Regional

Spotlight Edition

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A Word... from the co-chairs

This year, in addition to creating knowledge centered on student leadership, we have worked to brand the KC through developing a new logo and signature programs. We wanted to establish a logo that associated our KC with NASPA but also gave our own identity. This initiative should increase awareness of the KC and increase participation in programs, including the resources our KC offers. With the help of our members and leadership team, we were able to create a unique logo that we hope we will be the stepping-stone to branding our KC.

In 2009, our KC developed a Graduate Support Network to increase engagement of graduate students interested in student leadership. Since then, we have been able to connect graduate students with professionals across the country through outreach and mentorship. Recently, the leadership team decided to expand our annual mentorship program and make it a signature event at each regional conference. For the initial year, we had missed the deadline to extend the program to all regions. However, three regions were extremely successful in recruiting 34 mentors and over 60 mentees for the program. Creating a signature program, like our mentorship pairing, creates consistency in our offered programs throughout each region and encourages engagement at every level. We are looking forward to continue this signature program at the annual conference and the regional level next year.

The KC has also been working to collaborate with other leadership related organizations and creating more of a social media presence. We created a position on our leadership team to focus solely on social media and external communica-tion to the KC. This position has been key to engaging members on a daily basis and sharing resources and announcements. We have seen our Twitter followers nearly double in one year to 1,504 followers. We have 1,002 likes on our Facebook page as well. Additionally, we have created a new YouTube channel featuring short videos on leadership and features of the KC. This spring we will be rolling out our blog with consistent and engaging content for student leadership educators.

Danielle Kleist

University of Miami

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Our biggest collaboration this fall was securing a MOU between NASPA and Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society. This coming April, we are working with NASPA headquarters and OΔK to launch a pilot program through the new NASPA learning management system. Dr. Walter Fluker from Boston University will present on ethical leadership in this new partnership.

Finally, we are happy to present the efforts of our wonderful regions. The regions are a great way for the efforts of the KC to have a local impact. Oftentimes the regions are a great proving ground for ideas and programs that can be scaled to the national level. We are very proud of the regional efforts across NASPA.

As we look forward to 2015, we hope to see you all at the NASPA Annual Conference in New Orleans! We have a wonderful pre-conference workshop and will be publishing a program guide in advance of the conference.

SLPKC Leadership Team

SLPKC Leadership Team members come together from all over to share best

practices, provide critical evaluation of the field, examine standards for leadership

programs, support national and regional efforts to develop student leadership

programs, make contributions to the literature, recognize exemplary programs, and

cultivate a forum for the presentation of new ideas.

Meet the Leadership Team and find more ways to connect with the SLPKC via our

WEBSITE.

Matt Clifford

Wake Forest University

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from the co-chairs

meet the

EDITORS

Ashley Spicer-Runnels is the Leadership Institute

Coordinator in the Dean of Students Office at Texas State

University. She obtained a B.S. in Family Studies from Lamar

University, an M.B.A. from University of Houston-Victoria,

and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from

Lamar University. Her research was broadly based on

multiracial student persistence as well as the implications of

social and academic integration. Prior to her existing role as

Coordinator, she was responsible for the following areas:

multicultural programming, new student programming, student

government, Greek life, and parent and family programming.

Amanda Horton is the Assistant Director for

Integrative Student Services in the Wake

Forest University School of Business. She

received a B.A. in Communication from N.C.

State University and a M.S. Ed. from Baylor

University. Prior to her current role, she

oversaw the My Journey, a class specific

student development initiative, at Wake

Forest . Before her work at Wake Forest,

Amanda worked in the Office of the Chaplain

at Baylor University.

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March 21 - March 25, 2015

New Orleans, Louisiana

Join us in New Orleans to connect with colleagues and redefine the future of higher education. You’ll be inspired by thought provoking speakers, meet colleagues from around the world, and return to campus with the tools needed to navigate the constantly changing landscape of student affairs.

Find more information and register HERE !

