SANGER LEADERSHIP CENTER MISSION AND VISION The Sanger Leadership Center at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business accelerates the development of leaders through bold ideas, transformative experiences, and inclusive communities. The Center serves Michigan students from every school and college in action-based learning experiences, courses, and communities. It is also the home of a world-class research lab with faculty members from across the university and frameworks, including the Michigan Model of Leadership. The Center’s vision is to become the world’s premier center for leadership development, making leadership synonymous with Michigan.
2023–2024
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR The Center has focused its strategy on four levels, all of which have celebrated tremendous successes in the past year. Deliver transformational leadership programming to students. The Center is expanding its reach to students. In 2024, Sanger celebrated the largest Leadership Crisis Challenge to date, hosting 425 students and 115 alumni and sponsors. The program was covered by both The Financial Times and Poets&Quants. Additionally, every Ross student across all academic programs will now participate in the team collaboration program, Collaboration Lab, during orientation. The Center’s micro-credential, the Michigan Ross Leader Endorsement, saw a 188 percent increase in completion in 2024. Students have access to a one-on-one executive coach to support their professional growth and leadership development. Produce and disseminate the world’s best bold ideas on leadership. Sanger will host an international leadership conference for scholars in 2025, the New Directions in Leadership Research. Additionally, Sanger Research Lab faculty members took top honors at both the Academy of Management Conference in 2024 and in the Academy of Management Journal.
IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS #1 public university for future leaders (TIME & Statista, 2024) Over 50 external partners included in student programming More than 9,300 student interactions in the past year +188% increase in students who received our micro-credential, the Leader Endorsement 128 program sessions delivered annually
Build inclusive relationships among stakeholders (students, faculty, staff, alumni, corporate). Inviting voices from alumni and external organizations is crucial in educating students about the skills needed to be leaders. The Center engaged with 150+ alumni and sponsors in the past year, and the Sanger Advisory Board now hosts 17 members from across industries.
Two of the top five reasons students choose Ross are Sanger programs (Crisis Challenge and Story Lab), according to Poets&Quants
Invest in the team. The Center leads the way at Michigan Ross in departmental strategic planning and data tracking. It has a comprehensive three-year strategy and a robust dashboard to track learning and engagement.
307,000 research citations from Sanger faculty to date
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
43 members of the Research Lab spanning across campus
The Sanger Leadership Center was one of the key deciding factors for enrolling in the Michigan Ross MBA program. One of my top priorities for business school was to immerse myself in an intentional, multi-faceted, and authentic leadership journey. Sanger offers this and so much more through their various programs. Coming from consulting, I worked with various leaders (both internally and as clients). While these experiences taught me about the type of leader I wanted to be, Sanger has given me the tools to help craft and refine my leadership style.”
19/19 schools and colleges served at Michigan
Sam Schmitt MBA ’25