Student Leadership Opportunities Focus of National Presentations
Friday, May 1, 2015
Five members of the Student Affairs staff at Pennsylvania College of Technology presented at two far-reaching national conferences in March, spreading the word about innovative opportunities for student leadership on campus and in the community.
Bradley M. Webb, Penn College’s director of student affairs administration, and Elliott Strickland, chief student affairs officer, discussed "Youth Leadership: Empowering the Community to Facilitate Change" at the NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Conference in New Orleans.
This is the fifth year that the college is facilitating the Youth Leadership Program, in which three-member teams of high school juniors from every school district in Lycoming and Sullivan counties come to Penn College each month during the academic year to learn leadership skills. As a capstone project, they identify a need in their respective communities and develop a plan to address it. A panel of volunteer judges hears presentations from each of the 11 groups and – for the top finishers – awards funding to implement the service projects.
The students also visit nonprofit organizations, furthering their civic connections and sense of community while advancing “town-gown” relations.
Presenting at the ACPA College Student Educators International Convention in Tampa, Florida, were Katie L. Mackey, coordinator of off-campus living and commuter services; Anthony J. Pace, assistant director of student activities for student organizations/orientation; and Michael D. Penwell, coordinator of residence life.
Their topic, “It Takes a Village: Optimizing Your Student Leader Selection Process,” detailed the collaborative recruiting/hiring process that Student Affairs and Admissions use to fill the most prestigious leadership positions: Presidential Student Ambassadors, Resident Assistants, Commuter Assistants and Community Assistants.
“As an institution that specializes in applied technology education, we have found that our students are driven by their future career goals, and much less by their desire to be involved,” the group said. “Our selection process has allowed us to focus on our unique population’s needs, while still implementing a process that successfully draws quality candidates. In a profession that is very demanding of our time, we have found that this process has helped to alleviate the stresses of filling student leadership roles with capable student leaders.”
Travel to both conferences was provided by the Strategic Initiative Fund, created by college President Davie Jane Gilmour to increase the institution’s presence at the national level. ACPA and NASPA are the largest professional student affairs organizations in the country; the conference attended by Webb and Strickland was attended by 7,800 participants from around the world.
For more about the college, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
Bradley M. Webb, Penn College’s director of student affairs administration, and Elliott Strickland, chief student affairs officer, discussed "Youth Leadership: Empowering the Community to Facilitate Change" at the NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Conference in New Orleans.This is the fifth year that the college is facilitating the Youth Leadership Program, in which three-member teams of high school juniors from every school district in Lycoming and Sullivan counties come to Penn College each month during the academic year to learn leadership skills. As a capstone project, they identify a need in their respective communities and develop a plan to address it. A panel of volunteer judges hears presentations from each of the 11 groups and – for the top finishers – awards funding to implement the service projects.
The students also visit nonprofit organizations, furthering their civic connections and sense of community while advancing “town-gown” relations.
Presenting at the ACPA College Student Educators International Convention in Tampa, Florida, were Katie L. Mackey, coordinator of off-campus living and commuter services; Anthony J. Pace, assistant director of student activities for student organizations/orientation; and Michael D. Penwell, coordinator of residence life.
Their topic, “It Takes a Village: Optimizing Your Student Leader Selection Process,” detailed the collaborative recruiting/hiring process that Student Affairs and Admissions use to fill the most prestigious leadership positions: Presidential Student Ambassadors, Resident Assistants, Commuter Assistants and Community Assistants.“As an institution that specializes in applied technology education, we have found that our students are driven by their future career goals, and much less by their desire to be involved,” the group said. “Our selection process has allowed us to focus on our unique population’s needs, while still implementing a process that successfully draws quality candidates. In a profession that is very demanding of our time, we have found that this process has helped to alleviate the stresses of filling student leadership roles with capable student leaders.”
Travel to both conferences was provided by the Strategic Initiative Fund, created by college President Davie Jane Gilmour to increase the institution’s presence at the national level. ACPA and NASPA are the largest professional student affairs organizations in the country; the conference attended by Webb and Strickland was attended by 7,800 participants from around the world.
For more about the college, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.