Leadership

UAF has well over 100 active student organizations on campus including student clubs, campus clubs, honor societies, and Greek Life organizations.  Membership in student organizations can provide social, career development, volunteer, leadership development, and resume enhancing experiences.  Join your peers in exploring your interests and dramatically enhancing your university experience.  You can check out these diverse groups first-hand at the two-day Student Organizations Fair hosted each semester.

Our first ever SOAR Awards Ceremony was held on April 19th  in the Wood Center Ballroom. 

What an amzaing event! Thank you to all who participated! A special thank you to those providing outstanding entertainment: Inu-Yupiaq Dance Group, Namaste India Dancers, United Campus Ministries Ensemble, Latin dance Club, Alaskas Gravity Works, UAF Dance Team and Middle Eastern Dance Group.

Congratulations to all the award winners!

Academic Achievement: Great Alaskan Accounting People (GAAP)

Community Service: Alpha Phi Omega

Diversity Enrichment: Inu-Yupiaq Dance Group

Exceptional Event: Sustainable Campus Task Force for their 2007 Sustainable Living Conference

Legacy: Society of Women Engineers

Outstanding Advisor: Cindy Hardy, Ice Box/Mixed Martial Arts/University Equestrian Network

Rookie of the Year: University Equestrian Network

JJ Boogs Student Organizations Honoree: Danielle Ryder

Thank you Jodi for that wonderful introduction; it truly is an honor to be here.   Thank you to every participant who chose to attend this resource seminar today.   We make choices on a regular basis that have an impact on our lives and those around us.   Your decision to come spend time with us today will lead to a better understanding of student organizations management, networking and collaboration.   Our goal is that you will leave this seminar energized and motivated to approach your roles in student organizations with a clearer sense of why you are involved, what differences you want to make, and how you can achieve these objectives.   

Growing up, I was one of those do-as-much-as-you-can-and-keep-your-life-busy kind of girls.   My mom instilled in me the importance of self-growth through social activity, community service and involvement, and dedication to my commitments.   She wanted me to recognize that, as an individual, I could choose to either live a passive life or make a difference in my world.   I was lucky to have been exposed to these ideas while I was young, because they became part of my personal mission statement in life.   It is important to note, however, that there are no time limits as to when a person could decide to get involved and make a change in their family, school, community, or world.   Through your involvement in student organizations and your choice to be here today, each of you have already decided to have an impact on the world around you.   I applaud your decision.  

Throughout my college years, I participated in a large number of student organizations, committees, and community service activities.   I helped with a Habitat for Humanity house build while a student at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma , Washington .   During my two years at UPS, I experimented with many other student organizations to see which would be a good fit for me and which would not.   This experimentation period was helpful because it made me realize that there are endless student organizations devoted to different topics in life and that I truly could not be involved in everything.   My transfer to UAF, and being introduced to its nearly 100 student organizations, provided me with another important lesson:   if what you want is not already there, you can feasibly create it at this university.  

In January 2004, I was inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta, the sociological honor society.   I held officer positions in AKD throughout my membership.   AKD had strict requirements to join because of its honor society status, so we created the Sociology Club to enable more people to participate.   Together, members of these student organizations planned and executed a number of events, including teach-in’s, a Stop the Hate workshop, and the collaborative Bowling for Equality, which you will hear more about later.   In the fall of 2005, I joined Psi Chi, the psychological honor society, which hosted many fundraising and community service activities.   Whenever my interests were peaked, I would visit the meetings and events of other UAF student organizations, as well.     

The spring of 2004 opened my eyes to what I believe is one of the most beneficial resources at UAF—the Leadership Program—and I immediately became hooked.   Student organizations at this university are very fortunate to be housed under the Leadership Program.   This relationship provides an immense library of knowledge and development opportunities that student organizations officers and members can utilize throughout the year.  

The concepts of leadership, followership, and teamwork are extremely important in the context of student organizations.   Any group of people must have leaders and followers in order to act and achieve.   These group members must work together to maintain a sense of team, otherwise their efforts could easily collapse.   Neither role of leader nor follower can be slighted, as you can likely attest to with your own student organization experiences.   Through the road I have traveled, the impact the UAF Leadership Program has had on me, and the lessons I have learned through involvement in student organizations, I have developed my own vision of leadership.   I will share it with you today in hopes that it will benefit your student organization contributions and success.    

