Leadership in Action - Stand out amongst the crowd

Many of Hofstra’s departments and student organizations contribute great engagement opportunities to our community and it’s amazing to watch as our student leaders develop ideas that turn into successes around campus. With the fall semester in full swing, I wanted to pinpoint a few great opportunities for leadership development that The Office of Student Leadership & Activities (OSLA) has coming up soon. The first one is the Fall Leadership Conference, scheduled for Saturday October 19^th. The theme of the conference is Stop Stalling, Start Engaging: Putting your Skills into Action. Whether an established leader, an emerging leader, or a student who hasn't yet found their niche, you will walk out with tangible take-a-ways of how to acquire specific skills and utilize them in leadership roles and daily living. Make sure to register here: http://studentvoice.com/hu/introduction. Students can email osla@hofstra.edu with any questions.  

The Blue and Gold Leadership Series is a newly renovated program aimed at equipping students with opportunities to acquire and implement leadership skills to enhance professional competence while documenting achievements that can lead to career, service, or leadership advancement. The program prepares students to serve in significant campus and community leadership roles through development and training. Blue Leadership targets 1st and 2nd year emerging student leaders and runs for eight weeks in the spring semester. Each two-hour workshop covers different areas of leadership, including personal development, purpose and vision, collaboration, service, ethical decision-making, marketing your leadership, and multicultural competence.  Students must apply to the Blue Leadership program and applications will be available by mid-October. We encourage faculty and staff to nominate students as well. For students who don’t want to commit to a regular semester-long seminar, PRIDE a-la-carte Leadership Certificate Program is a great option!  Workshops are offered at varying times throughout the semester to allow students to develop leadership skills on their time. Participants must attend four sessions and engage in a few great programs offered throughout the Division of Student Affairs in order to receive a certificate of completion for this a-la-carte workshop series.

  

As a next step from PRIDE or Blue, the Gold Leadership program targets upperclassmen for an experiential leadership experience. Participants in the year-long Gold Leadership Program belong to an intimate cohort of student leaders that dialogue bi-weekly about leadership and interpersonal development. The Gold Cohort will continue meeting all semester engaging about their own strengths, weaknesses, biases, and vision; pinpointing the kind of leader they are, and articulating how they intend to lead ethically, competently, confidently, and openly in the global world after college. They are forming relationships with mentors from around campus, all of which are at the Director, Dean, or VP level, and in the coming spring semester, they are charged with mentoring the Blue participants, planning the Spring Midnight Run, and completing the program with a “Where I’m From; Where I’m Going” presentation. Whether during outdoor excursions, mentor meetings, service work, or deep discussions about leadership and purposeful living, the Gold students will exemplify an increased self-awareness, confidence, and ability to articulate their place in an ever-changing world. Sporting their Gold fleeces in an effort to brand the program, they walk around campus with their heads held high searching for new ways to better themselves and implement new visions while re-defining old ones. Armed with an understanding that leadership development is an on-going process that is never fully complete, these students will join an exclusive community of students who have participated in this comprehensive leadership experience.

 

Leadership opportunities are always popping up throughout the year – keep your eyes peeled for information about the Leadership Summit, Orientation Leader Info Sessions, Alternative Spring Break trips, Senior Seminars, and more! Contact osla@hofstra.edu and check out www.hofstra.edu/leadership for updates and opportunities.