Leadership Development





People who are well-prepared for a life of influence understand the significance of these questions, and learn how to live out the answers in a way that is uniquely theirs:


  • Who am I?

  • What are my strongest motivations?

  • What are my gifts and talents?

  • What is my calling in life?

  • What competencies do I need to fulfill my calling?


    • At Rivendell College we are committed to helping students explore these questions and discover their answers. Leadership assessment and development are purposefully and carefully woven into Rivendell's curriculum, and are required of undergraduates in their final two years.

    The curriculum features mentoring and life-coaching relationships, and courses on leadership development and spiritual formation. Students are given a variety of personality, motivation, and behavior assessments, resulting in a personal profile that helps them understand who they uniquely are, serves as a basis for charting a leadership development plan suited to them, and provides measurement for personal growth over the course of the program.

    Our goal is to see students develop a vision of life with practical dimensions that include:


  • self-understanding,

  • relational insights and abilities,

  • competencies and skills that are essential to a life of influence.



    • The following components are part of every degree student’s experience at Rivendell:


  • Biannual leadership assessments, using generally-accepted, standardized tools.

  • Regularly scheduled times with a life coach and faculty and staff mentors.

  • Teamwork experience through student cohorts, community service projects and internships.

  • Required courses for undergraduate students: LEAD 1010 Introduction to Leadership, SPFM 1001 Personal Transformation.

  • Required courses for graduate students: LEAD 5000 Foundations of Leadership or LEAD 5010 Principles of Leadership, and SPFM 5001 Spiritual Formation or an approved equivalent.



    • Distance learning students fulfill assessment and coaching requirements online and through remote audio-visual technologies.