Ross Leaders Academy
Overview
The Ross Leaders Academy (RLA) is the Sanger Leadership Center’s premier leadership development community for select students across campus. During the year-long program, you’ll make leadership development a primary focus of your Michigan experience. You’ll learn from diverse peers, receive 1:1 and group coaching, and engage with 50+ years of robust research advanced by the University of Michigan’s innovative faculty. You’ll emerge from RLA more confident, insightful, and with a vision to fuel your emerging career.
This program is generously sponsored by the Deloitte Foundation.
participants (all-time)
group coaching sessions per academic year
schools & colleges represented across participant pool (all-time)
Skills You’ll Learn
All program skills are connected to the Michigan Model of Leadership, our evidence-based framework for leadership development.
Skills
Meaningful Relationships
I develop meaningful relationships
Through coaching, peer discussions, and hands-on activities, you will develop strategies to build trust, respect, and meaningful relationships with peers and future colleagues.
Empathy
I show empathy
You will develop an understanding of empathy as a foundational skill for effective leadership and relationship building, and learn how expanding your capacity for empathy enhances your ability to connect with and support others.
Team Inclusion
I create a shared sense of team belonging
By exploring evidence-based research and empirical case studies developed by Deloitte, you will learn how to leverage skills that foster a sense of belonging among diverse individuals.
Curiosity
I actively seek to learn and grow
Through coaching, reflection, and collaborative exercises with peers, you’ll deepen your appreciation for curiosity and learn how to ask powerful questions—skills that help build meaningful relationships, spark innovation, and unlock the potential in those you lead.
Resilience
I cope effectively with change and ambiguity
A research-based resilience model will help you learn the key components of resilience to effectively cope with change and ambiguity.
Integrity
I act in alignment with my values
You will explore components of your identity, identify your core values, and clarify your purpose statement, which will enable you to make personal and professional, values-based decisions as you navigate change and ambiguity throughout your career.
Influence
I influence others to action
By aligning decisions with your values, strengthening emotional intelligence, and building a resilient leadership mindset, you’ll be equipped to navigate uncertainty and support both yourself and others through change.
Details & Registration
Details
Application Process
Applications are opened in the summer and are due in September
Select students will then be invited to a community interview
The selection committee releases decisions on the cohort in early October
2025-2026 Academic Year
Application opens: 8/27/2025
Application closes: 9/10/2025
Community interviews: 9/18/2025 & 9/19/2025
Kickoff: 10/3/2025, 10 AM–12:15 PM
Session Dates:
Fridays, 10 AM–12:15 PM
2025: 10/17, 11/7, 11/21, 12/5
2026: 1/16, 2/6, 2/20, 3/13, 3/27
Time Commitment
Sessions will be held in person on Friday mornings from 10 AM to 12:15 PM. Asynchronous work between sessions will be communicated to the cohort in advance and should take no more than 30 minutes each week. 1:1 and group coaching will be scheduled separately based on your availability.
Leadership Coaching
Leadership coaching is available as part of the program experience. To learn more about leadership coaching and how it is integrated into this program, visit our coaching page.
Participant Requirements
Deep interest in leadership development, personal growth, and lifelong learning
Any U-M Student (juniors, seniors, and graduate students)
Ability to attend all sessions
Participation in all sessions is integral to gaining the full benefit of the program. Students who miss more than two sessions will not receive the program completion certificate. We ask that participants bring conflicting dates to our attention during the kickoff event.
Heads Up: New Eligibility Requirement Coming Soon!
Starting in academic year 2026–2027, Michigan Ross student applicants to RLA must be enrolled in and intend to complete the Michigan Ross Leader Endorsement (MRLE).
In 2025–2026, enrollment in MRLE is optional but encouraged. If you plan to apply to RLA in the future, we recommend enrolling in MRLE this year so you’re ready to go.
Application
Applications are accepted once per year in September. Ross students will be notified via email when registration opens for the 2026-2027 school year. Non-Ross students are invited to fill out the interest form below to receive the same communication.
Contact a Sanger Student Ambassador about this program.
Content Areas
FALL
Self-leadership
Identity & Self-Inclusion
Gain a greater understanding of identity dimensions, self-inclusion, and leadership style, and identify ways to co-create environments that engage more of your whole self while inviting others to do the same.
Values
Clearly articulate your core values and understand why acting in alignment with them is essential for your future, for those you lead, and for high-performing teams.
Purpose
Understand the importance and benefits of having a clear purpose, craft your own purpose statement and be able to communicate it to others, and learn how to leverage your purpose to create impact and achieve concrete results.
Alternative Futures
Uncover and explore different professional paths and possibilities; experience what it feels like to live in alignment with your values and purpose in various future scenarios; and strengthen your ability to practice resilience amid turbulence and uncertainty.
Winter
Interpersonal leadership
Empathy
Effective leadership and relationship-building require empathy. This session will highlight the benefits of expanding your empathetic capacity and offer practical methods to do so, while also enhancing your ability to shift perspectives.
Inclusive Leadership
Understand the science and practice of inclusive leadership, while increasing your awareness of personal bias and discovering actionable steps to advance inclusion.
Emotional Intelligence
Examine the importance of emotion regulation in the context of leadership, and learn strategies for enhancing your regulation abilities.
Resilience
Understand what resilience means in the context of leadership, and identify key elements and activities you can use to increase your resilience.
Leader as Coach
Explore your unique coaching identity as a leader and review essential tools and techniques to enhance your coaching approach. Engage in interactive activities to practice key skills and receive feedback, enabling you to apply what you learn in your leadership roles.
Testimonials
Samer Charaf, WMBA ’24
Testimonials
“I am profoundly grateful to the exceptional team at the Sanger Leadership Center for their pivotal role in my journey of growth throughout my Ross Leaders Academy experience. Their unique approach, through a series of action-based activities and reflective sessions, empowered me to view the world through the diverse lenses of my peers.”
Gallery
Scenes from the Program
News
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