The White House Fellows Model

The Gordon Presidential Fellows Program is modeled on the highly competitive White House Fellowship, regarded as the nation’s most effective leadership development program.

Sociologist and former Gordon College President D. Michael Lindsay conducted the first systematic study of this program, the results of which are available at www.whitehousefellowsproject.org. During the course of that research, he determined that White House Fellows are 2.5 times more likely to assume positions of societal responsibility (such as leading a Fortune 500 firm) than are their peers.

A thorough review of the program revealed several key elements that made the White House Fellowship so successful in shaping the leadership horizons of Fellows. Informed by this unique line of research, Gordon's Cabinet has designed a program that emulates the strengths of the White House Fellowship. Although several institutions have launched “presidential fellowship” programs in recent years, only the Gordon Presidential Fellows Program is based on the insights gained from this singular study. As a result, only students at Gordon College will be able to take advantage of this type of leadership development experience.

Our aim is for Gordon to distinguish itself as one of the country’s strongest institutions for undergraduate leadership development. The Gordon Presidential Fellows Program is the College's premier flagship leadership program and plays a fundamental role in continuing to secure that reputation for the College.