When the fall semester begins Aug. 14 at Rogers State University, RSU’s President’s Leadership Class will be under the stewardship of a new director. Christi Mackey, RSU assistant professor of psychology and sociology, has been named the new PLC program director for the 2023-24 academic year.
RSU’s President’s Leadership Class is a four-year scholarship program designed to develop students’ leadership skills and enhance their academic experience. PLC participation includes the benefit of an annual scholarship of $10,000, with students being allowed to retain their financial packages for costs not covered by the scholarship.
PLC provides an environment for exceptional RSU students to foster their personal and professional development. Members represent a diverse group of the university’s most ambitious and promising students who work closely with student groups and university administration to enhance services to students and the community.
As the new PLC director, Mackey brings with her an excitement for the role, an appreciation for the foundation previously laid in the program and an expectation to build upon the program’s previous accomplishments.
“I’m very excited to have this opportunity,” Mackey said. “The program is very well respected here at the university and I’m looking forward to building upon the program’s many successes and adding to them so that it continues to flourish in the future.
“As someone who’s been involved in leadership classes in the past, I can say that these leadership programs were instrumental in making me who I am today,” she said. “I’ve been able to look at the lessons learned (in the programs), reflect upon them, and use the skillsets I developed through the programs to help pursue and support my own ideas and dreams.”
Mackey said her approach to the new role could be described as “intentional.”
“The program takes students from their freshman through their senior years,” she said. “The group meets weekly and takes leadership courses every semester. It’s very intentional in what it does, both in the leadership qualities it instills in its participants and in teaching about the importance of community engagement and leadership, not just on campus but off campus and into their lives beyond college.”
Mackey is an assistant professor of psychology and sociology at RSU. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology – criminology; a Master of Public Administration in organizational leadership, public management, and public policy; a Master of Arts in sociology; and a graduate certificate in women’s and gender studies, all from the University of Oklahoma.
As director of the program, Mackey will be tasked with promoting peer mentorship, service learning and student engagement, as well as being responsible for the management of the PLC and teaching its required leadership course.
She will report to RSU’s Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Richard Beck, who cited Mackey as being an “asset to the program.”
“Christi will bring a lot to the program, with very high energy and a focus on leadership development,” Beck said. “We’re looking forward to seeing all she will accomplish with this program and the students.”
RSU President Dr. Larry Rice also looks forward to Mackey’s upcoming turn as PLC director, acknowledging the work of previous director Dr. James Ford.
“I want to thank Dr. James Ford for his past leadership (of the President’s Leadership Class),” Rice said. “He stepped up and agreed to lead Honors and the PLC several years ago, and we thank him for all of his efforts to guide the President’s Leadership Class and look forward to him continuing to do a tremendous job leading our Honors program.”
For more information about Rogers State University’s President’s Leadership Class, visit www.rsu.edu/plc.