Pillar Three: Simulations

Simulations are academic exercises where students practice real-life leadership. During a leader's life, high-stakes situations arise where demands are great and leadership is essential. These are the moments of crisis, decision and change. They are forks in the road that matter; and they almost always happen at unexpected, inconvenient and stressful times.

Yet it is critical that leaders are prepared to deal effectively with these crises. Simulations put students in fictional scenarios where the stakes are high, tension is present and leadership is required. These experiences provide an opportunity to navigate challenges, and to learn from successes and failures.

Since the simulation is fictional, the failures are not disastrous; in fact, they become profitable learning experiences. This is a chance for students to test their courage, wisdom and leadership in a very real way, seeing where they need to improve for their next encounter with high-stakes decisions.

Simulations consist of mock congresses, moot courts, business planning, model UN and various other fictional and real scenarios where students take on roles and work individually and in teams to identify and solve problems.

Scenarios are developed from historical, current and possible future events. In addition to the skills of researching, writing, communicating and working in teams, simulations help future leaders to prepare for, manage and rally during actual events.

George Wythe himself introduced simulations to American education, and they are still widely used in law schools and in other leadership training programs. As one biographer noted:

“One of Wythe's students, John Brown of Staunton, who was later to become one of Kentucky's first two U.S. Senators, has left an account of Wythe's innovations:

‘Mr. Wythe, ever attentive to the improvement of his pupils, founded two institutions for that purpose, the first in a Moot Court, held monthly or oftener. . . . Mr. Wythe and the other professors sit as judges. . . . He also formed us into a legislative body, consisting of about 40 members. Mr. Wythe is the Speaker to the House and takes all possible pains to instruct us in the Rule of Parliament. . . . I take an active part in these Institutions and hope thereby to rub off [my] natural bashfulness. . . . These exercises serve not only as best amusement after severer studies, but are very useful and attended with many important advantages.’”

A major test of statesmen is the crisis situation, where time is short and decisions result in life or death, or severe consequences. A business executive may face as many as 5-10 such situations in a career, a politician 10-15, and an entrepreneur or combat military officer 20-25 or more.

George Wythe University students go through 20-30 such simulated experiences before graduation, helping prepare them to handle actual crises with character, competence and effectiveness. Integrity, wisdom, diplomacy and courage are the lessons of this remarkable leadership training program.

Next Pillar: Field Experience