2015 NASPA Annual Conference

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This fall, the Region 1 SLP-KC Leadership team accepted applications for the Mentorship Program. The program is designed to connect graduate students or new professionals who are interested in student leadership with current, experienced professionals who have been in the field for two or more years. Both mentees and mentors were asked to fill out an application to assist with the matching process. Each mentor was assigned at least two mentees and was asked to connect face to face at the conference. The purpose of the program is to connect the mentee to the SLP-KC and NASPA, provide the mentee with networking opportunities during the conference, and allow the mentee to learn more about working with student leadership programs. We had a total of 7 mentors and 19 mentees apply to the program. We are very excited to share that these applicants represent a total of 17different institutions in Region 1. The SLP-KC in Region 1 is thrilled to see so much interest in the 2014 Mentorship Program, and we can’t wait for mentors and

mentees to get to know each other in Newport at the Region 1 Conference.

Be a Mentor:

I have never had an “official” mentor, but I have been fortunate to have been mentored by some of the many of you in the field. What has made a difference in my young career is not the titles one held in my life, but the genuine support I have received from people who made the time to listen when they did not have to. As a new professional, I often panic in search of a “how to be successful in student affairs” guide. There might be some stuff

out there, but what I realized in moments where I’ve lost the connection to my internal GPS, is the fact that many of you seasoned folks serve as that guide. You answered my email. You took my call (or

A Successful Mentoring Program R

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means to be a

coach, and to be

someone who

supports his or her

mentee

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called back). You gave me feedback. You helped me look for answers. You shared your experience. You listened. To be a mentor is to be more than someone who trains another person. Training is something that one gives to another order to learn a trade or become more knowledgeable on a specific topic. To be a mentor means to be a coach, and to be someone who supports his or her mentee. Being a mentor is more about the counseling side of one’s job. It’s about being able to share how to handle frustration, how to give constructive criticism, how to behave with humility, etc. Taking a mentor role in someone’s life will not only further develop them in a professional setting, but it may also cause an overall life alteration. Mentors are key to ensuring the next generation of “yous” are just as successful, if not more.

Jeffrey Morris

Coordinator of Off-Campus Housing

Suffolk University

jsmorris@suffolk.edu

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Region 1, You’re Invited

to join the NASPA Region 1 Student Leadership

Programs Knowledge Community

(SLPKC)

BOOK CLUB

The NASPA Region 1 Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community (SLP KC) would like to invite you to participate the launch of our leadership book club. If you are interested in joining, please fill

out the form using this link: http://tinyurl.com/SLPBookClub

Here are some details about the structure of the book club: 1. After the first book launch in January, you get to vote on which book should be read for the following months. 2. As a participant you can select which months you would like to join the group for a book club meeting. 3. Throughout the month, the SLP Education and Professional Development Co-Chairs will read along with you and post their insights, questions, and ideas with the reading group. 5. At the end of the month, there will be video chat discussions over the book.

If you have any questions, please e-mail Shane Lloyd (Shane_Lloyd@brown.edu) or Tasha Coppett

(tcoppett@mit.edu).

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As the semester is winding down and the weather is getting colder things in Region 2 are just heating up! To do this, we need your help!

In an effort to increase the Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community presence within our region, I am looking to form a Region 2 SLPKC Leadership Team of members like you! This Leadership Team would offer opportunities to:

Get more connected to the organization

Interact with your Region 2 colleagues

Promote conversations about student leadership

Provide professional development opportunities

This Leadership Team will be a new initiative in our region and as a result, will allow flexibility when it comes to structure and format – we need your help to create an active and engaged community! Some of the different functions would include, but are not limited to:

Planning a regional drive-in conference

Establishing state/area meet ups for members

Coordinating involvement of the SLPKC at the regional conference

Assist with the SLPKC graduate student mentoring program

Maintaining a newsletter or other communication throughout the region

Writing blog posts or newsletter articles

Promoting SLPKC initiatives through various social media

To allow the Leadership Team to have the most success, it would be ideal to have a representative from each of the different states, provinces and countries that make up Region 2. The time commitment would include a monthly conference call and then any additional time spent planning and implementing initiatives, just about an hour per week.

Other ways to connect to the KC

Not able to join the Leadership Team? We can still use your help! Share a best practice or strategy you are using by writing a blog post - just 250 words! Take a conference presentation to the web by offering to present a webinar to the region. Or just send along your thoughts and ideas for initiatives you would like to see in the Region.

