What is the Leadership Development Conference?

Tim Reynolds: The Leadership Development Program is an action learning event done over a weekend, we run several of these events per year. And they’re designed to bring in world-class speakers. Both scholars and practitioners to share with our MBA students about the field of leadership we address areas of how we lead yourself, how we lead others and then how we lead enterprises as current MBAs and future leaders in organizations. In addition a major aspect of it, and purpose is to take members who are part of the program who have been learning strong functional domain skills and they’ve been studying that in a virtual environment to bring them to campus to build this community of Ohio University Bobcats. And an affinity for the campus for the university that they’re a part of but then to also connect them as a network of leaders. So they have a community of colleagues to learn from and to grow their career with.

Hugh Sherman: Our students talk about that one of their favorite aspects of the MBA program is the Leadership Development Workshops.This is an opportunity for students to develop their individual skills and meet with their colleagues and faculty members. And we bring in top experts from around the country to meet personally with the students and to talk about the current issues that are happening in the global work environment.

Ashley Metcalf: Multiple times a year we offer the Leadership Development Workshop at that workshop we have great speakers we have hands-on workshops where you can learn new skills but I think the major takeaway is just networking. You’re able to meet your peers that you’ve talked online through classes and discussion boards and you’re able to put a face with a name. You’re able to meet the faculty and have those one-on-one discussions. A major takeaway from the LDP is being able to take that network with you as you move forward in the future.

Robert Foehl: It’s a fantastic, energetic experience. You just can’t beat being there with your peers, with your colleagues learning about leadership and different ways to develop as leaders and obviously to meet your professors face to face as well.

Ikenna Uzuegbunam: There are a couple of things students get from the Leadership Development Workshops. First of all the content is obviously very important. They get some content material, In terms of leadership on what it takes to be an
effective leader in the modern environment. But again they get access to faculty, lots of faculty members. This is an opportunity for them to interact with lots of the faculty that they’ve been talking to on the phone and email and other platforms and they now get to see them in person.

Gretchen Schaupp: We spend a lot of time preparing the different elements of works we bring in experts in the field And I think that all of that gives them impulses that they can then take back to their own workplace or their own jobs. I think that the first thing we offer them is a sense of community and a sense of belonging. For many students who didn’t graduate from the school with a bachelor’s degree this might be their first time to the Athens campus. So I think it gives them a chance to network with other students it gives them a chance to know the university, it gives them a chance to become a Bobcat.