STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCESeptember 2, 2016

OPENING KEYNOTEDan Jones is a Maine native and 2013 Fairfield graduate with a B.A. in politics and anthropology. As a student, Dan worked as an RA in the Service for Justice Residential College and club leader for Students for Social Justice (S4SJ). After graduating, Dan spent a fun-packed year working as a program coordinator in Student Programs and Leadership Development. In 2014, Dan received a Fulbright Scholarship to El Salvador where he studied the dynamics of youth migration in rural communities. Dan is currently teaching middle school math and history as an AmeriCorps fellow at Saint Martin de Porres Academy in New Haven. 

Quick Center

WELCOME BACK TO FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY!

Session I 10-10:50 a.m.

EXERCISING YOUR CORE: THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES AS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT – Room 105Presenter: Dr. Tom Pellegrino To be of service to others, leaders have to first tend to themselves. This presentation will introduce the student leader to the idea of paying attention to your physical health, your spiritual health and your intellectual health - in particular your capacity to choose what is most essential, most important, most clearly at your “core.”

Dr. Tom Pellegrino is the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs at Fairfield University. As Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Pellegrino leads and oversees student life. Prior to coming to Fairfield, Dr. Pellegrino was engaged in the private practice of law in Connecticut for ten years. He focused his legal work on education and child law and has argued before the State Supreme Court. He holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Fairfield University, a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law and a PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Connecticut.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP – Room 110Presenter: Josh ThompsonCome discuss the concepts of servant leadership. We will discuss what it means to be a leader and be vulnerable – as well as stand up for causes even when they are not popular.

Josh Thompson is running to serve as the next Mayor of New York City. He has spent his life as an educator, advocate, and public servant. Josh serves as the Executive Director of New Leaders New York, an organization that serves half a million children across the country through the development of transformational school leaders and policies. He lives in New York with his wife Julia, who is an elementary school Dean, and their dog Cody.

HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS & BIOS

“All are called upon today not just to analyze the problems of the world community, but to help build up that community. This demands of students self-discipline, initiative in study, integrity, generosity, and critical thinking. In Ignatian terms, it demands that they be contemplatives-in-action” – Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., 1989

Today we are excited to gather as leaders to dedicated to this idea through building a community of unified leaders who work to create change for the greater good. As you move through the variety of sessions and segments offered consider your self-development, your learning, and how we can work together to create positive change on campus and beyond. Choose from the wide variety of educational sessions to get the most of your conference. Take the time later today and after our time together to reflect on these subjects; discuss them; enact them.

This program contains more detailed information about the sessions offered today. Have a fantastic conference day!

Conference Day at-a-Glance

8:15 - 9 a.m. Check in and Breakfast - Quick Center

9 - 9:50 a.m. Conference Welcome and Opening Keynote - Quick Center

10 - 10:50 a.m. Leadership Session 1 - Dolan School of Business Rooms

11 - 11:50 a.m. Leadership Session II | Advisor Round Table - Dolan School of Business Rooms

12 noon - 1 p.m. Lunch - Quick Center

1:10 - 2 p.m. Leadership Session III - Dolan School of Business Rooms

2:10 - 2:55 p.m. Keynote Contemplative in Action - Quick Center

3 – 4 p.m. RecPlex Dedication & Dinner - RecPlex

7:30 p.m. Evening Event in the Gonzaga Auditorium

Session II 11-11:50 a.m.

NAVIGATING TENSION TO FOSTER A STRONGER RELATIONSHIP – Room 105Presenters: Carrie Robinson & Kamala Kiem Tension is often times something that individuals avoid and due to this, relationships often suffer. During this session, we will discuss the benefits to tension and how to navigate tension in order to foster stronger relationships not just within your organization but also in your personal relationships.

