“Roll up your sleeves and get to work”: Understanding undergraduate leadership experiences in student organizations

Authors

  • D. Adam Cletzer University of Missouri
  • Rebecca Mott University of Missouri
  • Jon Simonsen University of Missouri
  • John Tummons University of Missouri
  • Jaelyn Pechman University of Missouri

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v64i1.33

Keywords:

student organizations, leadership education, agricultural leadership, ecological paradigm, leadership skills, industrial leadership paradigm

Abstract

Leaders are needed to address the agriculture industry’s increasingly complex and interconnected problems. Colleges of agriculture who offer leadership development coursework and degree programs often support student organizations to provide critical everyday opportunities for students to practice leadership in an authentic environment. This qualitative case study examined undergraduate students’ perceptions of, and experience with, leadership in student organizations in one Midwestern college of agriculture. Results indicated that students participated in student organizations to find students with similar interests, connect with potential employers, and improve their own employability. Results also indicated that leadership was typically conflated with position, and that industrial approaches to leadership were most common. This study has implications for administrators and faculty responsible for advising student organizations, and, more broadly, for leadership development programs in colleges of agriculture.

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Author Biographies

D. Adam Cletzer, University of Missouri

D. Adam Cletzer is an Associate Teaching Professor of Agricultural Leadership in Agricultural Education & Leadership at the University of Missouri, 122 Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, cletzerd@umsystem.edu

Rebecca Mott, University of Missouri

Rebecca L. Mott is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Agricultural Education in Agricultural Education & Leadership at the University of Missouri, 123 Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, mottr@umsystem.edu

Jon Simonsen, University of Missouri

Jon C. Simonsen is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Education in Agricultural Education & Leadership at the University of Missouri, 126 Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, simonsenj@umsystem.edu

John Tummons, University of Missouri

John D. Tummons is an Associate Teaching Professor of Agricultural Education in Agricultural Education & Leadership at the University of Missouri, 127 Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, tummonsj@umsystem.edu

Jaelyn Pechman, University of Missouri

Jaelyn Peckman is an Instructor of Agricultural Communications in Agricultural Education & Leadership at the University of Missouri, 125A Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, peckmanj@umsystem.edu

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Published

2023-03-31

How to Cite

Cletzer, D. A., Mott, R., Simonsen, J., Tummons, J., & Pechman, J. (2023). “Roll up your sleeves and get to work”: Understanding undergraduate leadership experiences in student organizations. Journal of Agricultural Education, 64(1), 116–135. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v64i1.33

Issue

Section

Journal of Agricultural Education

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