Student Conference on Leadership set for Nov. 10

Students will get a chance to learn how to incorporate leadership skills into various arenas Nov. 10 during the University of North Georgia's (UNG) 11th annual Student Conference on Leadership.

Hosted by the Office of Student Involvement, the free event is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Martha T. Nesbitt Academic Building on the Gainesville Campus. Space is available for 200 students to attend, with registration required on UNGConnect. Presentation proposals for topics related to leadership must be submitted by Oct. 12.

Joshua Fredenburg will be the keynote speaker. He is a nationally acclaimed speaker, media commentator, leadership/diversity consultant, relationship expert, and author of five books. Fredenburg is excited to share leadership insights with students.

"A leader is not based on a position or title," Fredenburg said. "It's based on your desire to serve and make an impact on the world and help others reach their full potential."

Nathan Cheesman, coordinator of orientation and student leadership at UNG, said students pushed for Fredenburg to be the featured speaker after hearing him speak at another conference.

In addition to Fredenburg's talk, the conference will feature a series of 45-minute breakout sessions for presenters to discuss topics with their 25 person audience. Presenters also will address six to eight students in 20-minute interactive, roundtable discussions.

This year's conference theme is "redefining leadership." It will help students learn about leadership competencies important for their future professional roles, how to lead on campus and what leadership looks like in the "real world."

"Regardless of one's current personal definition of leadership, we want students to utilize this conference to examine their understanding of leadership and see how it fits in with their communities, and how they can craft a new definition that connects their personal values, the views of others, and their knowledge and skills to employ leadership for positive change," according to the conference website.

Kyle Andersen, a senior marketing major from Commerce, Georgia, is helping plan the opening activity for this year's conference, which will allow students to realize their views of leadership.

Andersen, vice president of Nighthawks Entertainment, has been in a leadership role for three semesters. He said attending last year's Student Conference on Leadership "helped me grow as a leader." Andersen pointed to both the breakout and roundtable sessions as crucial in facilitating conversations.

"It allows students to connect with other students, faculty, and staff from all five UNG campuses," Andersen said.

Cheesman appreciates the collaboration the conference fosters.

"We come up with new ways to talk about leadership on both local and global scales, and it is one way that the entire university community can come together," Cheesman said. "Each year there are students, faculty and staff who offer to present at the conference who have not engaged in that way before, but they see the need and desire to give back to UNG by sharing their knowledge and insight around leadership."

The conference will help students gain skills needed to secure jobs upon graduation.

"All companies are looking for future leaders," Fredenburg said.