Upcoming Special Issue
Exploring the Nuances & Complexity of Leadership
Campus activities is a critical component of the overall student experience. As defined by NACA, campus activities are “beyond-the-classroom experiences that intentionally connect, engage, and develop a community where everyone belongs” (NACA, n.d., para. 2). Beyond the classroom experiences offer opportunities for students to not only connect with others, build a community, but to learn important knowledge and skills to be an active and contributing member of society. Involvement, engagement, and sense of belonging are critical elements that guide NACA’s work (NACA, n.d.). One common component of campus activities, involvement, engagement, and sense of belonging is leadership.
One of the ways campus activities contribute to out of the classroom learning is through leadership development. Although the language of leadership can get confusing, it is important to understand that leadership is a socially constructed phenomenon, which means it is defined and put into practice differently depending on one’s own lived experiences (Billsberry, 2009; Guthrie et al., 2021). Campus activities include a wide range of diverse interests and social identities, which connects to the social construction of leadership as a phenomenon. One important aspect to understand is that leaders and leadership work together, not separately. Another way to think about the process of leadership is in a visual of a triangle (Guthrie & Devies, 2024). In this triangle, the process of leadership is at the center. Leader, follower, and context are located at each of the points around the triangle. To engage in the process of leadership, you need the three aspects of leader, follower, and context. These three aspects are also essential considerations in campus activities. Engagement and participation in campus activities provide an avenue to understanding leadership through the lens of leader, follower, and context. Engaging in campus activities can assist in developing conscious leaders and followers and participation in campus activities creates culturally engaging environments that support students' growth and development.
The goal of this special issue is to explore the nuances and complexity of leadership, specifically leader, follower, and context. Our hope, as editors, is that this issue will explore the intricacies of campus activities in contributing to and shaping leadership learning opportunities We encourage leadership practitioners, scholars, and educators to actively engage in the content and questions the special issue call poses:
- How do the three aspects of leader, follower, and context intersect with campus activities to shape leadership experiences?
- How do campus activities center leaders, followers, and context?
- How can leadership help advance sense of belonging in campus activities?
- How do leadership roles in campus activities evolve over time, and what impact does this have on students’ leadership?
- What specific campus environmental factors contribute to or hinder leadership development?
- How does engagement in campus activities prepare students for leadership opportunities?
- In what ways do students diverse lived experiences and social identities influence their participation in campus activities and leadership?
References
Billsberry, J. (2009). The social construction of leadership education. Journal of Leadership Education, 8(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.12806/v8/i2/ab1
Guthrie, K. L., Beatty, C. C., & Wiborg, E. (2021). Engaging in the leadership process: Identity, capacity, and efficacy for college students. Information Age Publishing.
Guthrie, K. L., & Devies, B. (2024). Foundations of leadership: Principles, practice, and progress. Information Age Publishing.
National Association for Campus Activities [NACA]. (n.d.). Defining terms. NACA. https://www.naca.org/resources/professional-development/defining-terms.html
Contributing to a Special Issue
If you are interested in submitting an article to a Special Issue, please visit our Instructions for Authors.
We accept submissions in our four sections:
- Empirical Research: Submissions overall should be no longer than 7,000 words, not including references, but including all tables, figures, and abstract. Please do not include appendices.
- Media/Resource Review: Review submissions should be no longer than 3,500 words, including references.
- Scholarship-to-Practice Brief: Scholarship-to-Practice briefs should be no longer than 3,500 words, including references.
- Focus on Emerging Scholars: Submissions should be no longer than 3,500 words for Empirical Research articles (not including references), and no longer than 2,000 words for Media/Resource Reviews or Scholarship-to-Practice Briefs (including references).
Timeline
- Article submission deadline: March 1, 2025
- Intended publication date: Late summer 2025
Previous Special Issue
Special Issues offer an opportunity for a JCAPS issue to dive deeper into a specific topic. Our recent special issue was: