A five-year lesson in leadership

What do Time magazine President Eileen Naughton, Philadelphia Phillies President and Chief Executive Officer David Montgomery, Zagat Survey Guide founders and authors Tim and Nina Zagat and former IBM Chairman Lou Gerstner have in common?

They have all spoken on campus, thanks to the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program.

Penn's Fox Leadership Program is celebrating its fifth anniversary at the end of this semester with a series of events and gatherings for its members and staff.

Those involved in the program say they are most proud of the fact that they are now an additional outreach program for students who are unsure of what opportunities exist for them.

Associate Director Chuck Brutsche has worked at Fox since its inception and was excited to see it emerge from a small club into one that now holds various workshops and events from which students can gain valuable knowledge.

"Since I was hired at the advent of the program, it has been a very rewarding experience to see how this program has grown from one political science course ... and one work-study student, to now a variety of courses," Brutsche wrote in an e-mail interview.

Indeed, Fox now boasts a 25-student steering committee and several other group delegates, equaling about 50 members in total.

College junior and Fox incoming Student Director Michael Winik started attending events freshman year and got more involved during his sophomore year. He said he is happy with the expanded events the program offers students.

"Fox is a unique program on campus ... because it attempts [to] improve and teach leadership, which I think that the Penn academic curriculum doesn't adequately address," Winik said. "The number of events the program runs has grown exponentially. We went from running one or two or three events a month, to running three to five events a week."

These events are divided into forums, leadership lunches -- which typically feature on-campus figures -- and "Lessons in Leadership," in which successful Penn alumni speak about the role that leadership has played in their careers.

In addition to workshops and lecture series throughout the year, Fox sponsors summer mentoring programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Recently the club has enacted a student-led program called the Horizons High School Leadership Program.

"Horizons seeks to provide students at University City High School ... with a renewed and expanded vision of the futures ahead of them," Brutsche said. "Emphasis will be placed on career opportunities and self-identification through exposure to and interaction with successful role models."

By empowering student leadership both on and off campus and showing students the opportunities available to them, Fox program leaders hope that members will be more inspired to believe in their own ability to excel in whatever field they eventually enter.

College sophomore Zoe Schagrin said she likes Fox because it "is an amazing organization and ... there are a ton of opportunities in which to get involved. ... It's definitely one of my favorite things to do at Penn. The people who do it are amazing, and it's a diverse group."

She added, "I like going to hear all the speakers, because you can learn about so many career opportunities and [I have gained] interests that I never knew I had."

Other members expressed similar feelings of gratitude toward the Fox program for the new opportunities it has given them.

"I think Fox has opened up a whole new window of opportunity for me ... how much there is out there for me and how much I can achieve," said College junior Erin M. O'Brien, who has been a member for three years. "I've gotten to go to D.C., meet with wonderful speakers. It's really exposed me to so many great experiences and has enhanced my college experience at Penn."

College senior and current Fox Student Co-Director Ben Cruse joined Fox during his sophomore year at Penn and has noticed changes in himself while witnessing the club mature.

"When I came to Penn, I was closed-minded in thinking there were only a few things I could do to be successful -- for example, be a doctor or a lawyer or a politician -- and after experiencing the Fox speakers in their various professions, I've learned that there are a multitude of options out there that allow people to follow their passions and be successful," Cruse said.

After graduation, Cruse is moving to South America for two years to teach. He attributed his desire to educate to the lessons that Fox has taught him.

At Fox, "you become a leader, and you become successful at what you do if [you] follow anything that energizes you," Cruse said. "Right now [teaching] is something that energizes me. I don't know if I would have had that perspective before I joined Fox."

Fox also hopes to expand its reach at Penn by teaming up with other organizations, such as those in Wharton, that promote leadership among students through their activities and events.

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