ABOUT THE INSTITUTE

Our Mission:

To shape caring, knowledgeable, and effective leaders for Virginia and the World.

Our History:

The Commonwealth Leadership Institute at CNU was born in 2006 out of an initial meeting between Newport News Superintendent Dr. Ashby Kilgore, and CNU President and former US Senator, Paul Trible.  Both leaders sensed an opportunity to provide motivated rising seniors in high school a residential leadership institute that would combine leadership theory taught by CNU faculty, with practical application through small group leadership labs.

The inaugural Commonwealth Leadership Institute took place in the summer of 2007 as a residential, intensive, two week course. Students who successfully completed the course requirements were awarded three (3) college credits.    In the summer of 2008, The Commonwealth Leadership Institute partnered with the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals (VASSP) and the Virginia Foundation for Educational Leadership (VFEL) to expand the institute across the commonwealth.  A major component agreed upon by our partners and included in the Institute is a working relationship between high school principals and the student/s they nominate.  On each student application there is a section for the proposal of a senior leadership project which principals use to determine their selection of nominees.  The senior projects are developed and planned during the Institute, and implemented during the student's senior year.

2008 Participants Tori Doran and Francis Wilson pose next to the results of their CLI Senior Project: A "Blanket Drive".  The drive resulted in the collection of over 200 Blankets and Quilts, which were then donated to local homeless citizens at the beginning of December.  The drive also served to raise awareness in the students' high schools about the challenges of poverty, and the strength of communities working together to meet a need.

The 2009 class of the Commonwealth Leadership Institute will be comprised of high achieving, engaged students from across Virginia who wish to realize and advance their leadership potential.   

For application information, please visit the prospective students page.