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ORIENTATION:
During the third week of August, ELSP students are required to participate in a week-long summer orientation program designed to introduce the ELSP mission and vision, as well as the fundamentals of professional behavior and civic responsibility. Training sessions will focus on such subjects as public speaking, networking, team building, advocacy writing, project management, professionalism, and much more.

CURRICULUM:
While ELSP students can choose any major, all scholars participate in a common curriculum designed to prepare them for their leadership roles in their careers and in the region. This includes three courses on leadership and community engagement culminating in a capstone project that benefits the community.

In the Spring of 2025, all ELSP students will take MGMT 4600: Leadership in Action on Friday afternoons at the Atlantic City campus.

Students are also strongly encouraged to consider taking GEN 2510 Atlantic City: Research Methods to familiarize themselves with the region in which they live and learn.  

INTERNSHIP:

аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊͶע is committed to experiential learning that connects classroom experiences to broader opportunities and enables students to practice key management and leadership skills. Students also gain an understanding about how to work in teams, and how to lead within organizations to achieve social good.  These positions are carefully selected to individually place students in their field of choice with select for-profit and non-profit entities, as well as municipal government. The goal is to create direct access to current Atlantic City influencers and create the next generation of such leaders.

Internships are organized in the summers following your sophomore and junior years. ELSP students have completed internships with the following organizations:

• AtlantiCare
• Atlantic City Arts Foundation
• Atlantic City Office of the Mayor
• Atlantic City Police Department
• Atlantic County Superintendant of Elections
• Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City
• City of Atlantic City Business Administrator
• City of Atlantic City Information Technology
• аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊͶע Division of Finance and Administration
• аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊͶע Speech and Hearing Clinic

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES:
University coursework is complemented by co-curricular seminars and workshops in personal and professional development, a monthly set of programs ranging from roundtable discussions, invited lectures (by both campus and off-campus experts), field trips to local businesses, governmental offices, and cultural venues, personal coaching, mock interview, and resume development sessions. These opportunities are intended to both introduce students to the local business and civic landscape, as well as introduce local entrepreneurs and leaders to ELSP students and their potential. The series includes opportunities to develop and apply quantitative and qualitative knowledge, interpersonal skills, and techniques to manage projects in a wide range of fields and occupations, with particular attention to critical thinking, project planning, teamwork, risk management, cost and time management, and decision making.

ELSP scholars have met with representatives from the following organizations:

• AtlantiCare
• Atlantic Cape Community College
• Atlantic City Arts Foundation
• Atlantic City Development Corporation (ACDEVCO)
• Atlantic City Initiatives Project Office
• Atlantic City Sheriff's Office
• Atlantic County Chamber of Commerce
• Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office
• Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind
• Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City
• Casino Reinvestment Development Authority
• Caesars
• Chelsea EDC
• Covenant House
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Hard Rock
• Homeland Security
• Law Offices of Cooper Levenson
• The Mayor of Atlantic City
• Meet AC
• New Jersey Small Development Center
• Resorts Atlantic City
• South Jersey Industries
• Steel Pier

CAPSTONE PROJECT

The culmination of both classroom and co-curricular learning is a collaborative capstone project in which ELSP students work together to practice key management and leadership skills. This might consist of developing a mock start-up business plan, or draft pieces of local or state legislation. Such work offers students valuable insights in weighing competing ideas and how to lead within organizations to achieve social good and economic success. Students are also assigned to work one-on-one with a community mentor to ensure input from business, political, cultural, or non-governmental agency perspectives. Such mentoring opportunities will bear academic credit as an independent study, so they contribute to a student’s academic progress.

 

COHORT 1 (2022): Atlantic City has lower rates of income per capita as well as lower literacy rates and test scores compared to the country and state. The purpose of this capstone was to look at these issues and recommend a remedy. The end result was an after-school literacy program developed in partnership with the Salvation Army of Atlantic City.

 

 

 

 

 

COHORT 2 (2023): Atlantic City has a significant immigrant population, many of who face challenges because of their non-citizen status. The focus of this capstone was to work with аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊͶע's Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning and Local 54, the union representing most of the city's hospitality workers, to identify barriers to naturalization.

 

 

 

COHORT 3 (2024): Cohort 3 collaborated with AtlantiCare and the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) to gather information to better understand patients' perspectives on COVID-19 prevention, treatment, and management, particularly within minority communities. The findings developed through this project can serve as a blueprint for future interventions to reduce health disparities across various healthcare settings and racial/ethnic groups.