LSI Fellows envision a next chapter of purpose and impact through a yearlong capstone project. Supported by Next Chapter Advisors and peer-to-peer reflection, Fellows:
Analyze their own strengths and accomplishments to discern how they can continue to make valuable contributions in their next chapter.
Deepen their understanding of societal issues through academic frameworks and research.
Identify concrete steps to maintain personal wellness and mental focus while making a social impact through specific roles, collaborations, and actions.
Begin to establish themselves outside of their longstanding careers as proactive leaders who are highly engaged in pursuing meaningful societal change.
Scaffolded Support and Community Connection
Community is central to the process of developing a Next Chapter Capstone. Fellows gain insights from their peers and from leading experts and practitioners across various fields:
Interactive workshops
Fellows participate in immersive workshops alongside a cohort of purpose-driven peers, engaging in reflection, critical inquiry, and experiential learning to imagine a purpose-filled next chapter.
Personalized pathways
Fellows engage in introspective exercises and independent analysis, building momentum for their capstones and enriching the learning process.
Community and one-on-one support
With the support of a peer-learning group and Next Chapter Advisors, Fellows gain new ideas, insights, and input to solidify their Next Chapter Capstone.
In the Leadership and Society Initiative, both the Imagine Pathway and the Design Pathway culminate in a the presentation of a distinct capstone that helps prepare Fellows for a purposeful next chapter. Fellows share their capstones with their peers to gather additional perspectives and identify opportunities for additional exploration.
LSI Fellows in the Imagine Pathway develop a Next Chapter Compass to guide their decision-making as they move into their next act of living and leading with purpose.
The Next Chapter Compass emerges from a structured fellowship experience designed to surface intrinsic motivations and define personalized criteria for prioritizing efforts and opportunities ahead. Fellows conceive a new stage of purposeful life and leadership through an intentional, reflective process that highlights meaningful opportunities to make an impact.
The Next Chapter Compass reflects the why, what, and how for discerning a meaningful next chapter:
Why: Fellows gain clarity on intrinsic motivations and explore the forces driving them from within so they can set clear goals and priorities.
What: Fellows develop and refine a set of criteria to guide how they focus their efforts, aligning their choices with core values and aspirations.
How: Fellows align the wisdom they have gained from experience with their passions to address needs in the wider world and identify pathways for societal contribution.
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.
Each of four retreats positions Fellows to develop their Compass over the course of the fellowship:
January – Clarify Your Vision
Identify aspirations for your fellowship year by connecting strengths, interests, and life experiences to the broader impact you aim to achieve.
April – Ignite Your Why
Reflect on core values, intrinsic motivations, and criteria for intentional decision-making.
July – Explore Your What
Broaden perspectives by exploring societal issues and areas of impact from various academic lenses.
October – Imagine Your How
Hear from experts and practitioners about roles, engagements and collaborations that provide pathways for making purposeful contributions to society.
“LSI provides a methodological approach for distinguished leaders to reflect on their lives, discern their purpose, and prepare for their next chapters of impact for society.”
Diana Petty
Director, Leadership and Society Initiative
Design Pathway
Next Chapter Roadmap
Immersed in UChicago’s atmosphere of free expression and breakthrough ideas, LSI Fellows in the Design Pathway develop a Next Chapter Roadmap based on their unique backgrounds and values.
The LSI curriculum—combined with guidance from the Next Chapter Advisors—provides Fellows with a foundation to discern their vision for future impact and lay out the steps they will take to get there. Fellows find the intersection between their individual growth and societal impact, laying the groundwork for their envisioned future.
The Next Chapter Roadmap reflects the why, what, and how for an adventurous and meaningful next chapter:
Why: Fellows discern their vision, values, and principles for living and leading purposefully.
What: Fellows engage in a scholarly analysis of a societal need they hope to address with a focus on promising solutions.
How: Fellows identify specific roles, applications, and partnerships for an ambitious, impactful next chapter.
Next Chapter Roadmap Development
Fellows develop their Roadmap over the one-year immersion:
Autumn – Find Your Why
Reflect on core values, sense of self, and motivations for the fellowship year.
Winter – Discern Your What
Define and research promising interventions on a societal issue of interest.
Spring – Activate Your How
Design and activate engagements, roles, and collaborations in the next phase of life that will serve to address the need and make purposeful contributions to society.
“LSI [Fellows] are looking to make a change in their life … [and] they’re looking for the support, the time for reflection, the intellectual rigor, so they can do this change as effectively and impactfully as possible.”
Barbara Stewart
Former CEO, AmeriCorps, and LSI Advisor
Plan Your Next Chapter
Take the next step toward activating your next chapter.
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.
Diana PettyDirector, Leadership and Society Initiative
