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The National Collegiate Leadership Conference teaches students about social responsibility, justice and what leadership is all about.

By La Monica Everett-Haynes, University Communications
January 17, 2008

As the nation is in the midst of a debate about who its next chief executive should be, a University of Arizona center is pulling together hundreds of college students and advisers for an event that will teach them how to be socially responsible and effective leaders.

The UA is gearing up for its three-day, student-run National Collegiate Leadership Conference, formerly the Arizona Collegiate Leadership Conference, which is now in its 20th year and begins Feb. 15.

This year’s program will be larger and the content more comprehensive than in years past. The keynote speaker is Herman Boone, whose life story inspired the Disney film “Remember the Titans.” Other speakers will include LaTanya Sheffield, a record-breaking Olympian, and Nancy Hunter Denney, an author, educator and speaker.

Organizers expect 650 participants this year, “which is larger than we’ve ever had,” said Heather Roundtree, the director of the conference, who also advises students planning the event.

The leadership development event began as a conference open only to students at the UA, but has since grown to be one of the nation’s largest student-centered leadership conferences with students and advisers coming from all over the United States and other countries.

One thing that sets the UA conference apart from many others is its broad reach, Roundtree said.

Through interactive presentations, speakers and film, attendees will learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, immigration issues, race-based privilege, human trafficking, issues affecting the Baby Boomer population, homosexuality and the Greek community.

“We don’t want the students to come away with some great skills but no knowledge about where those skills are needed,” said Roundtree, who is also coordinator of leadership programs for the UA’s Center for Student Involvement & Leadership.

“We want to bring timely social issues to the forefront so that these students can figure out ways to work on them,” she said. “They may not be getting that in any other type of environment.”

Representatives from each of Arizona’s public universities, several community colleges and institutions across the nation will lead more than 70 workshops on topics such as community building, managing personal and group stress, ethical behavior, the dangers of Web-based social networking sites and learning how to fix “dysfunction” group behavior, among other topics.

Students began organizing this year's events during the summer, and while registration is open, UA students should be especially proud, said Carolina Luque, a UA junior studying finance who is also the conference's director of operations. 

"We hope UA students realize what a great resource they have here on campus," Luque said. 

"They don't have to travel anywhere, and UA students have been working very hard on this, so we hope they take advantage of it," she said. "There is so much they can do, can learn and so many people to meet."

Participants must also commit to service projects in Tucson, which includes a blood drive, a neighborhood beautification effort, making bells for Tucson’s Ben’s Bells Project and also creating bead boxes for children in hospitals.

“This is coming back to our mission, which is to integrate leadership with service and social justice,” Roundtree said. “Our real purpose is to create leaders who will go out and create change in their own communities.”

Embedded in the conference is a value that says “service, social justice and leadership are all connected.” The hope is that participants will apply the conference’s teachings to their home life, their professional work, student organizations and community – whether that is on a local or global level.

"Leadership is more than awards, it's a way of life," said Luque, also a UA junior studying finance. "It is tremendous and can open up so many doors if you choose to explore the possibilities within yourself."

The early registration deadline to attend the conference is Jan. 25 and the cost is $50. After that date, registration costs $75 and will close Feb. 8.

“We believe in the value of these students coming and having a leadership experience,” Roundtree said. “The students who attend are typically students who have never had an opportunity like this before.”