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WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF "TOGETHER"

WHERE IT BEGAN

CREATING A STRONGER FUTURE TOGETHER

At our core as an organization, we believe that people share more commonalities than differences. This perspective has been a pillar of integrity for the NSLS since we began over twenty years ago.

From day one, our mission has been to foster a community of success-oriented individuals with strong leadership potential and a commitment to making a positive impact for everyone, including all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, sexual identities, and gender identities.

Our Purpose

BUILDING LEADERS WHO MAKE A BETTER WORLD

The NSLS mission of “building leaders who make a better world” was established in 2001 by our founder, Gary Tuerack. Some of our initiatives include community service projects, leadership development hours, and scholarships that give all members equal access to financial opportunities.

We have also developed unique scholarships for members of marginalized communities that have endured systemic injustice and inequity.

Our stance against bigotry and discrimination is part of our daily commitment to our members, employees, and the higher education community.

It is not just a response to the latest news cycle.

Our Philosophy

DRIVING CHANGE THROUGH ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY

Anyone can be a leader. They just need access to the tools, experience, and education to develop their leadership skills.

We identify potential leaders during their college career, whether they are a traditional student, non-traditional student, attending a community college, four-year university, or online college. Regardless of their academic and economic background, we grant potential leaders with tools to hone their skills, become more effective communicators, and engage with our diverse community of members.

We focus on the Foundations of Leadership—core skills and values in preparation for entering the workforce. The values they learn at the NSLS will contribute to the organizations they join and impact local and global communities.

For the NSLS, a "better world" means inclusion, diversity, and celebration of individual uniqueness.

Breaking it Down

OUR NAME IS WHO AND WHAT WE ARE

Our name defines not only what we do but who we are. The National Society of Leadership and Success means:

  • National: The NSLS community provides life-changing professional development experiences for a diverse community of students throughout the United States. We have chapters at over 700 campuses and more than 1.5 million members nationwide.

  • Society: We are guided by the principle that we can achieve more together than alone. We believe we are stronger as one, co-guardians in humanity, responsible for each other and future generations.

  • Leadership: We build leaders who want to make a positive impact in their local communities and the world. That begins with the students' foundational leadership learning and acquiring essential skills to build upon for future success.

  • Success: We proudly continue the NSLS history of equality, helping our diverse community of members strive toward success. 93 percent of members indicate the NSLS impacts their likelihood of achieving life goals, and 93 percent believe NSLS has impacted  their likelihood of landing the job of their choice upon graduating.

we are global citizens. 1.5 million strong.

526

4-Year Universities

202

2-Year Colleges

42

HBCUs

85

HSIs

DIVERSITY DATA

A snapshot of our new members in 2020

ethnicity-data-viz
gender-data-viz

MEASURABLE IMPACT

 SCHOLARSHIPS, PROJECTS, AND FOR-BENEFIT 

awards & scholarships with equitable purpose

Financial constraints should not be a barrier between students and academic opportunities. Each year, the NSLS Foundation awards students over $400,000 in scholarships.

Our efforts include unique scholarship programs created as countermeasures to inequity within marginalized communities.

Among these designated programs are the United by Purpose: Building Equitable Leaders, United by Purpose: A Challenge for Equality for All and the Dream Support Grant.

See scholarship winners >

STRIVING TO

THINK GLOBALLY. ACT LOCALLY.

From our humble beginnings in 2001 with a little more than a hundred members at just 16 campuses, the NSLS now reaches over 1.5 million members at 700+ campuses nationwide. In addition to our Better World Project initiatives, we provide members with opportunities to fund philanthropic ventures, support their favorite charities, and strongly encourage volunteerism.

Notable Better World projects include local and national food drives, school supplies to children in underserved communities, assisting soup kitchens, and green farming initiatives. To date, NSLS members have completed 282,000+ hours of community service.

USING BUSINESS AS A FORCE FOR CHANGE

The NSLS is a certified For-Benefit organization, guided by redefining the business acumen to reflect that we are each dependent upon one another, and thus, responsible for the well-being of humanity as it impacts future generations. We believe strongly that inclusive interconnectivity paves the way for a robust, sustainable economy for all.

For-Benefit organizations exist as societal problem solvers to combat inequality, environmental concerns, generational poverty, racial inequity, and educational and employment disparity among marginalized communities. We put people over profit and utilize earnings to impact the lives of our employees, members, and their communities.

DE&I at the NSLS

Looking Ahead

Diversity has been at the heart of the NSLS since we began in 2001. These pillars continue to define us, aligned with our unwavering efforts to build a more unified and inclusive future for everyone.

Join the movement.
Make an impact.

Start a Chapter

Interested in starting an NSLS chapter at your school? Click below to learn more about how to create a chapter on your campus.

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Join our Team

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Click below to browse open positions and join our team.

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