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Distinguished Leaders Program

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The Sheedy Distinguished Leaders Program allows students to hone real-world skills through paid positions within the Sheedy Family Program. Students who are selected as Distinguished Leaders (DLs) gain hands-on work experience while also meaningfully shaping the Sheedy Family Program. A win-win.

In their roles, the Sheedy DLs help guide key program initiatives, including the SFP’s monthly dinners, professional development workshops, business treks, student recruitment process, end-of-year formal, and media presence. The positions are all part-time (approximately two to five hours a week, depending on the position) and run during the academic year. See below for descriptions of all the available DL roles. 

Students selected as Sheedy Distinguished Leaders can expect to draw upon and enrich their skills in written and oral communication, project management, professional networking, team building, event planning, and community outreach.

Available leadership positions

Students Dialogue at a Sheedy Dinner

Sheedy Dinners

The Sheedy Dinner DLs have two core responsibilities. First, they spearhead efforts to involve Sheedy students and affiliated faculty members in the speakers’ visits to campus. This may include arranging small-group discussions with students interested in the speakers’ topic or career field, sending invites to campus faculty who may wish to attend the Sheedy Dinner, and selecting students to introduce the speakers. Second, the Sheedy Dinner DLs help select the speakers for the following year’s dinner series and, when appropriate, initiate the invites to those speakers.

Timeline: The Sheedy Dinner position runs throughout the academic year (August through May). Applications are solicited each April to select up to two students for the following year.

Workshops

The Workshop DLs coordinate 2-3 afternoon-long professional development workshops a year (approximately one per semester) dedicated to helping Sheedy students gain practical skills relevant to careers in business. These skills could include anything from how to complete a consulting case study to how to write a stand-out cover letter to how to manage a budget in Excel.

Core responsibilities of the Workshop DLs include gathering feedback from Sheedy students on the skillsets they would like to build, identifying and inviting professionals to lead the workshops (either faculty or business leaders), and working with the Sheedy faculty and staff to coordinate logistics for the events.

Timeline: The Workshop position runs throughout the academic year (August through May). Applications are solicited each April to select one student for the following year.

Media

The Media DLs head up the Sheedy Family Program’s online presence, including its social media accounts and website. They are responsible for finding and generating content to share on the Program’s LinkedIn page and Instagram and increasing the Sheedy Family Program’s engagement with University and other relevant accounts. They also write original stories for the Sheedy Family Program website, including write-ups of Sheedy events and spotlights of Sheedy student or affiliated faculty achievements.

Timeline: The Media position runs throughout the academic year (August through May). Applications are solicited each April to select up to two students for the following year.

Business trek

The Business Trek DL works closely with Sheedy staff and outside partners to plan the itinerary for the Sheedy Business Trek to Chicago each spring. Responsibilities include contacting Sheedy alumni and other business professionals to set up site visits, coordinating with Sheedy juniors to prepare them for departure, and helping to arrange food for group meals. The Trek DL is also expected to take a leadership role “on the ground” during the trip.

Timeline: The Business Trek position runs from October to March. Applications are solicited from Sheedy juniors each September to select one student for the current academic year. 

Recruitment

The Recruitment DLs work closely with the Sheedy directors to recruit qualified, enthusiastic applicants to the Sheedy Family Program. They brainstorm and implement student outreach efforts, visit relevant classes to pitch the Sheedy Program, present at informational sessions for prospective students, and coordinate the initiation ceremony for the incoming Sheedy cohort.

Timeline: The Recruitment position runs from November to April with the most commitments in January. Applications are solicited each October to select up to two students for the current academic year.

Community building

The Community Building DLs work closely with the Sheedy staff to plan and execute several special events for the SFP, including the annual kick-off dinner at the Fall Retreat and the Sheedy Formal. They will gain experience in large event planning as they lead tasks like coordinating catering, managing RSVPs, and communicating with host venues. They will also think carefully about how to create an inclusive environment at Sheedy events and to encourage cross-cohort interactions. Finally, the Community Building DLs will help promote non-Sheedy events that may be of interest to members, like volunteer opportunities that Sheedys are helping to organize or business-related competitions that Sheedys might want to enter as a team.
 

Timeline: The Community Building position runs throughout the academic year (August through May). Applications are solicited each April to select up to two students for the following year.

Apply

Interested students may apply by emailing the directors, Prof. Paul Blaschko and Prof. Chris Hedlin, pblaschk@nd.edu and chedlin3@nd.edu, a 1-page resume and short (200-300 word) essay response to the questions, “Why would you be a good fit for the position? How would this internship help you meet your professional goals?”

Please make sure to specify in your email which internship role interests you. If you would like to be considered for more than one of the available positions, you may indicate that, too.

The Sheedy Distinguished Leaders are paid at a rate commensurate with other campus leadership positions.