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Leadership Academy

The Leadership Academy develops engineering students into confident, ethical leaders through hands-on experiences, teamwork and real-world learning.

Engineering projects in the real world are complex, requiring collaboration across multiple disciplines and often involving more than one possible solution. The Engineering Leadership Academy is designed to prepare students for these challenges through hands-on, experiential learning and leadership development.

The program begins with an off-campus weekend experience where students get to know one another while also developing greater self-awareness and personal insight.

Throughout the program, students engage in active learning experiences focused on teamwork and leadership development, guided by faculty, industry professionals and Academy alumni who bring real-world perspectives into the classroom.

The two-semester experience continues to build communication and leadership skills that students can apply in campus leadership roles, as well as in Junior and Senior Design projects.

Janessa Schwallie ’16

“The Leadership Academy taught me how to build confidence in my presence and impact in not only my professional life, but in my personal life as well. I took part in the Academy during a crucial moment in my educational career when I had just begun to think more critically about my future intentions and how to market myself to different engineering industries. I learned how to build camaraderie amongst peers and professionals, how to consider my own ethics and values when faced with difficult decisions, and how to work with like-minded peers to develop and successfully deliver on a project that I cared for deeply, youth education, to create a difference in the local Charlotte community.”

The Leadership Academy helps students develop essential competencies, including:

student hanging baloons
  • Communicating effectively
  • Acting with integrity
  • Valuing diversity of thought and ideas
  • Influencing others
  • Being responsible and accountable
  • Building and working in teams
  • Applying different leadership styles
  • Understanding emotional intelligence
  • Achieving meaningful goals
  • Serving others

Apply to the Leadership Academy

To apply to the Leadership Academy, students must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Be a current William States Lee College of Engineering undergraduate student.
  • Have completed their sophomore year in the college, or attended the college for one year.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 2.75.
  • Early college high school, dual-enrolled and new transfer students are also eligible if they earned a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA from all previous institutions.

Students must complete all application requirements below to be considered:

  • Fill out the APPLICATION
  • Have two Leadership Academy Reference Forms submitted on their behalf.
  • Register and participate in an interview (Interview Sign-up link is found in the Application).
  • Students must be available to attend the off-campus weekend kick-off module for their cohort (currently planned for August 22-23, 2026).

Spring Application Dates

  • Spring Application for the 2026 (Cohort 23) will be available- February 17, 2026.
  • Application & Reference Deadline – Friday, March 20, 2026 prior to 5:00 pm.
  • Spring Interviews – The week of March 16, 2026.
  • Spring Applicant Notification – April, 2026.

Contact Us

Have questions about the Leadership Academy? Reach out to learn how you can get involved, grow your leadership skills and take the next step in your engineering journey.

Sid Alvis, B.S.E.E., P.E.

Professor of Practice
Director of the Leadership Academy
Office of Student Development and Success
jalvis1@charlotte.edu
704-687-1989
Smith 273
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