The Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy

Application FAQ's

What kind of student is an ideal Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy (CLA) Fellow Candidate?

The ideal CLA Fellow Candidate is a student that is highly motivated and eager to be involved. The criteria include high academic achievement, active involvement in the campus community, dedication to the public good, a passion to lead, and a commitment to personal growth. However, we are also looking for those students who may not be actively engaged in leadership activities, but feel they would greatly benefit from intentional development opportunities in order to expand & build confidence in their capabilities.

I was nominated. Do I still need to apply?

Yes! After being nominated, you must still complete an application to the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy in order to show your interest in joining. To learn more about what happens after you apply, please see the next question.

What happens after I apply?

After applying to be a part of the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy (CLA), you will receive an email confirmation letting you know that we have received your application! We will continue accepting applications through Friday, February 23rd, 2024. After applications have closed, we will begin to review all CLA applications. Applicants will be invited to interview throughout the month of March. After interviews are completed, selections will be made in early April, and acceptance emails will be sent out the week of Monday, April 8th, 2024.

What does it look like to be a CLA Fellow Candidate?

While in the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy (CLA), all CLA Fellow Candidates will have a myriad of required and optional events and resources made accessible to them.

These events include, per semester:

Three Wheelhouse Talks, which are 1-hour speaker events with a reception following, typically on Friday late afternoons
Three Self Reflection Workshops and one Leader Lab, which are 3-hour workshops on Friday afternoons
In addition to many other Hauenstein Center and Common Ground Initiative events.

The Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy seeks to find innovative ways to support our Fellow Candidates’ leadership development. Other resources & programming to support this include:

CLA Fellow Candidates are each paired with a mentor from the community in order to expand upon leadership skills and build further connections. Mentor meetings take place one a month (October-March).
CLA Fellow Candidates are put into Small Groups in order to build deeper connections throughout the cohort and engage in interactive & reflective content with their Small Group.
Access to apply for Independent Initiatives. Independent Initiatives are one of the ways the CLA can financially support fellow candidates in pursuing exceptional and life changing opportunities. Qualifying opportunities include conferences/conference presentations, work groups, study away, study abroad, projects/initiatives, and any experience that will help further the fellow candidate's growth and development as a leader in a fundamental way.

I know a student that should apply! How should I share this opportunity with them?

If you know of an excellent student who you think should apply, or you believe should consider re-applying for acceptance into the CLA, you can nominate them! Nominations for the 2024-2025 cohort open on Wednesday, November 8th. To make nominations and learn about who the ideal CLA student is, please go to www.gvsu.edu/hc/nominate.

Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy Application 25-26

Please note: Applications to the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy for the 2025-2026 academic year will be open from Monday, November 25, at 12:01 a.m. through Monday, February 17, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. If you experience technical difficulties while submitting your application, please contact CLA at [email protected].

Thank you for your interest in the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy (CLA). The CLA is a group of diverse students across all disciplines who dedicate over 60 hours during the academic year to their leadership development. CLA fellow candidates spend time mastering leadership competencies, developing mentor relationships, learning from local leaders, and growing through self-reflection. Please fill out the form below and click the submit button to make your submission. An automated message to your email will confirm that your application has been received. This application involves a series of short essays and asks you to upload an updated resume. When completing this application, it is best to prepare your essays and uploads in advance.

If you are interested in attending a virtual information session to learn more about the program and meet current fellow candidates and staff, we encourage you to attend one of the sessions we are offering in the upcoming weeks.

Information Sessions:
All sessions will be virtual over Zoom, take place at 5 pm, and be roughly 30 minutes.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Thursday, February 13, 2025

Event information can be found on LakerLink. We hope you can join us at an information session and look forward to reviewing your application. Please contact CLA at [email protected] with any questions.

* denotes a required field

Contact Information

First Name *

Preferred First Name

Last Name *

Pronouns (https://pronouns.org/)

GVSU Email *
Please enter a GVSU student email address ending in @mail.gvsu.edu.

G-number *

Address 1 *

Address 2

City *

State/Province *

Zip/Postal *

Phone *

Academic Standing

Current GPA *
Please enter a value less than or equal to 4.

Degree Currently Pursuing *

Major(s) *

Minor(s)

Expected Graduation Date from Current Program *
Please specify a value for Expected Graduation Date from Current Program

Which Graduate Program/Certificate will you be pursuing? *

Short Answer Questions

How do you define leadership? *
Please enter at most 250 words. You currently have:

Describe a specific individual you identify as a leader; they can be from your personal or professional experience. What about them (traits, actions, values, etc.) makes them a leader from your perspective? *
Please enter at most 250 words. You currently have:

Of what accomplishment are you most proud? Why is this accomplishment important to you? *
Please enter at most 250 words. You currently have:

Why are inclusion and equity integral in leadership? What are ways that you make inclusion and equity a priority through your daily life? *
Please enter at most 250 words. You currently have:

Describe one area of growth you would like to see for yourself. How will joining the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy help you achieve this goal? *
Please enter at most 250 words. You currently have:

What skills, experiences, or unique attributes would you bring to the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy? *
Please enter at most 250 words. You currently have:

What would you be interested in learning while taking part in the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy? Please select no more than three. *
Please select at most 3 options
Learning & Reasoning (i.e. Research, Systems Thinking, Idea Generation, Decision Making, etc.)
Self Awareness & Development (i.e. Self-Understanding, Personal Values, Receiving Feedback, etc.)
Interpersonal Interaction (i.e. Empathy, Providing Feedback, Supervision, Collaboration, etc.)
Group Dynamics (i.e. Organizational Behavior, Power Dynamics, Creating Change, etc.)
Civic Responsibility (i.e. Diversity, Social Justice, Inclusion, Service, etc.)
Communication (i.e. Verbal vs. Nonverbal, Faciliation, Conflict Negotiation, Advocating for a Point of View, etc.)
Strategic Planning (i.e. Mission, Vision, Goals, etc.)
Personal Behavior (i.e. Initiative, Responding to Ambiguity/Change, Resiliency, etc.)
Not listed Please specify a value for What would you be interested in learning while taking part in the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy? Please select no more than three.

Please list other GVSU or community organizations with which you are involved: *
Please enter at most 250 words. You currently have:

Have you applied to the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy in the past? *

How did you hear about the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy? *
Nominated
Email
Social Media
GVSU Flyer / Laker Hub Slide
Word of Mouth
Not listed Please specify a value for How did you hear about the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy?

Document Upload

Upload your resume as a PDF file, titled "Last Name, First Name - Resume.PDF" *
Please upload a file with the extension .pdf with a maximum size of 1 MB (1024 KB)

Personal Demographics

This section is not required and will have no bearing on your application. This demographic information is being collected to ensure that our program is accessible, inclusive, and open to all members of our student community. You can skip any question in this section.

Are you a first-generation college student?

Are you a U.S. military veteran?

Are you an international student?

What is your race?

What is your race and/or ethnicity?
Select all that apply.
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino
Middle Eastern or North African
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
White

What is your religion/faith/spirituality?

What is your gender identity?

What is your sexual orientation?

Human Verification *

Page last modified September 18, 2024

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