An assessment of the Senior Enlisted Leader Program at the United States Naval Academy

Abstract

This thesis is an assessment of the Senior Enlisted Leader Program at the United States Naval Academy. Specifically, this thesis documents the background and presents an assessment of the program. The author conducted 34 focused interviews--four of these interviews were conducted with key personnel involved in the founding and implementation of the Senior Enlisted Leader Program in its early years. The other 30 interviews were conducted with the 30 current Senior Enlisted Leaders to gain insight into the current operation of the program from their perspective. The data analysis yielded eight themes related to the Senior Enlisted Leader Program. Six of these themes present positive aspects of the program, and two of these themes address areas for improvement. Overall, the data suggest that the Senior Enlisted Leader Program has had a significant positive impact on the leadership development of midshipmen and the Naval Academy as a whole.