Strategy and Leadership in Transformational Times

Prepare to lead in the moments that shape history.

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Strategy and Leadership in Transformational Times (SALTT) challenges students to develop and apply the concepts of strategic thinking and leadership. This spring, SALTT students, under the direction of Susan Eisenhower, will recreate President Eisenhower’s Solarium project to address the ever-evolving geopolitical challenges, such as those from China, the Russia -Ukraine War and North Korea, through the lens of space, nuclear weaponry/high technology, and energy/climate change. This project will model itself on the original Project Solarium, initiated by Dwight Eisenhower 70 years ago after the advent of the hydrogen bomb and the death of Joseph Stalin. Students will gain an appreciation of the hard trade-offs inherent in national security strategy, which must be coherent for a sustainable approach that incorporates national spending and the complexities of global leadership.

Students will observe first-hand how America’s top-policy makers and diplomats look at the strategic challenges our country faces every day. At the end of the semester, students will present their findings as the panel of experts did in 1953 to answer the question: What is the plan for creating a long-term and sustainable foreign policy that best addresses American security and the tensions in the current geo-political environment?

SALTT is a highly selective, project-based workshop series focused on strategic thinking and implementation. This specialized seminar challenges students to develop and apply the concepts of strategic thinking and leadership, grounded in critical thinking and teamwork. The seminar will also help students think about problems and challenges in a different, more proactive way, and learn to identify the leadership skills necessary for bringing about change.

This program is open to all students who have completed Foundations of Strategy and Leadership this fall or in the past. 

Spring 2023

  • January 10 — Early return to campus (winter break housing provided)
  • January 11-13 — SALTT Orientation
  • January 14 — Eisenhower Leadership Conference 
  • Friday, Feb. 10, 6:30-9 p.m. 
  • Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • March 6-8 — Spring break session 
  • Tuesday, April 11 — Final presentations
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