Leadership is ever-changing, dependent upon culture, participants, and particular activities at hand.   The need to make a difference is generally what calls for leadership, so goals must be created, and a unified vision of how to achieve them must be established.   Communication and cooperation are key elements in both leadership and teamwork.   A good leader is also a team-player, since leadership cannot exist without responsive followership.   A leader must be an active listener and be prepared to both give and receive in this position.   You must be able to distinguish when to it is appropriate to speak out and when to be quiet.   Motivation and inspiration are universal facets of leadership, as are instilling passion and courage into yourself as a leader and others as your followers.   Have conviction and integrity, be reliable and engaged.  

Leaders are role models who must respect the position they hold, and realize their potential impact on others.   Mentorship is a key element of leadership, seeming to create a continuous pattern of effect.   A mentor aids in the development of a leader, while that leader then aids in the development of their followers.   It is important to be critical of what you are told; challenge concepts as they come to you, as well as before and after you choose to accept them.   Develop a clear understanding of your intentions as a leader, and be a model for whatever message you are trying to relay.   Be consciously aware of whether you are staying on that path, and if you happen to stray, be humble and do what it takes to re-guide yourself.   Apologize if you make a mistake; leaders are not superheroes and are not expected to abstain from human error.   Yet, they are expected to be responsible, committed, and honest.  

It is also essential for a leader to have patience on many levels.   Take the time to thoroughly contemplate your options as a leader.   Think about the future and possible consequences of your decisions.   Give praise often, and criticize only when it will be constructive.   Avoid emotional outbreaks (unless they are positive), and maintain control of your demeanor.   Choose your attitude and have fun with the activities you are involved in and the people you are working with.   Take the incentive to go beyond what is expected of you and your followers.   Have faith that you will be able to succeed in your tasks if they are reasonable.   However, do not overwhelm yourselves—make sure there is a balance in life and responsibilities.   A strained leader tends not to be an effective one, while strained followers may be more inclined to quit.

Above all else, acceptance is the most important aspect of leadership to me.   A leader must be able to accept the people they will be working with, as well as the inevitable differences that each person will bring to the group.   Today’s world is extremely diverse in terms of ethnicity, sexuality, personality, opinion, learning style, and more.   There is beauty and potential in every single person, however a leader must shed their prejudices in order to recognize this.   Finally, a leader must be able to accept the unexpected challenges and obstacles they will face.   Being flexible while still maintaining focus and discipline is invaluable to productive leadership.

If you choose to incorporate these elements into your regular routines, I am confident you will see a positive difference in your student organization members and operations.

The theme of today’s seminar is IMPACT, with each letter representing an essential component of student organization success:   Image, Management, Promotion, Action, Courage, and Transitions.   These elements will have different meanings to each of you, and this diversity is one of the reasons our UAF student organizations are so rich.   You will have the opportunity to discuss the elements that you are most passionate about in the break-out sessions this afternoon.   In the meantime, I will share with you my perception of each component, examples I have experienced, challenges you may face, and possible ways to overcome them.

Image is composed of what you strive to portray, as well as how your community perceives you, both individually and as a group.   What image does your student organization represent?   What steps are taken to maintain this image?   If you have not done so already, it is important to discuss these questions within your organizations, and make clear decisions that will work to uphold the desired image.   Create a solid mission statement, and encourage all members to know it and live by it, at least while they are at student organization sponsored activities and events.   For example, the main theme behind Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociological Honor Society, is “To investigate humanity for the purpose of service.”   Since all AKD members are Sociology students, most find this mantra easy to adhere to.   Your student organization membership will not define who you are as a person in this world, but it should carry a significance that you appreciate and respect.  

I believe that management refers to two factors:   management of team and management of self.   Leadership and responsive followership are key components of team management, as are cooperation, communication, and collaboration.   A student organization’s members must work as a team in order to achieve their goals.   Quasi-members who say they are involved but rarely show up to meetings or activities are detrimental to an organization’s wellbeing.   Effective team management limits this apathy and encourages members to be accountable.   Management of self is more introspective.   This process is a kind of self-enlightenment course.   It requires an individual to evaluate their commitments, and recognize which are benefiting their life and which detract from their greater goals.   While in college, I tried to be involved in nearly everything I could.   Although it looked impressive on scholarship applications, there were times when I felt completely overwhelmed and stressed beyond a healthy measure.   I eventually learned that it was much more advantageous to focus my attention and energy toward a few meaningful commitments rather than spreading myself too thin.   Management of self is a tough lesson, but it is well worth the effort.

