Courtesy of Associated Student Government
Associated Student Government will offer leaders of recognized student organizations a new way to grow their leadership skills and connect with one another this semester through a leadership conference on Oct. 4.
The leadership conference, titled Lead Without Limits, aims to give student leaders a more well-rounded leadership understanding than the All Things RSO informational workshop held in years past, according to Senate Operations Chair Kesiena Lesso. It is the first conference of its kind to be put on by ASG.
Like All Things RSO, Lead Without Limits is required for all student organizations. Those without a representative in attendance risk losing recognition by ASG. The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with breakfast and lunch provided. Registration is required to attend and closes on Sept. 12.
The theme, Lesso says, is to encourage RSO leaders to keep leading despite recent changes to higher education.
“I know that students have questions, they’re kind of confused, like what’s going on, but we want them to know that they should not be scared … they should feel empowered to go ahead and do the work that they do within their RSOs, because these are what makes student life here on campus,” she said.
Students will hear from Emporia State alumni, a keynote speaker and attend breakout sessions on topics like fundraising, budgeting, retention and recruitment. They will also gain insight into how to market themselves and their organization and use their leadership skills.
Lead Without Limits also gives students the opportunity to network with leaders from other RSOs in an effort by ASG to strengthen ties between organizations.
“We’ve never really seen on campus, like, RSOs collaborating with one another. So to be able to bring every organization together in one place and create this kind of bonding and networking with each other, getting to know organizations outside of your own, I think it’s just incredible,” Lesso said.
The hope is that the conference will provide students with skills and insight that they can use outside of their organization.
“We want student leaders to walk away knowing that leadership doesn’t just stop at running the club. It’s more about personal growth, resilience and creating impact,” said Lesso.