Leadership Certificates
Why do a leadership certificate program?
A leadership certificate serves as an additional co-curricular, outside the classroom, learning experience on your journey as a CU Denver student. These programs include a set of focused experiences including workshops, service, and reflection that enhance your knowledge about a topic and yourself.
Once completed, you can add your certificate to your resume. Then, when you’re speaking to potential employers you will be able to discuss what you learned in the area of your certificate in addition to what you learned in the classroom. You have your entire college career to work on the requirements and complete your certificate.
When and where are leadership certificates awarded?
- Fall semester completion: Students can pick up their certificate In the Office of Student Life, Tivoli #303, or at the last Student Government Association (SGA) Senate meeting of the fall semester
- Spring semester completion: Students will receive their certificate at the Milo Awards, typically hosted in late April
Students in this certification will gain an understanding of socially responsible leadership and the Social Change Model of Leadership through the program.
This leadership certificate is for students interested in:
- Exploring and expanding their understanding of leadership
- Practicing their leadership skills through community service
Leadership Learning
Complete the learning components by either completing:
The ACE Program OR 10 Online Leadership Workshops through our CU Denver Student Life YouTube Channel.
All videos must verified using the verification form in video description.
Experiential Learning
Complete a minimum of 20 hours of community service. Service hours are tracked through MyLynx or a Personal Service Tracker that is shared with the Coordinator.
Meaning Making
After completing the first two step, write a 1-2 reflection paper or make a 3 minute presentation video connecting everything you’ve learned and complete a final one on one meeting with the Coordinator.
Sustainability Through Service Certificate
Learn more about sustainability and how to apply it to your personal and professional life!
The Sustainability Workshop Series is a four-course program that offers education on a breadth of environmental sustainability core concepts as demonstrated through a direct application model. Topics including water and energy consumption, waste management, and environmental justice will be discussed in a global, national, local, and individual framework. Students will learn how to employ strategies of systems thinking and critical theory.
These tools can be applied to all professional disciplines. Students will also learn how to evoke sustainable behavior change in their future careers by utilizing their deeper understanding of the sustainability core concepts and having knowledge of real-life examples that provide proof of concept to their leadership. Furthermore, by providing a comprehensive overview of the major themes in sustainability work, students will be exposed to a wide range of possible career trajectories as well as access to current professionals working in the field.
CU Denver students will earn the Sustainability Through Service Certificate by attending all four courses, conducting 15 hours of service, and completing a reflection. Students have one year to earn the Certificate.
Sustainability 101 through a Social and Environmental Justice Lens
This course explores the fundamental concepts and practices of sustainability and social and environmental justice. Students will develop systems thinking skills to analyze environmental, social, and economic challenges while critically evaluating various perspectives on human-environment relationships.
February 11, 4 PM to 6 PM in the Tivoli Building, room 329
February 13, 10 AM to 12 PM in the Tivoli building, room 542
Conservation with the OWOW Center
This course explores water usage and conservation, examining the realities of our water systems today with guest speakers from the One World One Water Center. Participants will gain practical insights into the history of water rights in the U.S., pressing topics like water usage and AI, and water stewardship through a guided exercise and discussions on global and local water issues.
February 18, 4 PM to 6 PM in the Tivoli Building, room 329
February 20, 10 AM to 12 PM in the Tivoli building, room 542
The State of Waste
This course examines how waste permeates local, national, and global systems, exploring its connection to consumerism, commodity chains, and ecological footprints. Students will learn about waste management techniques and explore strategies for waste reduction on various scales.
February 25, 4 PM to 6 PM in the Tivoli Building, room 329
February 27, 10 AM to 12 PM in the Tivoli building, room 542
Energy and Climate Action Planning
This course explores the connection between increasing energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions. Participants will gain practical insights into renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the importance of climate action planning on local and global scales. This course includes a tour of the solar array located on top of the Auraria Library. The solar array is only accessible via a ladder and is not wheelchair accessible. Accommodations will be made as requested.
March 4, 4 PM to 6 PM in the Tivoli Building, room 329
March 6, 10 AM to 12 PM in the Tivoli building, room 542
Applied Sustainability Exercise
Students will explore the influence of local policy on campus operations and apply their knowledge to real-world sustainability challenges within the Auraria Campus and Denver through a group exercise. Students will also have the opportunity to network, explore other sustainability opportunities, and determine their personal climate action through reflection.
March 11, 4 PM to 6 PM in the Tivoli Building, room 329
March , 1310 AM to 12 PM in the Tivoli building, room 542
Care Ambassador Certificate
This certificate program is for students who seek to promote campus wellness and safety through a public health approach to preventing violence. This series of trainings teaches students how to recognize, respond to, communicate with others about the warning signs of violence, how to act as an ethical bystander, how to support fellow students experiencing crises, and how to stay safe during emergency situations. Learn more and sign up down below!
Leadership Learning
Complete 4 trainings from the program curriculum outlined in the instructions.
Note: All training should ideally be completed within 2 semesters, excluding summer. Completion over a longer period does not prevent a student from receiving the certificate. All trainings can be found at https://calendar.ucdenver.edu/unless otherwise specified.
- REQUIRED: Preventing Targeted Violence Training
- REQUIRED: 90-minute Phoenix Center Bystander Intervention Training
Choose 1: Prevention
- Mental Health First Aid
- Supporting Survivors
- Enhancing School Safety using Behavioral Threat Assessment
Choose 1: Keeping Campus Safe
- Run, Hide, Fight / Active Harmer Preparedness Training
- CARE Ambassador Narcan Training
- American Red Cross Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED Training
Experiential Learning
CARE Ambassadors and those in the process of completing the program will have an opportunity to attend quarterly program meetings, where they will hear from campus partners, learn more about the field of violence prevention, and network with other Ambassadors.
- As students complete trainings, they are required to log their hours on the Service Learning tab of the Office of Case Management’s MyLynx page.
Meaning Making
Complete the CARE Ambassador survey
- Once all trainings have been completed, students will complete the CARE Ambassador Survey (https://ucdenver.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0J0rZJkLTYDy498) certifying that they have completed the coursework and providing feedback. Feedback questions do NOT impact certification, as they are used for data analysis only. To preserve anonymity, please take a screenshot of the confirmation page at the end of your Qualtrics survey and send the image to Grey Peckham (grey.peckham@ucdenver.edu) to confirm you have completed the survey. If you accidentally do not capture this image, please email with the date and time you completed the survey.