Kamala Kiem is the Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Office of Student Engagement at Fairfield University. She received her Masters in Student Affairs

Administration from Michigan State University and a Masters in Social Justice Education from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a Social Justice Mediator and Co-Director of the Lucy Katz Dialogue & Resolution Program. Kamala strives to ensure all college students maximize their development while attending Fairfield University.

Carrie Robinson is the Assistant Director of the Office of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs here at Fairfield University. She also is the co-chair of the Lucy Katz Dialogue and Resolution Program. Carrie completed her undergraduate degree at Eastern Connecticut State University and her graduate degree at Central Connecticut State University.

KNOW THY SELF: SELF-AWARENESS AND ITS RELATION TO MULTICULTURAL AWARENES – Room 110Presenter: Chanel Ward To know thy self is to be aware of the unique social and cultural position you hold. In this workshop we will explore positionality while exploring how emotional intelligence and vulnerability aid in this exploration.

Chanel Ward, Director of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, is a passionate social justice educator who has nine years of professional higher education experience in both the student affairs and academic affairs divisions. She enjoys working with students to develop intellectual curiosity around identity and difference. Chanel residents in the Hudson Valley Region of New York State with her partner, stepdaughter, and bulldog.

HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS & BIOS CONTINUED Session III 1:10-2 p.m.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CULTURALLY COMPETENT LEADER? – Room 110Presenter: Carrie Robinson (Photo/Bio, left)Cultural Competency is a vital concept for student leaders to understand. What does it mean to be cultural competent and how do you ensure you are setting yourself up for success? This session will focus on what this means and participants will be able to discuss with each other how they can ensure their student organization is set up for all to succeed and feel included.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: MAKE AMERICA CIVIL AGAIN – Room 105 Presenter: Jeremy Kaler During this session, we will debunk commons myths and misconceptions about being civically engaged and discuss what it means to be “civically engaged.” We will also engage in an activity to help us explore and define our own political/civic identity, and then brainstorm ways to get involved on campus and in the surrounding community.

Jeremy Kaler is the Associate Director in the Office of Student Engagement here at Fairfield University. He is an advisor for the Fairfield University Student Association (FUSA), and directly advises FUSA Senate, the FUSA Court, and COSO. Before coming to Fairfield University in November 2015, Jeremy served as the Student Involvement Coordinator at Potomac State College of WVU in Keyser, West Virginia for 7+ years. Jeremy graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2012 with his Master’s in History, with a focus on U.S. Foreign Relations, and from Frostburg State University in 2005 with a Bachelor’s in History, with an International Concentration. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut with his wife and two dogs.

CLOSING KEYNOTEYohuru Williams, PhD is the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and a Professor of History at Fairfield University. Dr. Williams received his PhD from Howard University in 1998 and is a nationally recognized expert on social studies pedagogy and history curriculum. He is a board member of the Network for Public Education and is the author of Teaching US History Beyond the Textbook (2008) and Black Politics/White Power: Civil Rights, Black Power and Black Panthers in New Haven (2008) and co-editor of In Search of the Black Panther Party (2006) and Liberated Territory: Toward A Local History of the Black Panther Party (2009). 

Quick Center

Session I 10-10:50 a.m.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING RM 111Presenter: Steph Gallo, Associate Director, Career Planning Center

Whether you are trying to become the next FUSA President or you want to land your dream job, understanding how to network effectively is KEY. During this presentation we will go over the basics (and the importance of) networking and provide you with some concrete steps to start to the process of building and leveraging your own personal network.

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRESENTATIONS RM 104Presenter: Dr. Paul Maloney, Professor of the Practice of Applied Psychology, GSEAP

Delivering an effective leadership presentation requires strategic preparation and awareness of the mistakes many presenters make. This session will prepare participants to understand and apply the strategic and behavioral skills for impactful presentations.

