreat leader—were interested in something very specific: Leadership.

Read the Story : Slide 1 - Chatham Leaders Emerge at Camp Guyasuta