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, email Kim Piatt, Region 2 Representative for the Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community at kpiatt@brockport.edu or call

585-395-2987.

Here’s to a great closing to the fall semester and some exciting new things to come in 2015!

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The University of South Carolina Aiken has a variety of leadership classes and programs for students to participate in and, over the last three years, the Office of Student Life, in conjunction with the Office of Career Services, has expanded our offerings with four unique programs: The USCA Disney Leadership Exchange, The College to Career Certificate Program, the Leadership USCA Certificate Program, and the USCA/Suffolk Leadership Exchange. Each program offers students the opportunity to enhance their leadership development while focused on specific areas of leadership. The USCA Disney Leadership Exchange: Working with the YES Collegiate Program offered by Walt Disney World, 10 students are selected through an application process each year to participate in Disney programs that focus on creativity, teamwork, and customer service. The three day program has

seminars in the morning lead by Disney facilitators and then students have exercises to do as they visit parks which focus on observing leadership and customer service examples. Social media is utilized to have students share examples of Disney. At the end of each day, reflection sessions are held and, when students return, they complete a written reflection. Participants pay $225 for the program and the University covers the rest of the cost. The College to Career Certificate Program: Recently, through a $20,000 grant from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, a certificate program focused on developing the “soft skills” of our students has been created. The program is in response to businesses and industries stating that recent graduates are knowledgeable in their field but lack such “soft skills” as how to network, how to manage an office, and how to develop a budget. The program will feature 15

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workshops throughout the year and students who participate in 8 of the workshops will receive a certificate. The workshops will be facilitated by local business leaders and will be implemented in spring 2015. The program is free to participants. The Leadership USCA Certificate Program: Created two years ago to al-low students to enhance their degree by completing a program which shows that they have developed their leadership skills, the Leadership USCA Certifi-cate Program is made up of 3 academic leadership classes, immersive lead-ership and career exploration opportunities, and workshops. Over 40 stu-dents have signed up for the certificate program and recently, we have had our first two graduates. Participants take a pre and post assessment to show leadership growth. The program is free for participants. The USCA/Suffolk Leadership Exchange Program: For the last four years, the Uni-versity of South Carolina Aiken and Suf-folk University in Boston have exchanged 15 students for 4 days in the spring se-mester to focus on a topic which effects lead-ership. Past topics have been inspi-rational leadership, public education, and he-roic leadership. Participants from USCA earn academic credit for the exchange and Suffolk students earn credit towards their leadership program. The Exchange has been huge success as it not only allows students the opportunity to learn about a specific leadership issue but it also allows students to experience very different cultures. The program costs students the price of the ticket to Boston (typically about $250.00).

For more information about USCA leadership programs,

contact Ahmed Samaha at ahmeds@usca.edu.

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The outstanding work of Region IV-E professionals invested in student leadership is energizing! At the IV-E regional conference in early November, a member of the IV-E SLPKC Leadership Team was recognized with the region’s Outstanding New Professional award. The regional award is given to a professional with no more than 3 years of experience who is making a significant impact with their work. Eboni Turnbow, Coordinator of Student Life, Campus Activities, and Student Involvement at Wayne State University, was lauded for her work on her campus and in professional organizations. In addition to serving on the IV-E SLPKC Leadership Team, Eboni has held leadership positions in the Michigan College Personnel Association and in NACA Mid-America. She has

also done outstanding work motivating student leaders on her campus to innovate and develop programs that excite their campus community. Eboni’s enthusiasm and commitment to students and colleagues is inspiring. Region IV-E is looking forward to hosting its first SLPKC Drive-In Conference on May 29, 2015. Professionals are invited to gather at Loyola Chicago’s Water Tower to “Transition, Discover, Transform.” Eboni Turnbow, Drive-In Chair, is assembling an amazing conference committee and working to develop a conference program that optimizes learning, the sharing of resources, and networking opportunities. More information will be available after January 1, 2015 at: www.naspa.org/events/15R4E-SLPKC-DriveInConf For more information about what is happening in Region IV-E, please

feel free to contact Lisa Brown Cornelius lmbrown@jcu.edu or Eric Knueve Knueve@studentlife.wisc.edu

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The Greek philosopher Thales said, “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.”