ROCK BOTTOM IS A SOLID FOUNDATION RM 112Presenter: Nicole Heller, Associate Director, Student Engagement

Let’s talk about failure: how much it hurts, how often it happens, and most importantly how it makes us better. Simple mistakes, rejections, or more significant failures are all springboards for persistence, creativity, and greater mistake. We will make plans to embrace the risk of failure in our leadership and in turn leave legacies at Fairfield.

TAPPED INTO AWARENESS RM 108Presenter: Laura Boliver, Area Coordinator, Residence Life

Tapped into Awareness is an activity where we will be touching upon the idea of socialization and privilege. Come with an open mind and to be fully present and ready to engage!

DANG IT! YOU’RE DIFFICULT: HOW TO IDENTIFY AND COPE WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE RM 109Presenters: Sonya Alexander and Chris Cahill, Area Coordinators, Residence Life

We all work in the within teams on an everyday basis. As they say, teamwork makes the dream work right? Well what if someone on the team is a “difficult person”? Or you have a team member who never quite gets the work done as they promised. In this session we will give you tools to help you identify those difficult co-workers and ways to cope with them. These skills will be useful in your current leadership roles and as you transition to work roles at outside employment after graduation.

USING REFLECTION AS A CATALYST FOR GROWTH AT THE WRITING CENTER RM 106Presenters: Colin Hosten, Lecturer, English; Kelsey Sullivan, Undergraduate Student and Karen Skjerning, Graduate Assistant, The Writing Center

This presentation will offer a layered perspective on the relationship between reflection and action through the lens of the peer tutoring offered through the Fairfield University Writing Center. Negotiating a question related to writing--or any academic pursuit--first requires some measure of reflection, particularly on the underlying objectives that aren’t always readily apparent. Peer tutoring requires a safe space where students can build mutual trust and learn from each other and for the to student to grow as a writer. Reflection, trust, learning, action -- these tools that create a successful tutoring session can be a useful blueprint for student leaders across campus .

Session II 11-11:50 a.m.

EFFECTIVE EVENT PLANNING AND MARKETING STRATEGIES RM 109Presenters: Colleen Wilson, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, Molly Strang ’18, Director of FUSA Programming and Nina Poosikian ’17, Director of FUSA Marketing & Public RelationsThis session is geared toward students who will be planning events on campus as part of their programming board, club, residence hall, etc. Learn who the key players are and what steps to take when planning a program and discover fantastic tips to get students to know about your event!

THE STUDENTLEADER APP: LEARNING HOW TO LEAD TO CREATE ENGAGEMENT AND TEAM SYNERGY RM 108Presenter: Lisa Mainero, Management Professor, Dolan School of Business

Student leaders need to learn how to create inclusion, foster collaboration, and encourage participation among peers. The StudentLeader app helps students to formulate a Leader Plan, with reminders to your phone calendar, about your leadership role. Designed by Fairfield University student leaders with a professor, the StudentLeader app provides invaluable insights and practical information about how to lead peers on campus. Join us for a session that will help you create a leadership vision for your future.

THE FORGOTTEN MINORITY: ENGAGING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS THROUGH MEANINGFUL INTERACTIONS RM 112Presenter: Alberto Jacome, Area Coordinator, Residence Life

This presentation will give students and overview of who international students are and the struggles they face when attending universities in the United States. This presentation will also provide strategies on how to effectively interact and support international students.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP IN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS RM 104Presenters: Julie Mughal, Director, Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network, Center for Faith and Public Life and Deirdre McElroy ’17, JUHAN Fellow

How do our JUHAN student leaders spring into action when a humanitarian disaster such as the Ecuador Earthquake or Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines hits? How do we decide what actions to take to promote awareness of the disaster as well as to help those affected on the ground? What happens behind the scenes? Join us for this session to simulate a JUHAN response. 

