In serving as president of Alpha Epsilon Delta this year, it became apparent to me how valuable collaboration with other organizations could serve to be. I am seeking to engage with other leaders on UC's campus with the goal of forming a broader network with highly motivated students. Aside from my role as president, I am also a student leader within the Department of Resident Education and Development where I serve as a Resident Advisor. Topics I am interested in covering this semester through the roundtable are inter-organizational collaboration, transitioning leadership, and campus issues.
Meeting Reflections:
Thursday, February 11th -- The Leadership Round Table meeting that took place on Thursday, February 11th was focused around how to promote more engagement with members. A fellow Leadership Round Table member John Conklin and I were responsible for researching and presenting this information to the round table. This presentation was done through a powerpoint and was focused around groupthink. The presentation began with members joining breakout rooms to consider why members might be engaging with an organization in general and what would make it worthwhile for a member to come to an event that is held by an organization. This portion involved each member offering their own insight and taking into consideration what other organizations are currently doing. The second portion revolved around considering what goes into event planning and how to gain membership involvement at events. Many suggestions were considered such as continuing virtual events in the fall to allow for a more accessible hybrid form of involvement from members, partnering with other organizations outside of UC to spice up events and offer more opportunities for networking, and to co-host events with other on-campus organizations.
Thursday, February 25th -- The Leadership Round Table meeting that took place on Thursday, February 25th was focused around recruiting members to organizations and the most effective ways to do so. This information was presented using a Powerpoint format along with discussion questions. The discussion questions provoked critical thinking regarding what makes up the ideal member, what students typically join, why students should join, and why members feel motivated to participate in the organization. Following the presentation, an activity focused on "selling" your organization was completed. This was a 2-minute pitch where I focused on what my organization is, why someone would be interested in my organization, and what an individual would gain from being a part of my organization.
Thursday, March 11th -- The Leadership Round Table meeting that took place on Thursday, March 11th was focused around transitioning leadership and succession planning as new members enter leadership roles. The meeting consisted of an individual activity, breakout rooms to discuss questions, and general group discussion. From this meeting it became clear the opportunities that my organization has in place that allow members to feel that they play an active role in the functioning of the organization. These opportunities include the service, professional development, and the networking opportunities available to members. Along with this, members are required to be a part of committees that are responsible for the planning and execution of meetings. The breakout room discussion shed light on how important this next transition to leadership is; COVID-19 allowed many organizations to "reset" or take a step back and reevaluate daily functions. With this, the next leadership team must be equipped to set the standard for the role organizations will take on UC's campus for the next year and many years to come. Moving forward, a very large emphasis on legacy and change in the organization will be put in place and passed on to the next set of executive leaders.
Thursday, March 25th -- The Leadership Round Table meeting that took place on Thursday, March 25th was focused around the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on individuals as leaders and the impact on organizations as a whole. The meeting began in the form of a presentation-based meeting with the transition into breakout rooms to go through discussion questions. These questions provoked thought around how individuals may have changed as leaders, what positives of the pandemic might have been, and other changes that organizations are planning to keep in the future or what they plan to do away with completely. This meeting was a great opportunity to reflect on the past year and how the pandemic has changed the way organizations and leaders within these organizations function.
Thursday, April 8th -- The Leadership Round Table meeting that took place on Thursday, April 8th was focused around managing programs and events. The meeting consisted of a presentation portion that offered advice when planning programs and allowed time for discussion. Multiple discussion questions were posed to the group and individuals were encouraged to participate. The questions provoked thought regarding types of events organizations host, strategies utilized to manage events this year, and most and least successful events organizations carried out. The presentation offered ways to increase turn-out, effectively manage an event, and how to host a COVID safe event moving forward. This meeting offered great insight into reflecting on what worked this year and what can be implemented moving forward.
Culminating Reflection: Personal Leadership Charge
Prompt:
Outline at least 2 personal leadership goals you have for next year
Consider how these personal goals might affect the organizations you are involved in
Identify at least two different resources and/or networks what you can leverage when facing challenges and why you chose them
Articulate how you will measure your success and the impact of reaching these goals
Two personal leadership goals I have for next year include delivering on the promises made this past year for my organization and serving as an approachable leader. Due to many of the unforeseen COVID restrictions put in place, many of the goals I had in mind for my organization were not able to be delivered on. This upcoming year, I am hoping to put as many of these in place as possible. Along with this, one of my most valued attributes of a leader is being approachable. I hope to foster this attribute within myself in the coming year as my executive board and I look to grow and improve our organization.
I am looking forward to working towards achieving these goals. I feel that finally delivering on many of the promises made for Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), including a formal recruitment process, formally organized chapter meetings, and a formal at the end of the year will be crucial in the development of AED as a prominent organization on campus. Not only this, AED will now be up to national standards and will function properly. I feel that my approachability as a leader will promote all of the individuals of my executive board to become better leaders themselves. They will have the opportunity to ask questions, seek ways to improve, and receive feedback to build upon their great ideas. Even more so, I will grow as a leader and AED will benefit from this as a whole.
Two different resources that can be leveraged when facing challenges include AED's advisor, Sue Roth, and the Student Activities Board team. I utilized Sue as a resource very frequently this past year and learned so much from the insight she was able to offer during challenging situations. Sue was always honest and respectful during our meetings and was open to discuss whenever necessary. I look forward to working with her this year and am excited to grow AED together. The Student Activities Board team is a resource I rediscovered when completing the RESET process for registered student organizations this year. This team would be a great resource to offer insight when running into challenges regarding event planning, budgeting, and organizing new initiatives within AED.
Success will be measured in two ways: completion of projects and member satisfaction through survey responses. Success of this upcoming year will rely on my executive boards ability to follow-through on the promises made and implement all of the great ideas we have brought to the table. This goal of delivering on promises will be considered successful based on the actual scheduling and executing of the event or idea. Many of these events will be the first of their kind and it will be necessary to carry them out well so that future AED executive board members have a sound example to go off of. Along with this, member satisfaction surveys will be utilized to determine how our members are feeling about the changes made and the new opportunities available to them. This is a great way for the AED executive board to continuously check-in and determine what is and what isn't working throughout the year.