Leadership Studies Award

The Leadership Studies Award is awarded annually to the senior Leadership Studies minor who has best exemplified the study of leadership as an academic discipline through excellence in related coursework, research and/or other scholarly contributions.

Presented by Chris Leupold, Professor of Psychology, Isabella Cannon Leadership Professor, and Faculty Fellow for Law and Leadership

Transcript of Commendations

Chris Leupold, Professor of Psychology, Isabella Cannon Leadership Professor, and Faculty Fellow for Law and Leadership

Hello. My name is Chris Leupold, and as the Isabella Cannon Professor of Leadership and Coordinator of the Leadership Studies Minor, it is my honor to present the 2020-2021 Leadership Studies Award to Chandler Vaughan.

The list of Chandler’s activities and contributions to Elon’s campus over the past four years is nothing short of exhausting. She epitomizes what it means to be a true student-scholar-leader by pushing herself to excel in the classroom and then directly applying those learnings to create positive change within her communities.

As a student in her Foundations of Leadership and Psychology of Leadership classes, Chandler manifested an unrelenting desire to learn and master everything she could. Whether critiquing scientific articles, analyzing case studies, or generating new research proposals, Chandler’s work always reflected the highest level of critical thinking and innovation. She was always at the forefront of class discussions and recognized as a leader by her classmates.

On a personal level, I can say without hesitation that Chandler is among the most conscientious and dedicated students I have had the joy of teaching. In all honesty, when planning lectures, on more than one occasion I consciously tried to anticipate the questions that I thought Chandler would ask so I would have quality answers prepared just for her. Chandler truly pushed me to become a better teacher and deepen my own knowledge of the material; moreover, her enthusiasm, professionalism, and positivity was always personally inspiring to me. In short, I feel blessed and privileged to have worked with her in the classroom.

As tremendous a student and leadership scholar she was in the classroom, the impact of Chandler’s many applications of leadership to various groups and communities was even greater.

Director of the Center for Leadership Melanie Bullock Harris writes the following about about Chandler…

Chandler serves as an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow, Student Facilitator for the Center for Race, Ethnicity, & Diversity Education, Tutor for The Village Project, and Vice President of Community Outreach and Activism for the Black Student Union. Chandler represented Elon’s Center for Leadership at the National LeaderShape Conference and was also selected to study at the University of Bristol through the Fulbright Summer Institute, one of the most prestigious and selective scholarship programs operating worldwide.

Her research project entitled “Juvenile Justice Education” focused on juvenile facilities and explores teaching strategies that are most effective in reducing recidivism and nourishing the educational needs of differently abled youth. She also served as an intern for Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty with the Cuyahoga Youth Detention Center where she developed curriculum and leadership related workshops for students.

Jarrod Rudd, Assistant Director of Student Involvement for Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Development writes the following about Chandler…

Chandler is a significant component of the success of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) where her leadership legacy will last for many more years. Through Chandler’s leadership, the NPHC has been able to host many virtual events, continue to provide resources for the campus and all NPHC chapters, and keep the founders’ mission going. Moreover, the Elon NPHC was recognized at the Black and Multicultural Greek Empowerment Summit as the 2021 Council of the Year! I know that the NPHC wouldn’t be where they are without Chandler’s leadership, and I am thankful for the hard work and dedication she has given the council.

In summary, for these and many other reasons that space won’t allow for discussion here, Chandler Vaughan is the winner of the 2020-2021 Leadership Studies Award. She has exemplified what it means to be an Elon student-leader-scholar, and so many at Elon anxiously await seeing the amazing things Chandler will do in this world going forward.