GET IN – HOW STUDENT LEADERS CAN LEVERAGE LINKEDIN TO GET AHEAD! RM 111Presenter: Steph Gallo, Associate Director, Career Planning Center

LinkedIn is the worlds #1 Professional Social Network and one of the most powerful tools when it comes to developing your digital personal brand. As student leaders you have had many experiences and have a number of unique skills that can be showcased on this network. During this session, we will go over the Basics of a great LinkedIn profile and dig deep into how you might be able to really showcase your “student leader skills” on your profile. We will also go over some unique ways you can leverage LinkedIn to get to where you want to be.

PLOTTING YOUR LEADERSHIP JOURNEY RM 106Presenter: Will Johnson, Associate Dean of Students, Dean of Students Office

Some students enter college with a leadership plan in mind. Others may start their journey later during their time in college. No matter when you begin, you will need to think strategically about the leadership opportunities available to you and consider those that suite you best. Reflecting on the presenter’s own leadership journey, this session will explore some of ways students can build a strong foundation for growing as a leader while in college and beyond.

Advising Session 11-11:50 a.m.

THE ART OF ADVISING (Professional Staff Only) Rm 115Presenters: Jeremy Kaler, Associate Director, Student Engagement and Meredith Smith, Assistant Director, Residence Life

During this session, we will define the roles and responsibilities for advisors, explore the differences between supervision and advising, and gain self-awareness of how to use strengths to effectively advise groups by establishing trust, promoting compassion, providing stability, and creating hope.  Please note that this session is for Advisors/Supervisors of Student Leaders.

Session III 1:10-2 p.m.

WHO IS THE “I” I BRING INTO THIS ROOM? RM 104Presenter: Gail Ostrow, English, Adjunct Professor

We will explore how our individual experiences, values, beliefs, biases, assumptions, prejudices, and more affect our academic, professional, and personal interactions.

BRIEF INTERVENTION STRATEGIES RM 112Presenter: Nicole Heller, Assistant Director, Student Engagement

As leaders, it is expected that we help people grow and change negative behaviors. Let’s talk about the basics of motivational intervention techniques. Whether they come to you asking for help or you need to help them notice a negative behavior, this interactive session will help you inspire behavior change and improvement.

FACILITATING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS RM 106Presenter: Emily Smith, Interim Director, Center for Academic Excellence and Associate Professor, English Education

During this session, we’ll discuss strategies and tips for running effective meetings. In addition, we’ll problem-solve common challenges faced when running meetings.

KNOW YOUR STORY RM 108Presenter: Julie Tuozzoli, Manager, Employer Relations and Alumni Career Development, Career Planning Center

“Tell me about yourself” is typically the first question asked in an interview setting. How you answer it will set you up for the rest of your interview. In this session you will learn how to develop your individual story into an engaging narrative and deliver it successfully.

LEADERSHIP + CAREER = ?? RM 109Presenter: Megan Webster, Assistant Director, Leadership and Professional Development, Career Planning Center

What exactly is leadership? Everyone talks about, many people want it, students always strive to have it on their resume, but what does it really mean? This session will look at how to define leadership, and the ways in which it can impact your career journey.

TRANSITIONING YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS BY HIGHLIGHTING YOUR EXPERIENCES RM 111Presenter: Cath Borgman, Director, Career Planning Center

During this session you will get a better understanding of how your leadership skills can be highlighted while making connections to future career or educational goals. Your campus involvement and the initiative that you have shown at Fairfield can say a lot about what you are capable of doing and make people want to meet you.

SESSION DETAILS

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT

It’s All Fun & Games 7:30 p.m., Gonzaga Auditorium

Our improvisers will turn your suggestions into a fast paced, fun, and entertaining evening of laughs that will have you L.Y.A.O. (Letting Your Alter-Ego Out)Finding the humor in society, love, life, relationships... and ourselves; but... “It’s All Fun and Games”

RECPLEX GRAND OPENINGSeptember 2, 3 p.m. RecPlex

Join us for the Door Busting of the newly renovated RecPlex and be the first students to swarm the building! There will be food & activities with lots of photos taken, so wear your Stag gear!