October 23, 2000
MORE THAN 250 STUDENTS TO ATTEND THREE-DAY DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE IN THE POCONOS
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
About 250 students – more than half from State System of Higher Education universities – are expected to attend the 14th Annual Robert D. Lynch Student Leadership Development Institute Oct. 27-29 at the Galleria Split Rock Resort and Conference Center in Lake Harmony.
The conference, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education, Inc., is designed to help African American and Latino students develop skills and qualities essential to leadership on college campuses. It also gives students the opportunity to participate in workshops that examine cross-cultural communications, interpersonal relations, inclusive environments and cultural awareness among participants.
Several prominent speakers will appear at the conference, including Ambassador Julio Cheves of Costa Rica; Sarian S. Bouma, once a down-and-out mother with nothing to feed her baby who now heads a company with more than $3.4 million in annual revenue; and Farai Chideya, a 28-year-old journalist and author who has written for both television and print media on a variety of topics from African American issues to punk music.
Many of the students who will attend this weekend’s conference will be participating for the second or third time. Returnees take part in the Thurgood Marshall Advanced Leadership Program, which includes separate seminars designed to help further hone their leadership skills.
All students participate in general activities and special ice-breaking sessions.
Past conference have brought universal praise from both participants and presenters.
“The quality of the presenters at this conference was wonderful. Each presenter had several education degrees. This encouraged me to continue development of myself,” remarked one of last year’s participants after the event.
Many of the students who participate in the leadership institute already are involved in campus organizations, including their student government. The conference is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors.
For more information, please contact program chair Robert D. Lynch at (570) 893-2455.
The State System of Higher Education’s 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Nearly 350,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.