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Rutgers School of Business – Camden

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Business Leader Development Program (BLDP)
Frequently Asked Questions

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General Questions

BLDP is a well-established program designed to identify, develop, and reward Rutgers–Camden students who demonstrate leadership qualities during their undergraduate program. The program encourages students to become better, more active leaders, both on campus and in community activities. Additionally, BDLP teaches students how to be more effective in their professional lives after graduation.

BDLP helps to develop the student’s leadership potential, encouraging their involvement in school and civic activities.

  1. Through the BLDP seminar, students will gain numerous networking opportunities with local business leaders, executives, and previous program participants.
  2. The BDLP seminar is a 3-credit, graded course that could possibly go towards your major, minor, or an elective.
  3. Completion of the BDLP seminar is a great résumé-building item, giving you an edge in life after graduation.
  4. Students completing the BLDP will receive a special designation, “Business Leader Development Program,” on their transcript upon graduation. They will also receive a leather portfolio with the BLDP logo embossed on its cover.

About Seminars

BLDP seminars are taught on a rotating basis by faculty on various topics relevant to business today. You can view details on our BLDP Seminar page.

BLDP seminars are open to any Rutgers–Camden student, even if they do not intend to enroll in the BLDP program. This includes students of the Rutgers Camden College of Arts & Sciences, School of Nursing, and School of Business.

Students can visit the BLDP application page to apply for the BLDP seminar.
Student applications will be evaluated by RSBC faculty/staff, RSBC alumni, and/or previous BLDP alumni. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance into the seminar about the time that early registration commences and will be given a permission number to enroll in the course.

The seminars meet on Friday mornings. Occasionally an on-site visit may be planned that requires significant travel time to or from the seminar location, which would cause meeting times to extend beyond the usual times. Seminar faculty do their best to alert students at the beginning of the semester of any seminar dates requiring extensions.

Yes. Students who have not enrolled in any previous seminars are given admission priority. If there are any remaining spaces, however, past seminar participants are permitted to fill them (currently the maximum seminar enrollment is 20). Repeat seminar participants will be required to submit a brief essay explaining their desire to take the additional seminar; but they are not required to submit a new application. Students would not be permitted to repeat a seminar on the same topic.

All seminars are graded using a traditional letter-graded process. Seminar credits are considered a business elective; they cannot count as discipline- or area-specific credits.

The application process begins each October and March. Applications are evaluated and accepted until the seminar is full.

Honor’s Certification

No. The seminar is only one component of the BLDP. A student cannot complete the BLDP without having taken a seminar in the semester immediately following their admission to the program. In order to complete the BLDP with Honors, students must accumulate 14 "leadership units.” The seminar counts for three (3) of the required 14 leadership units.

The remaining 11 leadership units will be earned by serving in a leadership or coordinator capacity in a school, community, or volunteer organization or event—not merely as a participant. See the BLDP Honors Certification page for detailed examples.

No, that is not necessary. Accumulating the remaining 11 leadership units typically involves a longer time frame, and students should not hesitate to pursue leadership opportunities right away.

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BLDP Executive Shadowing Application v2

This form is set to automatically delete an entry 180 days after it has been submitted.

"*" indicates required fields

* Indicates a required field.

Student Information

Major(s)*
Minor(s)

Shadowing

Preferred Work Environment
Preferred Area of Work*

Signatures

If I am chosen and matched with an executive, I will follow through and prepare a one-page report giving honest feedback about the experience. The written summary is due by the start of the next semester. By typing my name in the box to the right I am offering my digital signature in lieu of my handwritten signature.

After the shadowing event, I will write a personal thank you letter to the executive and copy Dr. Kaufman-Scarborough and Ms. Bridget Britton for their records. By typing my name in the box to the right I am offering my digital signature in lieu of my handwritten signature.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

After notified of a match, students are responsible for providing personal information to the matched executive (e.g., current resume and cover letter with information on career ambitions). The information on this application is for internal use only, for us to match you as well as possible with and executive from among our alumni database.

BLDP Application

The Spring 2023 Application is now open! 

Priority will be given to applications received by November 18. Applications are accepted until all seats are filled. Space is limited, so apply early!

The seminar application process is our gateway for entry into the program. Upon acceptance into BLDP, students will be emailed their acceptance letter plus a special permission number allowing registration for the BLDP seminar.

Requirements

Seminar applications are solicited each semester and require the following:

  1. Completed application form (at the bottom of this page),
  2. For students with GPA 3.0 – 3.49, two (2) letters of recommendation (one academic; one other)

Rutgers-Camden students are invited to apply to apply for enrollment in the BLDP seminar. All applicants are expected to meet both of the following selection criteria:  (1) have sophomore standing or above and (2) have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above. First-semester transfer students will be evaluated based on their GPA earned at Rutgers. Students who fail to meet these admission criteria may still be allowed to apply for (and possibly enroll in) the BLDP seminar, but they will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The director balances evaluations to make final decisions on people accepted for the seminar (up to a maximum of 15-20 each semester).

Students who are admitted to the BDLP are required to adopt the BLDP Code of Conduct. A signed contract is required from each student.

Students may count activities toward “leadership units” that were initiated prior to taking a seminar, as long as those activities occured primarily during their enrollment in their academic program.

Application for Admission to BLDP Seminar

Applications for the BLDP Seminar will be ongoing until class is filled.

BLDP Program Application

This form is set to automatically delete an entry 180 days after it has been submitted.

  • * Indicates a required field.

  • Contact Information

  • Academic Information

  • Please enter a number from 0 to 500.
  • Transfer students only.

  • Employment Information

  • List relevant employment history

  • EmployerPositionDates of Employment 

  • School Leadership Information

  • Provide evidence of leadership initiative while enrolled in school by listing all school-based organizations and activities in which you have held a leadership role while a student.

  • OrganizationRoleDates 

  • Community Leadership Information

  • Provide a list of community or volunteer activities in which you engaged in a leadership role.

  • OrganizationRoleDates of Activity 

  • Statement

  • In your own words (100-350), discuss the reasons why your application should be considered for the Business Leader Development Program, including what you hope to gain from the program and what you can contribute.

  • Additional Submission Instructions

  • If you need to submit two reference letters, please email them to ldrshp@camden.rutgers.edu. Ideally, you should receive one letter from an academic source (e.g., a former or current instructor), and one from a business source (e.g., a former employer - even if for a part-time or volunteer position).

    Please only submit one application. If you experience any technical problems or need to submit the application again, please contact ldrshp@camden.rutgers.edu.

    Thank you.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.