Advancing Our Servant Leadership Reputation
McMurry University’s Professional Leadership Program (PLP), now in its second year, reflects the university’s core values in preparing students for lives of faith, relationships, learning, excellence, and service. In alignment with the Division of Humanities, Religion, and Social Sciences, the PLP offers students across all majors an opportunity to develop the soft skills most admired in leaders — effective communication, ethical judgment, critical thinking, teamwork, and cultural competence — through structured experiences that connect learning to real-world impact.
The program’s foundation rests on the conviction that leadership is not defined by position but by purpose. Through events such as the Future Leaders Intensive, Etiquette Luncheon, Professional Summit, and Women’s Leadership Student Forum, students cultivate the confidence and character essential for professional and civic life. They may also attend AXIOS Professional Communication Workshops, help facilitate the Taylor County Point-in-Time Count of people experiencing homelessness, and use special funding to attend regional and national conferences, exposing them to immersive leadership experiences.
Participants earn Foundations of Leadership and Advanced Leadership certifications by attending a required number of events, engaging in campus leadership roles, and reflecting on their personal growth, as measured by the desired PLP outcomes.
Thus far, more than 90 students have been vetted and nominated for the PLP by 40 different faculty and staff. Presently, 47 students are actively engaged in the PLP, with 13 now eligible for certification.
Soft Skills, Strong Leaders
The Professional Leadership Program was designed around the insight that soft skills are powerful skills — the enduring, transferable qualities that distinguish graduates who not only succeed but make a difference. Employers consistently identify abilities such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, and ethical reasoning as among the most desired in the workplace. These same qualities lie at the heart of McMurry’s liberal arts tradition and are intentionally cultivated through the PLP.
Students learn to:
- Communicate with clarity and professionalism, mastering both written and interpersonal communication through the AXIOS workshops and networking events.
- Collaborate effectively, applying the principles of shared leadership in team projects and community service experiences.
- Think critically and act ethically, evaluating complex situations with both intellectual rigor and moral discernment.
- Demonstrate cultural competence by engaging diverse communities with respect, empathy, and awareness.
Each of these abilities — while not tied to any single discipline — translates across professions, making PLP graduates well-equipped for leadership in business, education, law, healthcare, ministry, and public service. More importantly, these skills align with the Division’s broader mission: to help students develop into reflective, compassionate, and courageous human beings who view leadership not as self-advancement, but as a form of service.
A Legacy that Inspires: Sarah Weddington and the PLP
The vision and vitality of the PLP are made possible by the extraordinary generosity of Sarah Weddington ’64. Her historic $6 million estate gift to McMurry continues a lifelong commitment to preparing future leaders. A McMurry alumna, attorney, and trailblazer who successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, Weddington dedicated her life to service, mentorship, and the advancement of others through education. Each cohort of PLP students is a testament to Weddington, strengthening the McMurry community as a place where humanistic learning meets professional preparation, and where leadership is understood as both a skill and a calling that requires the combination of intellect, compassion, and integrity.