The Dean of Students office may soon offer students a \leadership and involvement record,"" an official document listing those activities in which a student has played a leadership role.
The leadership and involvement record should not be considered a second transcript since it is not included in the academic transcript and is obtained through a separate process.
To get an activity listed on their official record, students must first have their leadership role verified by the Dean of Students office. The record will include campus groups as well as groups not registered with the university as a student organization, as long as that group is recognized as an organized body.
According to Student Services Coordinator Renee Alfano, the Dean of Students office wanted a formal acknowledgement by the university of the work done outside the classroom to show that the work is appreciated.
Alfano said she hopes the record will provide students with a more official-looking document illustrating their activities to show prospective employers.
Supporters of the new record said it will help students keep track of their activities throughout their time at UW-Madison, instead of trying to compile a list later on when they are applying for jobs or graduate school.
""If they've been involved with a business organization and they're going out to look for a job, they can actually articulate they have experience in [business],"" Associate Dean of Students Lori Berquam said, adding that leadership training should be included in a student's total experience.
Alfano also said it will help university officials writing recommendation letters for their students get the bigger picture of what a student's life has been like outside of the classroom.
The Dean of Students office plans to put samples of the record on its Web site to gain more feedback from students in the near future, but Berquam said the student response has been positive thus far.
""It's a good opportunity for students to have something that recognizes what they do on campus,"" ASM Chair Austin Evans said.
While the process is still in its development stages, Alfano hopes to start collecting student data in April.
