2. Who is Paige Haber-Curran
• Teacher
• Researcher
• Author
• Speaker
• Consultant
3. Excerpted from the International Leadership Association’s
2015 Leadership Education Academy, Dr. Haber-Curran
was a co-chair and below is her bio.
Paige Haber-Curran, Ph.D. is assistant professor and program coordinator for the Student Affairs
in Higher Education (SAHE) master's program at Texas State University.
Paige earned her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego, her master's
degree in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, and bachelor degrees in
Business Management and German Studies from the University of Arizona.
Paige has over 10 years of experience working with student leadership programs- both co-
curricular and curricular. Paige's research interests include college student leadership
development, emotionally intelligent leadership, effective pedagogy in leadership education, and
women and leadership.
Paige is coauthor of the forthcoming second edition of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A
Guide for Students (2015) and is co-editor of the forthcoming book Advancing Women and
Leadership: Moving the Needle through Applied Theory Building (2015).
In 2013 Paige was recognized as an ACPA Emerging Scholar. She is actively involved in ACPA:
College Student Educators International and the International Leadership Association. Paige
serves as a Co-Lead Facilitator for the LeaderShape Institute and consults and speaks around the
world on topics of leadership.
http://www.ila-net.org/lea/
4. Dr. Haber-Curran’s research focus has been on student
leadership and programs that promote student
development and growth. She highlights the positive
approaches such as “leadership conferences, peer
leadership teams, and multicultural leadership
programs.”
(Haber-Curran, P., & Tillapaugh, D., p. 94, 2013).
5. Haber-Curran is a proponent
for educating the whole
student.
As it pertains to leadership,
programs focus on “values,
motivations, emotions,
purpose, and goals.
(Haber-Curran, P., Allen, S., & Shankman, M.,
2015).
6. Haber-Curran’s research highlights the importance of
the human dimension of student learning about
oneself and building relationships with others.
She also points out that in transformative learning
“instructors play a pivotal role in constructing learning
environments” that
encourage critical thinking.
(Haber-Curran et al., p. 67, 2015)
7. Her research of a leadership capstone course involved
students as “co-creators” and challenged various
pedagogical approaches. This was a qualitative and
phenomenological study that asked “how do students
describe the experience and process of their learning in a
student-centered, inquiry-focused leadership course?”
(Haber-Curran et al., p. 72, 2015.)
8. The pedagogical approach for this course challenged the
traditional model and instead engaged and encouraged
students to design their own learning process.
Using the adaptive leadership constructs, the teaching
methods used where “action inquiry, case-in-point, and
problem-based learning.”
Action inquiry encourages students to reflect and make
sense of their experiences.
Case-in-point requires students to scrutinize their “own
perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors as well as
collaborating with others to mobilize change.”
Problem-based learning accentuates critical thinking of
complex issues. This method spotlights the connection
of “theory to practice.”
(Haber-Curran et al., p. 95-96, 2013)
9. The results of this study taken from student’s reflection
feedback revealed that students developed an
increased self-awareness and a broader view of
leadership.
(Haber-Curran, et al., p. 99, 2013)
10. The students learning encompassed three main
areas; “reflection, engaging in the group process,
and providing and receiving feedback.”
Reflection both individually and in the group
emphasized the students understanding of
themselves and of others.
Group process deepened the students
understanding of themselves as leaders and their
interactions with others.
Feedback although difficult for students, expanded
their self-awareness and fostered their
relationships with others.
(Haber-Curran, et al., p. 98, 2013)
11. Haber-Curran points out that student affairs educators
play a vital role in the development of student leaders.
She asserts that professionals in these key positions are
“experts in assessing developmental readiness,
enhancing self-efficacy and self-authorship, and
integrating cognitive, psychosocial, and cultural
dimensions of development.”
(Haber-Curran, P. & Owen, J., p. 40 2013)
12. Haber-Curran identifies challenges that student affairs
educators must face. One such hurdle is the
preparedness of these educators. Some enter into a
leadership role without the proper training or education
to meet the high needs of the students. The
responsibility falls on the individual to seek out
professional development. One possible solution would
be collaboration between these educators and
researchers and faculty members that can provide their
expertise. (Haber-Curran, et al., 2013)
13. Creating student leadership programs, conferences, and
other types of student leadership development should
be a priority for all universities and colleges. My
institution is a community college and I can see how
these programs would not only improve the student as a
person but it would also promote student success and
completion.
14. Haber-Curran identifies significant areas within student
affairs that promote student leadership. At my
institution, I can see how these areas are in need of
improvement and the development of a more
collaborative effort between student affairs and faculty
is needed. Currently student leadership is built into
each programs capstone course but it is not exclusively
focused on leadership. In addition, if the student does
not finish a capstone course they may never be
introduced to the learning outcomes of building oneself
as a leader.
15. References
Allen, S., Haber-Curran, P., Shankman, M. (2015). Valuing human significance:
Connecting leadership development to personal competence, social
competence, and caring. New Directions for Student Leadership, (145),
59-69. doi: 10.1002/yd.20124
Haber-Curran, P. & Owen, J. (2013). Engaging the whole student: Student affairs
and the national leadership education research agenda. Journal of
Leadership Education, 12(3), 38-50. doi: 10.12806/v12/i13/tf2
Haber-Curran, P. & Tillapaugh, D. (2013). Leadership learning through student-
centered and inquiry-focused approaches to teaching adaptive
leadership. Journal of Leadership Education, 12(1), 92-116.
Haber-Curran, P. & Tillapaugh, D. (2015). Student-centered transformative
learning in leadership education: An examination of the teaching and
learning process. Journal of Transformative Education, 13(1), 66-84.
doi: 10.1177/1541344614559947
International Leadership Association (2015, August 2). Leadership education
academy. Retrieved from http://www.ila-net.org/lea/
