Emerging Leaders Certification Program Offered to UC First Year Students

Truist Leadership Institute program offers unique opportunity to UC Students

Charleston, WV – For many college students, the first year can be an exciting learning opportunity. For first year students at the University of Charleston, it is a time to develop leadership skills with a special program.

The Truist Emerging Leaders Certification (ELC) program is a highly interactive program for college and university students. The program focuses on self-awareness as a tool to lead others more effectively, including beliefs that drive their own leadership behaviors – both positive and negative.

It is available to the University of Charleston’s first year students as part of its unique First Year Experience program. The FYE program, part of the school’s first year curriculum, also provides one on one mentoring from faculty members and a peer educators program to help students successfully navigate their first year.

“We believe every student should have an excellent first year, and we want to provide the tools to help them not just in their first year, but for the rest of their lives,” said Debbie Bannister, Director of First Year Programs and Advising at UC. “The Truist ELC program offers another wonderful opportunity for our students to not only develop leadership skills that will serve them throughout their lives, but also to assess their strengths and areas that they may want to improve. Students who have completed this program not only learn leadership skills, but they develop their confidence as individuals as well.”

The ELC program was established in 2014 to share with undergraduate and graduate students within Truist’s 15-state retail footprint. The company, which recognizes the importance of helping create strong leaders for the future, offers the program at no cost to the school.

“We’re excited about the incredible opportunity we have through the Truist Emerging Leaders Certification program to cultivate and empower our next generation of leaders,” said Brittany Brown, Vice President and Student Leadership Programs Manager for Truist Leadership Institute. “At Truist Leadership Institute, we don’t settle of the notion of a ‘born leader.’ We believe anyone can develop better leadership skills with commitment and self-awareness.”