The Arizona Blue Chip Program
Building Leaders Who Make a Difference Since 1999
Blue Chip (bloo chip) n. 1. A stock that sells at a high price because of public confidence in its long record of steady earnings. 2. An extremely valuable asset or property. 3. A program designed to certify the top student leaders on campus as “Arizona Blue Chips.” The finest graduates The University of Arizona can inspire.
The Arizona Blue Chip Program is a 4 year comprehensive leadership development program designed to build leaders who make a difference. Since 1999, with the induction of the first 238 members, the Arizona Blue Chip program has gained exposure and recognition within the University, Tucson, the State of Arizona and in many other places all over the nation. What was once a dream to inspire student leaders has now evolved into one of The University of Arizona’s finest campus programs.
The Arizona Blue Chip Program combines academic leadership courses and extracurricular activities to enhance leadership knowledge and skills. The program integrates self-reflection, skill development, community service, social justice education, teambuilding, career development, and event planning to help students learn, practice, and engage in leadership for social change. Blue Chip is designed to help students gain self-awareness and an understanding of the world around them.
The Arizona Blue Chip Program is broken into four intentional phases. Phase I is designed to help students gain the necessary survival skills to be successful in many different aspects of their lives. Phase II is geared toward leadership educational competencies, while giving students varied service experiences. Phases III and IV incorporate the skills learned during the first two phases, through additional real-world applications, including a final project in Phase IV where a self-supporting, self-governing project will give students the chance to culminate all the skills and experiences they have gained in your four years in Blue Chip.
Blue Chip does not define leadership as positional, but as a relational process. For that reason, we believe not only that everyone has the opportunity to learn and grow into a leader, but that everyone has a responsibility to be a leader.
Blue Chip Mission: Build leaders who make a difference.
The four core values of our program reflect the program's components and the way in which leadership is viewed within the program:
- Integrity: Knowing the difference between right and wrong and doing the right thing all the time... even when no one is watching.
- Diversity: Leaders are inclusive, first through awareness of self, expanding to include awareness of others, and becoming multiculturally competent.
- Service: It's not about me, it's about us. Leaders care about people and seek to enhance the lives of those around them. By serving others, leaders serve themselves.
- Excellence: Understanding your capabilities and limitations and then doing your best all the time... accepting nothing less.
How does Blue Chip Differ from Other University Activities?
Blue Chip is a university program, which is different from a student club. It is one of 11 university leadership programs and is staffed by 6 professional staff members. Blue Chip is designed to help you focus on developing as a leader and learning about leadership, whereas other involvement opportunities are designed to have you lead, without necessarily learning about the best way to lead. We strongly believe that the best combination is being involved with Blue Chip along with other activities on campus such as student clubs, student government, and/or fraternities and sororities. The experiences greatly complement one another; where you learn about leadership in Blue Chip you get the opportunity to practice it in other activities. Many prominent student leaders on campus are also in Blue Chip.
Blue Chip Staff can be contacted at 520-621-8046 or arizonabluechip@gmail.com