Promotion is an essential element in student organization success.   It can be achieved through various media, direct communication by members, and reputation.   Learning to use media appropriately can be very valuable, such as with radio or television plugs, newspaper articles and advertisements, email listserv announcements, and internet coverage.   Spreading an accurate depiction of your group and its purpose will encourage slightly interested students to take the first steps toward seeking membership of your student organization.   Recruitment by word of mouth and personal invitation are not always an option, so other, independent forms of promotion must be utilized.   While interning as the Wood Center Public Relations Coordinator, I was asked to plan and put on Bling, Blang, Glam, a fundraising dance for the first UAF Alternative Spring Break trip.   This collaborative project was a great success, thanks in part to our creative promotion ideas.   We hung colorful flyers across campus, slid quarter flyers under dorm doors, and aired a public service announcement on KSUA, the campus radio station.   We chose the highly recognizable Mr. T to be the graphic on our flyers, and capitalized on his famous slogan with, “I pity the fool who doesn’t go to the Bling, Blang, Glam dance!”   Effective promotion can be difficult at UAF since it hosts numerous organizations and events every semester.   Using innovation, creativity, and persistence in your promotion techniques will attract participants.

A student organization cannot develop and grow without action.   Both the individual member and the entire team must be active in order to bring their mission statement to life and have an impact on their community.   Without action, there would be no point to an organization.   Action is what keeps members engaged and focused on a central purpose, ranging from a weekly juggling session to an Inuit-Yupiak dance performance.   The process of planning and hosting an event brings a team closer, as well as providing its members with invaluable lessons that can be applied to other aspects of their lives.   Action in the realm of student organizations also opens a door to partnerships and collaboration.   Earlier, I mentioned Bowling for Equality as a collaborative effort you would hear more about.   It took nine organizations to create and execute this successful, socially provocative event, open to the public, where attendees could bowl in the Polar Alley and watch Stop the Hate films in an adjacent gallery.   Participants were encouraged to dialog about social inequalities and how to overcome them.   A number of giant posters hung with stimulating questions were filled with attendees’ thoughts, suggestions, questions, and reflections.   Although this event was planned to provide an entertaining atmosphere for UAF community members to come together and discuss social issues, it resulted in a powerful and lasting effect on all involved.

Courage is something deep inside every one of us, regardless of whether it has been discovered yet.   Courage is what enables us to take risks, stretch our boundaries of comfort, and grow as human beings in this complex world.   This afternoon, you will be introduced to unfamiliar ideas, engage in discussion with people you may not know, and be challenged with obstacles you must creatively overcome.   You will be required to think outside of the box, as they say, and develop alternative approaches to routine tasks.   Although today’s setting is focused on the context of student organizations, please have the courage to relate the experiences you garner today to your lives and the impact you have on your communities.   You may be surprised to see how easy these connections can be.        

As we age, we transition to the next level of education, the next job, the next home.   Our interests change, as do our commitments.   These shifts frequently occur in student organizations, as well, including graduation of officers, significant changes in budgets, and alterations to University policies.   A successful student organization will seek the resources necessary to survive these transitions, and be willing to make difficult decisions or sacrifices in the meantime.   Remember that it is okay to be wary of the next step, as long as you ultimately build the strength to take it.   Work together as a team to help your organization withstand transitions, and you will eventually recognize how these experiences will help you to embrace the changes life presents us.    

Today, you are called upon to take steps toward making a difference in your world.   You will work together to achieve this on a smaller scale with your UAF student organization memberships, which could set the pace for a larger venue such as your community.   Recognize how your student organization involvement impacts your greater existence in this world.   Keep your heart and mind open to continual learning, seek out valuable resources and mentors, and be proactive in your life and the lives of those around you.   Above all else, make sure your commitments are meaningful to you, and remember to have fun doing them.   Your choice to be here today puts you well on your way to leaving your mark.   Thank you and enjoy this seminar.