Laura Dunne fondly remembers May 23, 2024. That spring afternoon, Laura and 19 other Fellows in the University of Chicago’s inaugural Leadership & Society Initiative (LSI) cohort came together for a spirited capstone to their transformative journey. Through a series of panel discussions and presentations, LSI’s Closing Symposium highlighted the three learning pillars – Know Oneself, Understand the World, and Envision the Future – explored throughout the yearlong LSI experience.
Fellows savored the friendships they built over nine soul-searching, mind-opening months and shared life-changing personal takeaways. They also celebrated the ambitious roadmaps they crafted for their futures. From enhancing workforce development in western Africa to designing new approaches for literacy development in the U.S., Fellows’ varied Purpose Plans touched young and old, crossed geographic and socioeconomic lines, and took distinctive approaches toward personal growth and societal impact.
“The Closing Symposium brought a profound close to the nine months we shared together as LSI fellows,” Laura says. “It was a time to reflect, share, and celebrate all we accomplished together.”
An uplifting experience
Designed to help accomplished leaders successfully transition from their longstanding careers toward purposeful and fulfilling next chapters, LSI immerses Fellows in UChicago’s unparalleled ecosystem of big ideas and breakthrough thinking. Through a liberal arts curriculum, supported by UChicago’s world-class faculty as well as expert practitioners and distinguished mentors, Fellows develop a Purpose Plan charting a path of personal growth, advanced leadership, enduring wellness, and dynamic engagement with pressing societal needs of personal concern.
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As a self-described values-driven person, longtime business executive Robert McGonigle enrolled in LSI to discern a purposeful next act. He enjoyed learning from and with his cohort members and diving into unfamiliar academic territory. Studying the likes of Aristotle and Marcus Aurelius broadened his perspectives and encouraged self-evaluation and improvement.
“LSI gave me a great opportunity for self-reflection and to really think through what was important to myself and how I can demonstrate my best self in the future to both society as well as to my family,” says Robert, whose Purpose Plan addresses food insecurity.
Following a decades-long career in corporate finance, Laura says LSI invited intellectual and emotional exploration alongside other Fellows similarly working to define their next chapter of leadership.
“What I enjoyed most about the LSI fellowship was the in-depth discussions in the classroom with my cohort about very interesting intellectual issues as well as societal issues, personal issues, and philosophical issues,” Laura says. “To really share that experience with intelligent, purpose-driven people was a gift.”
Elizabeth Heller Allen, called the LSI fellowship “more than she ever expected.” Intellectually stimulating courses and energizing conversations with Fellows proved constructive and uplifting. The enlivened, collegial, and overwhelmingly encouraging environment sharpened Elizabeth’s Purpose Plan focused on using writing to change hearts and minds.
“These were individuals with humility, an open mind, and a willingness to engage, which makes for a powerful experience,” Elizabeth says of her cohort.
Investing in the future of LSI
Along the way, the inaugural class of Fellows made investments to strengthen the future of LSI. They shared constructive feedback with LSI leadership and thoughts to continue to evolve the fellowship, including ways to increase access for high-caliber candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Amaechi Ndili, for instance, pushed for LSI to continue to perfect its process, namely admitting a wide array of leaders committed to lifelong learning and embracing a curiosity about themselves, others, and society.
“LSI is a place where you come to develop both yourself and your thought process around how you may be a more valuable, more contributing, more generative member of society,” says Amaechi, recognized as one of Africa’s leading business leaders for his work in the hospitality and healthcare sectors.
To advance that vision, Fellows from the 2023-2024 cohort created the LSI Scholarship Fund. The class gift supports scholarships for future Fellows so that LSI continues to attract the highest caliber of leaders and benefits from an environment rich with diversity of backgrounds and experiences.
“As a cohort, there was a general sense that we all valued the diversity of thought present in LSI and felt even more diversity would elevate discussions and the entire fellowship experience,” LSI Fellow Steve Blewitt says. “The scholarship we created as a class gift will help make LSI more accessible for others who want to channel their skills and energy into making meaningful contributions to society.”
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