Welcome to the McDonough Center, one of the most comprehensive Liberal-Arts based leadership development centers in American higher education today! Our many programs, events and initiatives help undergraduate students gain a deeper understanding of leadership, practice their leadership skills, and in the process grow as engaged leaders on campus, in the community, and beyond.

The McDonough Center houses the nationally recognized McDonough Leadership Program, open to undergraduate students in all fields of study at Marietta College. Through a competitive application process, students who are selected to participate in this program are called McDonough Scholars on campus. McDonough Scholars can pursue one of five academic tracks – the Teacher Leadership Certificate (TLC); the Engineering Leadership Certificate (ELC); the Certificate in Leadership Studies; the Minor in Leadership Studies; and the Global Leadership Studies (GLS) Major. To apply to the leadership program, please click here.

Aside from the academic programs for undergraduate students, the Center promotes activities in five critical areas:

• Community Engagement: The award-winning Office of Civic Engagement promotes the Center’s service projects and volunteer activities for all McDonough Scholars with an emphasis on citizen-leadership development in a pluralistic democracy;
• Business Leadership: The Center focuses on executive education in the for-profit sector, including the Fitzgerald Executive-in-Residence Program and the Visiting Executive Program. We also collaborate with Peoples Bank to host annually the Peoples Bank Business Case Competition on campus;
• Nonprofit Leadership: Through its Nonprofits LEAD Office, the Center promotes leadership development for students interested in working in the nonprofit sector;
• Global Leadership: The Center promotes study-abroad opportunities through annual trips. In recent years, we have taken students to China, Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize, Hungary, Thailand, and Cambodia; and
• Research: The Center also supports student and faculty research activities. Our McDonough Scholars make regular presentations at national and international conferences. The leadership faculty engages in meaningful research that adds to the body of knowledge about Leadership Studies. In fact, the Leadership Core Curriculum uses a textbook, Understanding Leadership, Second Edition (New York: Routledge, 2019), written by two McDonough faculty. Every year, we host the McDonough Leadership Conference – a national event that brings together students, faculty, staff and practitioners interested in expanding their knowledge of leadership.