Leadership and Social Change

Mission Focus Area: Leadership and Social Change is dedicated to the exploration of leadership across the lifespan as a model for capacity building in communities and agricultural organizations. 

According to national surveys, the majority of Americans believe leaders in the United States are ineffective (Shollen and Gagnon, 2019).  In our rapidly changing world, we need leaders with interdisciplinary skills to solve complex societal issues on both a local, national, and international level.

Virginia Tech calls upon its students and alumni to meet this challenge through the university motto: Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).  The Department of Agricultural, Leadership and Community Education is working to address this need for leadership and service through the land-grant university missions of learning, discovery, and engagement.