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LSP Company Photo Spring 2023
Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business

Leadership Signature Program

Leadership Signature Program

Program Description

Leadership Signature Program

The Leadership Signature Program (LSP) is one of many signature programs in the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. The signature programs are designed to distinguish Clemson business education as a destination school for students wanting to focus on business-critical competencies.

As the central component of the Leadership Signature Program (LSP), the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) approved an undergraduate Leadership Certificate in November 2021 to identify those who have completed all program requirements. The certificate will be prominently displayed on their academic transcripts.

The LSP Leadership Certificate is an 11-credit undergraduate certification program for business students seeking to develop their leadership capabilities while contributing to others' development. The academic certificate requirements involve three credits from a traditional leadership-focused course plus eight credits of highly experiential, hands-on leadership development through a multi-semester, progressive leadership practicum. During your first two semesters of the practicum, it will be a one-credit practicum, which increases to two credits during your remaining time as a Team Leader or Executive Leader. This aspect of the practicum is the cornerstone element of the flexible, five-semester program. Students may enroll for one semester, as desired, and are not committed to the five-semester certificate. Students are encouraged to pre-register for the practicum during their first (first-year student ) year at Clemson.

Pre-register here!

Read student testimonials to see what our students say about the Leadership Signature Program!

If you want to know more about our Leadership Signature Program, please contact Col Keith Balts. Also, look for LSP Info Nights in weekly Business email newsletters and other venues in late October and early mid-March.

LSP Company Group
End-of-Semester Networking Event - Spring 2024
  • Who are we?
    • Organized as a student-led company to gain progressive leadership experience and help shape your professional identity.
    • Integrated horizontally (by major) and vertically (by academic year).
    • Mission: Cultivate mission-driven leaders charged with making a positive impact on the world.
    • The company meets on Tuesday afternoons in two split sections. To ensure company-wide communications and leadership, both sections overlap for a 30-minute Staff Alignment Meeting each week.

    The leadership organizational chart represents a student-led company to gain progressive leadership experience and help shape your professional identity.

    A professional layout showcasing the Executive Leadership Team of The Leadership Company for Spring 2025, featuring team members' names and roles, along with an organizational structure.
    Organizational chart for The Leadership Company (Spring 2025) showing various roles, names, and divisions including Operations, Finance, and Marketing.
  • Leadership Values and Skills

    Value - inspires desired behavior if instilled in a leader:

    • Core Values: Trustworthy, Brave and Selfless
    • Responsibility to make a difference
    • Approachable, servant leader
    • Inclusive and collaborative team-builder
    • Cross-cultural, global citizenship
    • Data-driven decision-making and team-based problem-solving
    • Continuous development mindset involving critical thinking
    • Measurable results and positive impact on others

    Skill - learn and master through study and experience:

    • Communication: listens, speaks, writes efficiently and effectively; advocates
    • Professional: adheres to standards, responsible/disciplined, objective/composed
    • Organizational: plans/coordinates, manages resources (time, $, human, physical)
  • Leadership Development Progression

    Experiential learning via progressive (nested) experiences:

    • Lead SELF: participate in weekly activities and complete assigned functional tasks focused on our Leadership Values and Skills (new Year 1 Leaders)
    • Lead OTHERS: lead a weekly activity and/or coordinate completing assigned functional tasks (returning Year 1 Leaders)
    • Lead TEAMS: lead others throughout the semester by providing expectations, guidance, and assessment/feedback for activities and functional responsibilities (Team Leaders: Project and Department Leaders)
    • Lead LEADERS, ORGANIZATIONS, and CHANGE: lead other leaders throughout the semester to achieve organizational goals and affect internal and external change (Executive Leaders)
    Stylized illustration of a flame in warm colors.
  • Leadership Practicum
    • Weekly products and activities (discussions & exercises): Introductions, self-awareness, negotiation, Amazing Race, Escape Room, building diverse teams, team-based problem-solving, mentor maps, case studies
    • Inherent company activities: Self-assessments, expectations, feedback, absences, promotion/hiring, conflict resolution, communications, logistics, info management, budgeting, marketing, proposals/plans/debriefs
    • External production: Community service, partnerships, competitions, internships
    Four students holding a poster illustrating a growth chart related to community engagement and influence.
    A group of students in a computer lab holding up laptops, showcasing their work and engaged in a collaborative learning environment.
    Two young women engage in a conversation, one using a laptop while sitting on orange chairs in a modern office setting.
    A woman in a green and white outfit presents in a meeting room with a large screen displaying text behind her.

LSP in the News

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Background

Pilot programming for LSP began in the Spring of 2021 for 17 initial students and increased to 85 students in 2025 (with some taking a gap semester in the LSP progression to study abroad).

The scalable program is modeled on key aspects of existing leadership programs and courses, including executive leadership programs from industry, the non-military components of Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) officer development and other sources to create a safe learning environment for students to experiment, take risks and grow as leaders.

The new program was made possible by the generosity of the Powers family gift and some key industry partners. Specifically, Dan Hawkins '91, founder and CEO of Summit Leadership Partners and Chair of the Dean's Senior Advisory Board, was especially instrumental in initially developing the program and providing executive-level resources, expertise and much-needed financial support to enable the program's early successes.

Support the LSP

Faculty

Keith Balts, Colonel (retired), USAF, Ph.D., serves as the director of the Leadership Signature Program and is a professor of leadership practice.

Gail DePriest, director of executive leadership and corporate relations for the MBA program and senior lecturer, joined the program in the Spring of 2021 and conducts executive coaching for senior company members.

Grace Butler is a lecturer and co-instructor for the Leadership Signature Program.

A group of four young people collaborates around a table, closely examining materials related to a project while a device sits in front of them.

Interested business students should pre-register for the Leadership Practicum as early as possible, as students are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrolled students will formally apply for the certificate after their first year in the Practicum.

Leadership Signature Program
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