Students From Around the World Flock to Pitt For Leadership Training From Top Professionals

PITTSBURGH-World-renowned business and government professionals will share their talent and expertise with 44 dynamic student leaders from the United States, Canada, and abroad who have been selected from colleges and universities across the United States and Canada to participate in the University of Pittsburgh's inaugural Hesselbein Student Leadership Summit from July 11 through 14 at the William Pitt Union (WPU), 3959 Fifth Ave., Oakland.

The by-invitation-only summit is part of Pitt's Hesselbein Global Academy for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement launched earlier this year with the mission of inspiring, developing, and rewarding accomplished student leaders to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The academy is named for Pitt alumnus Frances Hesselbein, recipient of the 1998 Presidential Medal of Freedom and chair of the board of governors of the Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management).

The summit's official opening takes place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. July 11 in 548 WPU with a welcome and introductory remarks by Kathy Humphrey, Pitt vice provost and dean of students, followed by Hesselbein, who will share her aspirations for the summit.

A highlight of the summit will be the 6:30 p.m. July 13 Hesselbein Inaugural Ceremony, in the Alumni Hall's Seventh-floor Auditorium, 4227 Fifth Ave., that will honor Hesselbein and recognize the student participants with an awards presentation. Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg will deliver the welcome and opening remarks and Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor James V. Maher will give closing comments. The evening's distinguished guest speaker will be Jim Collins, bestselling author of "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . And Others Don't" (Collins Business, 2001) and "How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In" (Jim Collins, 2009), featured in articles in "BusinessWeek" and "The New York Times."

"Much has been written in this country and abroad about the current global crisis in leadership, the scope of which is unparalleled, according to some critics," said Nordenberg. "Rather than accepting the status quo, the University of Pittsburgh sought to affect both positive and long-lasting change by looking to some of our most obvious strengths-young, vibrant minds; award-winning international education; a strong international presence; and an intense commitment to leadership development. In conjunction with our distinguished Pitt alumnus Frances Hesselbein, we created the Hesselbein Global Academy for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, which aims to inspire, develop, and reward accomplished student leaders to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The academy also honors the life's work of a national and international treasure, its namesake, Frances Hesselbein."

"If I were a young person, I would be so thrilled about the opportunity to come to the summit because I'm not just going to be reading about great leaders, I'll be engaged with them," said Hesselbein. "The culture at the University of Pittsburgh is so vibrant. There's this marvelous intellectual ferment that is so contagious, and I know our first group of students is going to have a marvelous experience. Chancellor Nordenberg and many others are incredibly supportive of what we are building."

Student summit participants-hailing from throughout the United States, from New York to Hawaii; Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada; Makawanpur, Nepal; and Queensland, Australia-will receive advanced leadership training during the four days of informative presentations. In addition to Pitt, the students represent such universities as Brigham Young University-Hawaii, Laie, Hawaii; Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y.; Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La.; Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt.; Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.; The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.; and Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, Pa.

Participating Pitt students are Sudipta Devanath, a junior majoring in neuroscience, psychology, and sociology; Joseph Garbarino, a sophomore political science major; Molly Humphreys, a junior majoring in mathematics education and business; Alexa Jennings, a junior business marketing and management major; Michael Smith, a doctoral student studying pharmacy; and Aster Teclay, a junior majoring in political science and business.

"We want to congratulate the students who were selected for the summit; it has the potential to be a life-changing experience," said Humphrey. "Our mentors will definitely challenge the participants to be transformational leaders, not only on their campuses, but in society as a whole."

Participants will have the opportunity to apply what they learn through direct engagement at local community organizations. Participating sites are Girl's Hope, Holocaust Center of the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, Fifth Third Bank, Leadership Pittsburgh, Collegiate YMCA, Sustainable Pittsburgh, United Cerebral Palsy, Community Human Services, Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, and Ladies Hospital Aid Society.

Other notables in attendance will be the summit's professional mentors. They are Tina Doerffer, program manager of the Leadership Development Program at Bertelsmann Foundation in Bielefeld, Germany; Elizabeth Edersheim, director of New York Consulting Partners in Scarsdale, N.Y.; Randal D. Fullhart, major general in the U.S. Air Force and director of the U.S. Air Force's Global Reach Programs in Arlington, Va.; Carla Grantham, congressional liaison for Diversity Recruiting and Talent Management at the U.S. Coast Guard in Washington, D.C.; Toshiko Inoue, financial advisor at AXA Equitable in New York, N.Y.; Charles O'Connor, senior vice president of Plan Sponsor Services and Tax-Exempt Retirement Services at Fidelity in Marlborough, Mass.; Gregory Roberts, executive director and senior operating officer of American College Personnel Association at the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C.; Keith Schaefer (A&S '71), president and chief executive officer of BPL Global, Ltd., Cranberry Township, Pa.; Betty Siegel, president emeritus of Kennesaw State University's Siegel Institute for Leadership, Ethics, and Character in Kennesaw, Ga.; Tamara Woodbury, CEO of the Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus-Pine Council in Phoenix, Ariz.; and Sam Zacharias (A&S '64), Pitt trustee and principal of Gateway Financial Group, Inc., in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Mentors will make presentations throughout the summit, including talks titled "The Entrepreneurial and Innovative Spirit of a Leader," "Becoming an Invitational Leader," "Power of Respect in Leadership," "Leadership: What's Love Got to Do With It," "Multicultural Understanding in a Changing Global Environment," "Communication Essentials," and "Finding Your Purpose as a Leader."

Angela Miller McGraw is the program manager for Pitt's Hesselbein Global Academy. McGraw previously worked at the University of Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns, where she directed a series of community-based learning courses. She is interested in developing students who think globally, act locally, and strive for high ethical standards in their careers, communities, and the broader world.

The conference culminates with students giving final group presentations from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 14 in Room 548 WPU.

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