In the movie Runaway Bride (Marshall, Field, Rosenberg, Kroopf, & Cort, 1999) the main character displays a pattern of getting engaged and then leaving her fiancé at the alter. This happens several times and at a key turning point in the film the main character realizes she always orders the same kind of eggs that her fiancés would order. This epiphany leads her on a journey of self-discovery. She not only finds out what type of eggs she likes (it turns out she only likes eggs benedict), she embraces her talent for making lamps (which turns into a profitable career) and she finally gets married.

In the hustle and bustle of work, family, and the many other responsibilities each of us have, taking the time to know oneself is the last thing on the list. It is a scary thing to become self-aware. What if we’re not as good as we pretend to be? Coming to know and accept oneself is imperative to becoming an authentic and effective leader. In Lowny’s book, Heroic Leadership (2003), he states, “a leader’s most compelling leadership tool is who he or she is” (p. 19). And, according to Haslam, Reicher, and Platow (2011) there are four rules of “effective leadership” (p. 71). First, “a leader must be seen as “one of us”” (p. 68) or as part of the in-group. Second, “leaders need to be

in-group champions” (p. 68). Third, “leaders need to be skilled entrepreneurs of identity” (p. 71). And fourth, “leaders need to be embedders of identity” (p. 72). Haslam, Reicher, and Platow have an insightful list of rules; however, before one can authentically be a part of the in-group she must first know herself, her values, her strengths, and her narrative. After all, how can one embed identity if she does not know what her identity is? During this season of reflection, take the time to reconnect with you. We are our own worst critic so trust me, the real you is much better than who you are pretending to be.

References

Field, T., Rosenberg, T., Kroopf, S., & Cort, R. (Producers), & Marshall, G. (Director). (1999). Runaway Bride [Motion Picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures, Buena Vista International. Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D. & Platow, M. J. (2011). The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

Reflection on Leadership R

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Belinda Han

Director, Center for Leadership

Utah Valley University

belinda.han@uvu.edu

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Why do students apply for jobs within your office? Are they looking for an

opportunity to earn some extra cash? Some may be searching for a way to get

involved or meet new people. Regardless, “It is important for institutions to consider

work as an educationally purposeful activity outside [of the] classroom and to create

job opportunities that benefit students academically, socially and financially” (Cheng

& Alcantara, 2007, p. 301). Higher education institutions would also benefit from

constructing intentional and purposeful employment experiences—in the form of

higher retention rates. Astin’s (1999) Theory of Student Involvement specifically

calls out student employment, stating that, “part-time employment in an on-campus

job actually facilitates retention...The student is spending time on the campus, thus

increasing the likelihood that he or she will come into contact with other students,

professors, and college staff” (p. 523). In short, student affairs professionals need to

better utilize on-campus student employment as an opportunity to teach leadership

to students.

College and Universities across the country are beginning to take

advantage of on-campus employment as a means by which to instill

leadership. University of Missouri, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities,

University of the Pacific, Central Washington University, and California

Lutheran University are just a few of the colleges and universities who are

currently infusing leadership training and development into their

on-campus student employment programs. For example, Cal Lutheran’s

L.E.A.D. (Leadership

Education Accountability

Development) Program

was recently created by

Andrea Treptow, the

Assistant Director within

the Office of Student Life,

and has been implement-

ed as a required program

for all current Office of

L.E.A.D. Program: Utilizing On-Campus Employment to

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Student Life interns and has also been provided as an opportunity for any Student

Organization officers or members who may want to participate in the program. The

program requires students to submit an

approved resume to their supervisor, create a

LinkedIn profile, and attend four workshops

that focus on: communication skills, ethical

leadership, and personal development.

Workshops include Safe Zone Ally Training,

time management and resume writing

workshops, diversity workshops, as well as

various programs and events, such as Relay

for Life or film screenings sponsored by the

Center for Equality and Justice. The L.E.A.D.

Program also includes written reflections on

each workshop and a pre/post assessment

survey to measure learning as a result of

participating in the program. Cal Lutheran

hopes to continue improving the L.E.A.D.

