About the Weekend
On behalf of the Division of University Life, I invite all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors interested in leadership issues to join us on the semi-annual Leadership Training retreat. The spring retreat will be held the weekend of Friday, January 29 through Sunday, January 31, 2010.
Topics covered on the retreat, which is called "The Responsibilities of Leadership," will include:
- group dynamics
- the uses and abuses of power
- leadership in a multicultural society
- networking
- leadership styles and skills.
We will approach these issues through the use of games, other structured experiences, lecture and discussion. While we spend most of the time on issues relating to your own experience and organizations, this is not a "nuts and bolts" training. For example, we focus more on how to understand group interaction than on how to run a meeting. The group will also work together to consider how diverse individuals can collaborate to form a community that values and respects all members.
The bus will leave for Fellowship Farm near Pottstown at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and return to campus around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. All meals, linens, and supplies will be provided. There is no cost to you for the weekend except the commitment of your time -- all participants are required to attend the entire weekend. If you are accepted you will be asked for a $25 deposit, fully refundable unless you cancel your participation after January 24th.
Officers are especially welcome but we are confident that the program will benefit all student leaders as well as the groups they represent. Because the training works best in a small group, we may not be able to accommodate all those who are interested in attending. Participation is open only to those who have not attended previous retreats. Priority will be given to sophomores and juniors; second-semester seniors are not eligible. We try to arrange for a group which is as diverse as possible and represents as wide a range of student organizations as possible and therefore may need to limit the number of students representing each organization. We will keep a waiting list for this and subsequent weekends.
Anyone interested in attending the retreat should complete the application and return it by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16th.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at 898-7038, e-mail me at lmccall@upenn.edu or stop by to talk. My office is in the Platt Student Performing Arts House, lower level of Stouffer Commons.
Laurie McCall
Associate Director, Platt Student Performing Arts House
