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Duke University

The Duke Authenticity Project (DAP) - DAP is a collaboration between the first year residential campus and Duke's Center for Leadership Development and Social Action, which attempts to guide student exploration about how students' personal commitment to authenticity is the core to their ability to lead, and lead well.

Format

  • Audience: First-year students.
  • When: Academic Year - both fall and spring semesters.
  • Frequency: Fall Retreat (4 hours in afternoon), a series of three follow up, 1 hour-long small group discussions following the retreat that occur throughout the academic year (one in the fall semester, two in the spring semester).
  • Approximate Number of Participants: 25-40 participants.
  • Focus of Retreat: Student facilitated workshops that focus mostly on discussions about knowing one's authentic self, being authentic in relationships, and being an authentic leader.

Funding & Operations

The Project is a collaboration between the first year residential campus and Duke's Center for Leadership Development and Social Action.

  • External Support: None
  • Operations: Operating budget of $4,000. 
See also: Off-Campus Retreat, Regular Discussion Groups, Semester Long Course, First-Year Students, Less than 50, Personal Purpose and Values, Medium Cost ($1,000 to $5,000), Private, Research Universities, Urban, Co-educational, 5,000-10,000, Non-denominational/None

Description

The Duke Authenticity Project asks first year students to dig deep, discover, and explore their character and their relationships, and how both contribute to their practice of authentic leadership.  The program consists of small and large group discussions, workshops, and time spent with other students who value authenticity.  First year participants explore how their character manifests in their daily life, and how their personal commitment to authenticity is the foundation to forming lasting friendships and being a strong leader.  

History

The Project is a collaboration between the first year residential campus and Duke's Center for Leadership Development and Social Action.  It started in spring 2013 and grew out of conversations with first year students in which they expressed feelings that they were not connecting authentically with other members of the first year class.  In its first year, the Authenticity Project attempted to address those sentiments through a day-long retreat that focused mostly on values exploration and clarification. 

In spring 2013 and spring 2014, DAP consisted of a single, daylong retreat (6 hours) offered during the spring semester.  Fall 2014 is the first time the program has been offered in the fall semester.  DAP is now in its third year with the new format (described under Format section).

Recommended Resources

Duke Authenticity Project (DAP): http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/ucae/leadership/programs/duke-authenticity-project

For retreat activities and discussion prompts:

  • Komives, Leadership for a Better World
  • Integrative Health Coaching
  • Life Values Inventory

For our framework:

  • Rogers, On Becoming a Person
  • Integrative Health Coaching
  • Life Values Inventory
  • Duke University Leadership Framework

Administration/Operations

The Project is a collaboration between the first year residential campus and Duke's Center for Leadership Development and Social Action.  The operating budget is $4,000. 

Assessment

This is the second year that Duke will assess learning from its leadership programs as they fall into one of three categories: Character, Collaboration, or Citizenship.  DAP falls into the "Character" framework, and so participants will receive the university-wide "Character" assessment at the end of the year.  After the fall retreat, students received an evaluation to measure program satisfaction.  Additionally, after the retreat and after each follow up conversation, students will answer one open-ended question intended to measure learning outcomes.  This will be the first year that we attempt to measure outcomes or impact with the "Character" assessment and with the open-ended questions.