Program and therefore plans to use the

students’ written reflections to both assess

student learning and obtain feedback on which

workshops proved the most valuable and

useful for students.

References

Astin, A. W. (1999). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher

education. Journal of College Student Development, 40(5), 518-529.

Cheng, D.X., & Alcantara, L. (2007). Assessing working students’ college

experiences: A grounded theory approach. Assessment & Evaluation in

Higher Education, 32(3), 301-311.

Jaime Faucher

Coordinator Transitional and Leadership Development Programs

California Lutheran University

(805) 493-3871

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On a quarterly basis SLP KC recognizes the contributions of members who are transforming higher education through outstanding and innovative leadership programs and services. All NASPA members are encouraged to share successes and highlight good or promising practices in research and assessment, influences on student learning in and outside the classroom and theory to practice.

Denison University

Leadership Fellows

Spotlight Award for Influences of Student Learning

Signature is an interactive one-day program geared towards addressing, discovering, and developing an individual and community identity on Denison’s campus. This program gives participants the opportunity to brainstorm ideas they can apply towards making campus a better community. The goal of the program is to help participants understand that each individual views their personal identity differently. Everyone at Denison has different experiences with their

personal identity. The program helps participants understand that you cannot assume the experience of one person is the same as another individual although they may celebrate the same identity. The program discusses that these identities can sometimes create tension and divisions on Denison’s campus. It is important to try to fix these issues while recognizing that everyone is part of a larger identity—being members of the Denison University community. To help achieve these concepts the program has three learning outcomes. By the end of the program participants will have, explored their personal identity, discovered how aspects of one's identity affects the Denison community, and determined how to overcome stereotypes in a positive way to help work across lines of difference. The program began in the Fall 2012 by the Denison University Leadership Fellows. The Leadership Fellows are a student run organization composed of 10-12 student leaders. The organization assists the Campus Leadership & Involvement Center in the creation, planning, and execution of all the leadership programs and initiatives at Denison University. Signature is the first institute that the Leadership Fellows created entirely on their own. The students wrote the curriculum for the program with minimal oversight from professional staff. In addition, the Leadership Fellows were responsible for the recruitment of all the participants, coordination of program logistics, and assessment of Signature. Signature lasts approximately 6 hours and contains a mixture of large group discussions/activities as well as small group break out sessions. There are 5 large groups sessions during the program and 3 breakout sessions. The large group sessions are for all participants and facilitators and are led by two Leadership Fellows. The breakout sessions are composed of approximately 10 participants and two student facilitators in each small group.

Spotlight Award Winner Profiles Pr

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The student facilitators are trained prior to the program by the Leadership Fellows on the curricu-lum as well as the best practices of facilitation in order to lead the activities and dialogues around identity successfully. In the small breakout session the groups reflect on aspects of their identity and participate in various dialogues about these identities and there relationship to the greater Denison community. The large breakouts are used for follow up discussions to the breakout sessions and, in a greater sense, explain how one’s identity and experiences relate to the Denison community. The larger sessions are used to help participants understand that there are various aspects of identity in the Denison community and how individuals experience privilege and inequality. The participants then create actions steps to try to help solve some of these issues by the end of the program. The Signature program truly exemplifies the mission of SLPKC mission statement. The program helps provide leadership and identity training to the participants and helps them un-derstand their own personal identity and its relationship to the greater Denison communi-ty. The program allows students to have tough conversations and educate others about the issues regarding identity which stu-dents were experiencing day to day on Den-ison’s campus. In addition, Signature was created for students by students. This idea aligns with SLP KC mission to provide leader-ship training, education, and development to college students. The Leadership Fellows who planned the program learned about identity devel-opment theories and were able to create activities that were beneficial to the Denison communi-ty. The facilitators and participants are able to use the knowledge they gained from attending Signature to help others with their identity in addition to taking action and making positive change on Denison’s campus. Other institutions can also learn from this innovative program at Denison. They are a great example that can show us that students are capable of creating a program on their own, if they feel empowered to do so. The Leadership Fellows saw a need to learn and recognized that the institution was not seeing identity development discussed as intentionally and deeply as they wished. Many campus events and the pre-packaged programs had been brought to the institution. These presenters, from outside the Denison community, found it difficult to relate to and bring up issues which were present on campus. The Leadership Fellows worked with campus offices such as the Campus Leadership & Involvement Center, Center for Cross Cultural Engagement, and the Women and Gender Action Center to discuss how to create a program about identity development and the campus community. After these conversations, each Leadership Fellow developed a part of the curriculum and worked together to make sure the program met the intended learning outcomes and that the program was a mix of activities, discussion, lecture, and self-reflection so the participants can learn the information through various forms. This process paid off since the participants of the program have stated that it was great to have a program led by students that relates so closely to the Denison community. If students are empowered by student affairs staff they can develop excellent programs that meet gaps in campus leadership needs.

