Boreas Leadership Certificate

Thanks for being part of the Boreas Leadership Program.

The Boreas Program provides opportunities for University of Minnesota graduate and professional students and postdocs to develop leadership skills to take on environmental challenges and change the world.

By pursuing the Boreas Leadership Certificate, you will learn and practice essential leadership skills and stretch yourself by applying these abilities through a practical project. Upon completion you will receive a printed certificate, be recognized on the Institute on the Environment website, and be able to reference the certificate on your resume or CV.

Certificate Requirements

Boreas Leadership Certificate requirements integrate attendance and active participation in:

  • topical workshops and short courses
  • professional network development
  • design and execution of a leadership project.

Workshop Requirement

In order to earn the Boreas Leadership Certificate, you must attend and participate in a workshop series or short course in each of the topical areas:

  • Communications and Media (four-workshop series)
  • Integrative Leadership (three-day short course)
  • Systems Thinking and Tools (two-day short course)

Networking Requirement

Taking on environmental challenges requires working with people with diverse backgrounds and in different fields and sectors. The Boreas Leadership Program offers regular professional networking events for participants to meet each other as well as environmental leaders beyond the University community. To fulfill the networking requirement, you must:

  • make an effort to regularly attend Boreas networking events
  • identify, contact and interact with at least two environmental leaders outside IonE and your home department (ideally outside of your college), including at least one in-person meeting

Project Requirement

Leadership requires engaging with the world beyond the classroom. The Boreas project is an opportunity to develop your leadership ability, put theory into practice and experience the challenges of implementation by designing and carrying out a project. The purpose of the project is for you to stretch beyond where you are comfortable to practice leadership and achieve results.

  • The project must be beyond what is required in your graduate program.
  • The project should draw on skills learned in Boreas short courses and workshops.
  • Projects must be approved by the Boreas program coordinators (see the project approval form).
  • Group projects are encouraged but not required.

Certificate Timeline and Forms

Program requirements will take at least a semester to complete and likely longer, depending on schedule and access to workshops and short courses.

The following pages will help you complete your Boreas Leadership Certificate:

Questions

If you have questions about the Boreas Leadership Certificate, email boreas@umn.edu.

Applications - Twin Cities

  • An application is required to participate in Boreas workshops. Applications for spring semester are closed. Check back this summer for applications for fall semester. In the meantime, check out other Boreas events.

Boreas Student Advisory Team

Boreas Leadership Certificate

Information