Students enjoy camaraderie and team-building at the Jay Severson Leadership Retreat.

University Residences recently hosted a weekend retreat for student leaders as Residential Life evolves to continue developing the leadership potential of Boilermakers.

Approximately 80 students and staff attended the annual Jay Severson Leadership Retreat, a one-day retreat held at Fair Oaks Farms. At the retreat, students participated in development sessions, learned about cross-club collaboration and enjoyed time to connect and have fun in a low-stress atmosphere away from campus.

Programming sessions included sessions on personal growth and development, how to work within the hall club structure and the importance of connecting with different organizations on campus and in the community. Topics covered in each session ranged from time management strategies to conflict management and program planning. Presenters included staff and student leaders, giving conference participants opportunities to learn from both peers and professionals.

Attendees also completed a personality quiz activity and discussion, enjoyed lunch and dinner and had free time to explore Fair Oaks and make candles.

While University Residences continues to promote leadership development opportunities to Boilermakers, the organization is constantly exploring new ways to deliver programming. On the horizon is the implementation of Tracks to Leadership, a new way of connecting leadership experiences in Residential Life to the overall Student Life programmatic framework, which falls into three categories:

• Leadership, engagement and community.
• Well-being.
• Arts and culture.

The initiative empowers students to explore a variety of experiences on campus and in University Residences at their own pace. Through guided reflection, small-group discussions and personalized conversations, students will be able to tailor their leadership development to their interests and contextualize their experiences as they develop.

A student presents their idea at a Shark Tank-inspired event hosted by Bruce Schechter during his Executive in Residence visit. Similar events and opportunities to reflect on them will be part of Tracks to Leadership, a new University Residences initiative.

Tracks to Leadership is expected to include opportunities to attend and reflect on events, participate in a self-assessment of leadership skills and complete a course in Brightspace, the university’s central online learning platform.

“The ultimate goal is to create a list of experiences for students who are participating that fall under the different areas of the programmatic framework and give the students opportunities for reflection through Brightspace,” says Jen Bannon, associate director of Residential Life. “These experiences will range from programs currently being offered on campus to unique experiences built around needs identified by our students. Some examples might include Coffee and Consulting with Executive in Residence and programming with Faculty Fellows.”

Implementing initiatives like Tracks to Leadership provides University Residences with new opportunities to develop the leadership potential of students while supporting already existing programs like the Jay Severson Leadership Retreat. No matter the program, University Residences remains steadfast in its commitment to helping Boilermakers succeed as leaders in workplaces and communities on campus and beyond.