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University of Virginia

Asian Pacific American Leadership Training Institute

Spotlight Award for Theory to Practice

The Asian Pacific American Leadership Training Institute is an emerging leaders cohort-based, student-facilitated program designed for 1st and 2

nd year Asian/Asian Pacific

American (A/APA) students at the University of Virginia. Each session is 2 hours and if offered once a week over the course of 10 weeks. Student affairs profes-sionals within the Asian/Asian Pacific American (A/APA) programs and services realized that APA students, along with other multicultural populations, were often absent from mainstream student governance and leadership roles on campus. Further research into national trends of college students revealed that APAs, in comparison to other demographics, were less likely to feel confident in their leadership abilities and therefore are less likely to pursue positions of leadership or organize campaigns or grassroots movements to create change. In 1998 the A/APA program coordinators created the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALTI) to provide students the skills required to become a leader. In 2012, new leadership of the program realized that the theories used were positional and hierarchical and decided to redesigned program. The rede-sign was done with the help of the student facilitators to remold the program with a foundation of the Social Change Model of leadership. The program now is designed to challenge traditional ideas of positional leadership and to empower APA students to view themselves as change agents within the campus community. As part of the curriculum students spend the first few sessions understanding their values, goals, strengths, weaknesses, and passions and how their racial/ethnic identity and implicit biases affects their worldview. Participants then move into a set of sessions that work on group dynamics, group formation, efficiency, vision formation, conflict management, and effective communication. During the

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final set of sessions, participants learn how to translate their skills and their passions to-wards the larger community. A final group project features groups of 5 students coming to-gether to present on a relevant issue or topic of their choice and presenting a short “Ted-talk”-like session of what their issue is and how they plan to resolve such an issue as a group. Learning is measured through pre- and post-tests as well as through weekly surveys which gauge what students learned, what students found most and least helpful, allowed for students to voice their opinions on the topics presented. Students also are required to write journal or blog entries to which facilitators and program coordinator use to identify what the students are learning and what they found most and least enjoyable. A mid-semester check in with facilitators and cohort members identifies students' perception of the program and areas for improvement. In the last two years since the program has shifted towards ideas of Social Change rather than hierarchy and position, students have been able to rate themselves higher in leadership efficacy than students in the past have. This could be a result of a change of perception of leadership from positional power to a group process. Students are able to more identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to empower students to use their strengths, understand limitations, and understand what students can do improve themselves. Students stated they felt more equipped to participate in campaigns, student organizations, and campus movements as a result of completion of the program. It is important for professionals to identify disenfranchised populations and traditionally underrepresented populations in order to identify their needs. This program identifies a specific population and creates services based on cultural nuances. This program utilizes Social Change Model as a foundation to empower students to create change. The program has campus partners like professionals who come into talk about different aspects of leadership, communication etc. This program provides some best practices with how cohort-based programs could also find intersects with race/ethnicity and other identities. Sharing of this program provides different aspects of the social change model and being A/APA. The lack of APA leadership both in higher education and generally in the workforce, combined with statistics of APA self-perception of leadership efficacy encouraged the program coordinators at UVA to create APALTI to educate emerging leaders about the root causes of these results, equip leaders with the tools to understand their own leadership styles and self-perceptions, reframe leadership towards the Social Change Model rather than traditional ideas of leadership as “positions”, and empower emerging leaders to identify needs and issues that plague their campus community and even those outside the ivory tower and use their strengths and abilities to create change from the ground up. We can learn much as student affairs professional from their adaptability in translating theory to practice.