The Leadership and Society Initiative offers a choice of two pathways for Fellows to start a journey that continues for the rest of their lives.
Both pathways are designed for accomplished leaders nearing or at their transition into a vibrant next chapter dedicated to purposeful impact and personal enrichment. Fellows benefit from LSI’s exclusive interdisciplinary curriculum as they engage with research, explore strategies for impact, and learn from an invaluable cohort of accomplished and diverse peers. Fellows prepare for meaningful, dynamic lives after longstanding careers in leadership and management, discovering how this new chapter can be their most intellectually stimulating and purposeful.
Imagine Pathway
The Imagine Pathway is a curated experience, providing reflective moments of pause for Fellows who are still engaged in day-to-day responsibilities and want to begin envisioning what’s next. Fellows in this pathway develop a Next Chapter Compass to clarify their intrinsic motivations, goals, and possible contours for their next chapter.
The Design Pathway is an expansive and customizable experience, welcoming Fellows to a transformative immersion in UChicago’s atmosphere of critical inquiry, free expression, and breakthrough ideas. Fellows engage in a multi-dimensional LSI core curriculum alongside auditing courses from across the University, and develop a Next Chapter Roadmap that details their plans for a fulfilling and impactful next act.
Is the Leadership and Society Initiative Right for You?
Attend an information session to learn how UChicago’s Leadership and Society Initiative helps accomplished leaders design their next chapter of purpose, impact, and connection.
The LSI method prepares Fellows for their next adventure with an on-campus experience built on three learning pillars.
LSI Fellows look inward to identify the achievements that have meant the most to them, discern meaningful contributions that they are excited to pursue in the coming years, and ensure enduring impact and personal wellness.
In both pathways, these three learning pillars help Fellows determine how they will author a next chapter that is both authentic to their values and expertise and anchored by societal contribution:
Know Oneself
Fellows prepare for their next adventure in life by reflecting on their past work and core values. Through discerning the intersection of where their strengths meet purpose, they are better equipped to pursue full next chapters in which they make ongoing contributions to society.
Understand the World
Fellows engage with a curriculum that cuts across academic disciplines and methodologies to provide a grounding in the latest research on society’s most pressing challenges and promising solutions.
Envision the Future
Fellows plan a next stage in their lives and leadership in alignment with their values and vision. They discern the best ways to apply their unique skills and leadership capacities so they can move the needle on the issues they’re passionate about.
“The University of Chicago is a unique place to support this kind of work. It’s an atmosphere like no other, an atmosphere of open inquiry, of genuine challenges and conversation—rather than questions and answers—and discovery.”
Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer
LSI Faculty Advisor, Helen A. Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor of Classics
University Experience
Fellows undertake a yearlong journey drawing upon the University’s Hyde Park campus, where they learn in an unparalleled environment of evidence-based inquiry and a program built around the tradition of free expression.
The city of Chicago itself is central to the LSI method. The city is a special place with deep foundations in the histories of social innovation, artistic creation, and intellectual inquiry. Nonetheless, residents face pervasive, difficult challenges such as wealth inequity, racial segregation, climate risk, and crime. UChicago is deeply involved in research to better understand these problems and efforts to find solutions that make life better for historically underserved populations.
Fellows become part of campus community, participating in events and engaging in wide-ranging discussions with multiple generations of students, scholars, and leaders. In an atmosphere of shared intellectual curiosity, Fellows present insights from their distinctive expertise and expand their understanding by hearing new perspectives from the other members of their exceptional cohort.
Much of the LSI curriculum takes place outside of a traditional classroom setting, allowing Fellows to take advantage of UChicago’s deep ties to the wider community, locally and globally. Through collaborations with individuals at the Obama Foundation, UChicago Urban Labs, the University’s Office of Civic Engagement, and other civic institutions, Fellows see first-hand how their knowledge and talents can continue to make a difference in others’ lives.
LSI Community
Becoming part of the LSI cohort opens the doors to a network of distinguished peers, faculty members, and alumni who will help to advance Fellows’ endeavors throughout the fellowship and beyond. Accomplished leaders from the private, public, and social sectors come together to share their experiences, engage with current research, and experiment with strategies to achieve their goals
With input from a prestigious faculty that features some of the most advanced researchers, educators, and practitioners in their respective fields, Fellows find innovative and effective ways to approach meaningful next chapters and complex societal challenges.
“One thing this University truly excels at doing is fostering a kind of gift economy between peers. The other participants will question your ideas. They’ll open their minds and listen to what you have to say. That gift economy is one of the most powerful engines for finding what to work on next, what questions to ask, and how to go about doing it.”
Paul Alivisatos
President of the University of Chicago, John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry
Next Chapter Advisors
To turn those ideas into a plan of action, Fellows receive coaching and mentorship from three types of Next Chapter Advisors, selectively matched according to each Fellow’s interests and desired outcomes. An academic advisor, executive coach, and distinguished mentor support development of a next chapter capstone that explores the questions and priorities that will shape each Fellow’s future.
Eminent scholars and practitioners guide the Leadership and Society Initiative curriculum with a commitment to the LSI method of understanding both conceptual foundations and practical applications. In addition to the faculty members and instructors who teach core courses, a multidisciplinary group of faculty advisors serve as critical thought leaders and guides for LSI’s overall curriculum and pedagogy. By engaging with some of the most advanced researchers, educators, and practitioners in their respective fields, Fellows gain insights to drive a next chapter with purpose.
LSI staff support Fellows in navigating university systems, refining research topics on societal issues, and accessing the many resources and assets available to them. Their support is personalized to each Fellow’s unique interests to optimize their time as members of our campus community.
The Writing Advisor provides individual support by reviewing written assignments and offering constructive feedback. Regular writing workshops cover key techniques for descriptive, analytical, and reflective writing.
For many LSI Fellows, it is valuable to collaborate deeply with a spouse or partner in establishing a plan for the next stage of their lives. To facilitate this collaboration, we invite partners to numerous moments in the LSI experience.
Find Your Path
Still unsure about the path that’s right for you? Take our self-assessment quiz for a personalized recommendation.
Complete this self-reflective assessment to explore whether the UChicago Leadership and Society Initiative could be the right pathway into your next chapter of purpose.
Shadi Bartsch-ZimmerLSI Faculty Advisor, Helen A. Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor of Classics
