Special Olympics Indiana’s foundational leadership program is Athlete Leadership University, which meets two weekends per year (Fall and Spring). Starting with the “Introduction to Athlete Leadership” course, athletes learn about Special Olympics, create a personal mission statement, and plan how they can lead in the organization. As athletes continue their training they develop basic leadership skills, apply these skills to specialty areas, and prepare themselves for leadership opportunities within the organization.

Athlete leaders select one of seven majors — communication, events, governance, health and fitness, sports, technology, and leadership through visual arts. Each major consists of a series of courses leading to graduation two to three years later. Following each class session, an athlete leader must complete a practicum related to the course topic.

ALU Majors | Fall 2025 courses are listed below.

• • Core Course: Leadership Fundamentals (first course for a new leader)
    • NOTE: This course replaces Introduction to Athlete Leadership and Understanding Leadership.
  • Communications: Global Messenger II (must have completed Global Messenger I)
  • Events: Event Planning
  • Governance: Councils, Boards and Committees
  • Health and Fitness: Health and Fitness Advocates (must have completed Introduction to Health and Fitness)
  • Health and Fitness: Introduction to Health and Fitness
  • Sports: Training Fundamentals (must have completed Principles of Coaching)
  • Technology: Digital Media
  • Technology: Presentation Design
  • Visual Arts: Leadership Through Visual Arts I
  • Core Course: Leadership Capstone