COBI establishes the Klar Academy for Leadership Excellence

The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation believe that students are capable of doing much more than landing a job.  Many students can - - and should - - be leaders in their chosen fields.  These leaders will enrich their own lives, as well as those of their coworkers. They will make the places where they work not only more profitable and successful, but also better corporate citizens. Subsequently, they will make their communities better, and the quality of life will rise for thousands, even tens of thousands of people.

COBI has established the KLAR Academy for Leadership Excellence (launched Fall, 2015) to help  undergraduate students from across campus be able to enhance their leadership skills.

The mission of the Klar Academy for Leadership Excellence - - established thanks to the generous contribution of Steven Klar, a UT alum and president of the real estate development company, the Klar Organization.- -  is to expand and accelerate the development of the leadership acumen and talents of a select cadre of outstanding College of Business and Innovation undergraduate students so as to increase their career success, ability to impact the world for good and improve the human condition.

The goals of the Klar Academy for Leadership Excellence are to provide Academy participants with a transformational learning experience to build on their COBI education, enabling them to better lead themselves, others, teams, organizations and communities. The focus of this development effort is to provide Klar Academy students  with a hands-on, unique and difference-making educational experience so as to expand and develop core competencies such as the ability to think bigger and create vision; skill at achieving goals and delivering desired results; emotional intelligence, interpersonal and teaming skills; an expanded worldview and community service mindset; ethical decision making; confidence to lead others and demonstrate self-leadership; and a mentoring mindset.

The Klar Academy will use a variety of learning experiences and methodologies throughout fall and spring semesters to provide Academy members with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rapidly develop their leadership talents.

Following a pilot program for 50 College of Business and Innovation students, the Klar Academy expects to accommodate nearly 200 students per year with students from all colleges at The University of Toledo.

Steven Klar, president of the Klar Organization, a diversified real estate development, building and brokerage firm, was honored as The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation 2005 Business Pacemaker of the Year. Klar received a bachelor’s of business administration from UT in 1969, then went on to earn a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1973.

The Klar Academy for Leadership Excellence is a new, innovative and inclusive component of the developing Center for Leadership and Organizational Excellence. It directly serves undergraduate students and is representative of the important goals and scope of the emerging Center.