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Calling all aspiring innovation leaders ready to Be The Difference.


The Excellence in Leadership (E-Lead) program offers two application entry points for students.

  1. High school students admitted to 黑料论坛's Opus College of Engineering: Once admitted to 黑料论坛, students may apply to begin the program as incoming first-year engineering students. Applications for this entry point will be shared directly in admitted student communications with details and deadlines to consider.
  2. Sophomore students from any undergraduate major at 黑料论坛: Apply from any major during the first semester of your sophomore year. If accepted, these applicants will begin the program during the second semester of their sophomore year. Applications for this entry point will be shared on this webpage below.

Apply as a sophomore from any major:

Second-year sophomores from any major are invited to apply each fall semester.

This year's application link will be published here on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Fall 2025 Sophomore application timeline:
  • September 2, 2025: Applications open online. Link to be shared here on that date.
  • Information Sessions: Sophomore students who are considering applying to the E-Lead Program are strongly encouraged to attend an information session to learn more about the program, ask questions, and hear from current E-Lead participants. Students can attend one of the below information sessions:

    • Wednesday, September 17th from 12:00-1:00pm (O鈥橞rien Hall 417)

    • Thursday, September 18th from 5:00-6:00pm (O鈥橞rien Hall 417)

    • Tuesday, September 22nd from 4:00-5:00pm (O鈥橞rien Hall 417)

  • Wednesday, October 1st at 12:00pm CT: Application deadline
  • Wednesday, October 15th, 2025: Application status update - students will be notified if they have moved to the next stage of round robin interviews.
  • Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 between 4:00-8:00pm CT: Interview date and time - When notified about an interview, students will be assigned a specific 45 minute window during this timeframe.
  • Tuesday, October 28th, 2025: Notification of acceptance
  • Early November 2025, date TBD: Program overview meeting for incoming cohort (required)
  • January 6-9, 2026: The LeaderShape Institute is an immersive week-long leadership retreat (required) to be held at an off-site location. Please note that you MUST be able to attend the Institute in its entirety in order to participate in the E-Lead Program. Please check your calendars prior to applying for the program.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Why should I apply to E-Lead?

Participation in E-Lead provides students with opportunities to:鈥� 

  • Develop leadership skills highly sought after by employers 
  • Build their professional network.鈥� 
  • Gain practical leadership experience by shadowing industry leaders and making meaning of co-op, internship, research and / or service experiences through the lens of various leadership frameworks.鈥� 
  • Be part of a community of students committed to personal growth, leadership development and making a difference in their personal and professional lives. 

How do I know if E-Lead is right for me?

In E-Lead, we鈥檙e not talking about how to embrace best practices. We鈥檙e talking about how you can think and act in different ways that create value by addressing important problems. We鈥檙e talking about becoming the innovation leader that might just change the world and in the process, change you. 

We care about鈥�what you have鈥�done鈥痑nd about鈥�who you want to become.  Your resume is your 鈥渨hat.鈥� We want to know your 鈥渨hy.鈥濃�疘f you're eager to participate in a program that will challenge you to move outside your comfort zone so that you can be the next great innovation leader that our world needs, we encourage you to apply.

I have had a lot of leadership experiences and roles. Is this program for me?

Is your resume stacked with leadership roles and experiences? If yes, great. We believe leadership is a lifelong journey and there鈥檚 always room for growth. If you think of yourself as a leader already, our curriculum can help deepen your leadership capacity.

How do I know if I'm eligible to apply to E-Lead?

  • Enrollment as a second-year, full-time student at 黑料论坛 

*Transfer students must have three years remaining on campus 

*AP credit does not count towards second-year standing 

  • Minimum GPA of 2.8/4.0 at time of application and maintained throughout the program 
  • Good disciplinary standing with the university at time of application and maintained throughout the program 

Isn't E-Lead just for engineering students?

No! As of 2019, E-Lead is open to all majors across 黑料论坛. This program is open to all undergraduate students, it just happens to be housed in the Opus College of Engineering. E-Lead draws strength as an interdisciplinary program. Innovation is a team sport that requires multiple disciplines. 

Do I have to be nominated to apply to E-Lead?

No!

Is there a cost to participate in E-Lead?

Thanks to many very generous foundations and individuals who believe in developing young people's鈥�capacity to innovate and to lead, there is no additional cost to full-time undergraduate students to participate in E-Lead, other than paying for a few textbooks for courses in the program. E-Lead鈥痯ays for students to participate in a variety of experiences beyond the classroom, including a week-long leadership development retreat, workshop fees and materials, travel to shadow industry leaders and several leadership behavioral assessments. We are deeply thankful to all who have contributed their financial support, time, talent and efforts to our students. 

How does the application process work?

Students interested in applying to E-Lead should complete the program application, which includes a series of short answer questions. We ask that you combine your responses to the short answer questions and your current resume in one .pdf document. After you upload this document, you will be asked to respond to some basic demographic questions and simple questions related to your eligibility for the program. 

Who can I contact if I have any questions?

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact:鈥� 

Kate Trevey,鈥疦ana Fotsch Director, Fotsch Innovation and Engineering Leadership Development (FIELD) Center
kate.trevey@marquette.edu 

Andrea Minkley,鈥疉ssociate鈥疍irector鈥痮f Engineering and Innovation Leadership Development 
andrea.minkley@marquette.edu 

Jennifer Benjamin,鈥疉ssociate鈥疍irector鈥痮f Engineering and Innovation Leadership Development 
jennifer.benjamin@marquette.edu