The Adrian College Institute for Leadership & Ethics conducts research on the latest leadership models and implements campus-wide programming and conferences for students, faculty, staff and the larger Adrian community. The institute develops programs, reading groups, and short conferences to help students identify and refine their unique leadership styles.
The Institute facilitates the exploration of leadership across diverse disciplines by enabling multiple departments to engage in leadership studies and education. The Business Department houses our successful interdisciplinary major and minor in Leadership Studies. Students across all divisions and majors are encouraged to tailor a complementary major or minor in Leadership that will help them understand and articulate their leadership style and strengths to potential employers.
“I integrate leadership education across various disciplines by recruiting faculty to teach in the major and minor. I regularly teach leadership courses in the Business Department, including an introduction to leadership, which surveys a variety of leadership models, from transformational to adaptive. These courses emphasize the importance of soft skills as the cornerstone of effective leadership. The introduction course is how we attract new majors and minors.” — Director, Melissa Stewart, PhD.
Past Events
Student Leadership Conference (Fall 2025)
The Institute planned and hosted a student conference in partnership with Focus 3, an advisory firm that provides consulting and training resources to help organizations develop leaders, strengthen culture, and empower people.
Focus 3 emphasizes simplicity and clarity in learning, designing tools that are engaging and immediately actionable. Clients often describe the training as so impactful that they share it with their families—one of the organization’s highest compliments.
First Annual Faculty Research Award Lecture (September 2024)
At Adrian College’s opening convocation, Professor Nathan Goetting received the annual Faculty Research Award for his work on the Innocence Project.
Founded in 1992 by attorneys Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck, the Innocence Project has been a leader in criminal justice reform, using DNA and scientific advancements to help prove wrongful convictions.
Professor Goetting also received the CARS award for his March 2024 presentation at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, titled “The Supreme Court’s Actual Innocence Problem,” based on his eight-article series for Discourse Magazine.
Public Lecture: “The Supreme Court’s Actual Innocence Problem” (November 2024)
Held in Jones 110, Professor Goetting delivered a public lecture for the Adrian College community and the greater Adrian area.
The event was live-streamed.
Debate: “Can We Trust the Mainstream Media?” (November 2023)
This free public program featured:
David Masci, Editor-in-Chief of Discourse Magazine
Kate Mitchell, Adjunct Professor of Journalism, Adrian College
The event was live-streamed.
About the Debaters
Kate Mitchell is an award-winning journalist with nearly a decade of experience at daily newspapers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Eastern Michigan University and has worked across the news production process—from reporter and editor to page designer and columnist. She currently works in corporate communications and teaches journalism at Adrian College.
David Masci is Editor-in-Chief of Discourse Magazine at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He previously served as a senior research fellow and editor at the Pew Research Center and as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly.
Pizza & Discussion Series (October 2024)
Hosted by Dr. James Spence, Professor of Ethics, this series invited participants to discuss Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals by Frans de Waal.
A copy of the book was provided to those who registered by October 2024.
For more information, contact Director Melissa Stewart at mstewart@adrian.edu.
Contact
Dr. Melissa Stewart - Director, Institute for Leadership & Ethics
Email: mstewart@adrian.edu
Office: Valade, 319
Office Ext.: 3961
