March 11----Leadership re-boot

Dr. Jack Hillwig and Dr. Liane Gray Starner joined me for a conversation about the age old issue of leadership.

What is it all about?

Give Jack a listen.

The Story!


February 13, 2008 -- Three Marietta College students have been chosen to present at the highly prestigious Woman as Global Leaders conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 10-12. Also selected to present are two Marietta professors.

The students—Laura Aldrich '09 of Plymouth, N.H.; Anastasia Ault '11 of Midland, Mich.; and Amelia Bean-DeFlumer '11 of Oak Ridge, Tenn.—will be part of the panel topic "Approaches to Undergraduate Global Leadership Education."

The panel will compare two undergraduate leadership programs—Marietta's McDonough Leadership Program and Ohio University's Global Leadership Center—that have a focus on global leadership development. Students from both schools will make presentations.

"This panel will give us a chance to compare how global leadership development takes place at a small liberal arts college such as Marietta and at a large state institution such as OU. The students will present their perspectives and reflections," said Dr. Gama Perruci, dean of McDonough. "At the same time, this panel will also highlight some of the best practices in global leadership development. We were thrilled to be included in the program and to have this opportunity to share the McDonough model with other institutions from all over the world."

The professors are Dr. Jack Hillwig, chair of the Communication and Media Studies Department and Dr. Liane Gray-Starner, an associate professor in Communication and Media Studies. They will conduct a workshop titled, Leadership: Knowing Oneself and Knowing Others.

This workshop focuses on the four facets of leaderships articulated author and leadership expert Warren Bennis. First participants will learn about themselves as leaders. They will learn about their own interpersonal needs and learn to recognize the needs of others. Second, participants will learn that it is not enough to have a vision, but that a vision that is not shared effectively is a vision that cannot be effectively achieved. Third, participants will learn about the nature of high performance teams. They will learn how teams develop, the leadership behaviors necessary to build trust, and how to value and reward high performance teams. Finally, participants will engage in a process of self-reflection that is necessary for all leaders.

The conference website states that the Women as Global Leaders conference focuses on women's emergent and current leadership roles across the globe as well as the practice of educating students for and about leadership. Sessions and workshops provide insight into women's leadership and leadership education, offering opportunities for learning new ideas and developing concrete skills.

Some of the conference keynote speakers include: Helen Thomas, journalist and author; Jane Fonda, award-winning actress and humanitarian; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, CEO, advocate, philanthropist and author; Carol Bellamy, former head of UNICEF, CEO of World Learning, and President of the School for International Training; Anousheh Ansari, first female private space explorer, chairman and co-founder, Prodea Systems, Inc.

The conference is organized by Zayed University, one of the premier institutions in the Middle East dedicated to the leadership development of women in the region.

"I think our leadership students will do an excellent job presenting their thoughts on international leadership development," Perruci said. "While the conference in itself will be a great learning experience with fascinating keynote speakers, the students also will have the opportunity to experience Dubai—a thriving, cosmopolitan city—which is emerging as a key economic player in the Middle East."

For more information about the conference click here.

In 1986, through a generous $5.5 million gift from McDonough’s wife, Alma McDonough, and the McDonough Foundation, Marietta College established the Bernard P. McDonough Center for Leadership and Business. The Center offered one of the first comprehensive undergraduate leadership programs in the United States.