About the Class

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The idea behind Lessons in Leadership comes from Professor Pittard's vision for developing talented young minds into the next generation of business leaders. Using a uniquely practical approach, Professor Pittard engages his students through two primary mediums. First, he abandons the traditional textbook approach to education, opting instead for topical discussion of real world business issues taken directly from the world's leading business periodical, the Wall Street Journal. Each student is required to subscribe to the Journal for the semester. During the first half of the seminar each week Professor Pittard engages the students in discussion about every aspect of the major stories in the business world from the previous week. In class discussions can focus on anything from a behind the scenes look at the function of financial markets, to the ethical and moral questions raised by issues like global warming or socialized health-care.

Then, during the second half of the seminar, Professor Pittard brings in a community, social, governmental or business leader to discuss their own personal understanding of what constitutes leadership. Through candid question and answer sessions with students, CEO's, university presidents, government officials and leaders of major law firms discuss the challenges, rewards, surprises and failures associated with success. Often the speakers stay around to talk with students personally about their thoughts and plans. Students in the class have weekly access to leaders who are actually running major organizations all over the world.