About the Institute for Leadership Advancement

The Institute for Leadership Advancement (ILA) in the Terry College of Business was established in 2001 to develop a new class of business and community leaders. For the founders, "new" meant more than the creation of a replacement pool for today's leadership. It meant leaders who embraced a leadership perspective grounded in values that serve their communities and organizations.
To accomplish this goal, ILA develops capabilities, layered on top of the student's academic major, that promote:
- On-going self-development
- Compelling communication of vision
- Effective implementation of organizational goals
- Adaptability to the changing environment
- The ability to create high performing teams
- Strong business acumen
Two undergraduate leadership programs form the centerpiece of ILA programming: The Certificate in Personal and Organizational Leadership (for students in any UGA major) and the Leonard Leadership Scholars Program (for Terry College majors). These programs aim to create a new class of leaders who are well trained and embrace ILA's values.
ILA Values
- Responsibility: We hold ourselves accountable for both actions and outcomes.
- Stewardship: We aim to serve others within ILA, the university, and the community.
- Excellence: We strive to achieve a high standard of quality in all that we do.
- Integrity: We require and embody honesty, trust, and fairness.
- Purpose: We are intentional with our behaviors and decisions.
Our Approach

Organization leaders today are faced with challenges of globalization, digitalization, a heightened emphasis on performance and more complex organizational contexts filled with a more diverse population. To be effective, leaders are needed at every level of the organization who can used multiple intelligences to make decisions, lead innovation and promote teamwork.
Leading organizations recognize that the development of leadership skills occurs beyond the classroom, in action learning situations, often by providing the individual with challenging work with coaching and feedback. Our approach to leadership development in ILA mirrors these best practices by providing students with self-assessments, coaching/mentoring, action learning and feedback focused on the development of greater emotional competence.
Our Future
The Institute for Leadership Advancement is proud of all we have accomplished; however our expectations for the future are even higher. We intend to expand our efforts to develop leaders who enhance the performance of their organizations and communities.
The envisioned future of ILA 10 years from now
ILA will:
- Be known as a model for undergraduate leadership development
- Be a resource for graduate leadership development
- Be a place that corporations and executives turn to for consultation on leadership issues, development, and programs
- Have strong corporate-academic partnerships throughout all of the programs of ILA
- Have a strong impact on the community through the programs and activities of ILA.
The Institute for Leadership Advancement would not be possible without the participation of outstanding faculty, staff, students, corporations, and partners involved in our programs. Our on-campus partners include:
- The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
- The University of Georgia Career Center
- The Office for Service-Learning
- The African Studies Institute
Our corporate partners include:
Contact Information
University of Georgia
317 Sanford Hall
