Leading with Ubuntu
Comprehensive Training for Umoja Campus Coordinators
Course Overview
Leading with Ubuntu is a comprehensive leadership immersion designed for current and aspiring Umoja Campus Coordinators and equity-centered institutional leaders. Grounded in African philosophical traditions and evidence-informed program design, this course equips leaders to build, sustain, and scale culturally affirming ecosystems that improve outcomes for Black students while strengthening institutional capacity.
Ubuntu — “I am because we are” — is not treated as inspiration alone. In this course, Ubuntu becomes operational. Participants learn how to translate philosophy into systems: program design, recruitment and retention pipelines, budgeting and resource development, data tracking and reporting, compliance structures, student leadership development, and long-term sustainability.
By the end of the course, participants will not only understand Umoja leadership — they will be equipped to execute it with clarity, cultural integrity, and measurable impact.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, participants will be able to:
- Implement the 18 Umoja Practices with measurable program fidelity
- Design evidence-based Umoja program models aligned with MOA requirements
- Build culturally grounded recruitment and retention systems
- Develop mission-aligned budgets and diversified funding strategies
- Construct reliable data tracking, reporting, and compliance systems
- Communicate program outcomes effectively to administrators and stakeholders
- Cultivate belonging, psychological safety, and healing-centered environments
- Design sustainability systems that outlast individual coordinators
Who Should Enroll
This course is designed for:
- Current and aspiring Umoja Campus Coordinators
- Directors of Equity and Black Student Success Initiatives
- Student Services Deans and Program Managers
- Counselors overseeing culturally centered programs
- Institutional leaders responsible for compliance and program sustainability
Course Modules
Module 1: The Umoja Coordinator as Transformative Leader
Foundations of leadership, integrity, institutional navigation, and Village design.
Module 2: Evidence-Based Program Design & Fidelity
Implementing the 18 Umoja Practices and aligning design with data and MOA requirements.
Module 3: The Umoja Engine Room
Budgeting, recruitment and retention systems, reporting, compliance, and operational leadership.
Module 4: Ubuntu in Practice
Belonging, student empowerment, collective leadership, wellness, and sustainability systems.
Micro-Credential
Participants who successfully complete all modules and applied activities earn a Certified Micro-Credential in Leading with Ubuntu: Umoja Campus Coordination.
This credential verifies demonstrated competency in Umoja Program Design, Data-Informed Advocacy, Navigating Compliance Systems, Ubuntu-Based Leadership, and Institutional Sustainability.
Instructor
Dr. Julian J. West
Director of Programs, Umoja Community Education Foundation
Doctorate in Educational Leadership, CSU San Diego
Dr. Julian J. West is an award-winning educational leader and equity strategist with over a decade of experience building and scaling Black student success initiatives across California's community college system. As Director of Programs for the Umoja Community Education Foundation, he provides strategic oversight for Umoja programs across California and Washington.
At Bakersfield College, Dr. West led African American success initiatives that earned national recognition through the Innovation of the Year Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College.
Dr. West holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and an MBA in Management and Marketing. His work bridges philosophy and execution — teaching the operational leadership required to build sustainable, high-impact Black student success programs within complex institutional systems.