November News

Where has the time gone? It is mid-November and the semester is coming to a close... Here's an update on what UELA has done so far this school year!

• ADCO interviewed a pool of applicants, and sent invitations to 25 qualified individuals to become members of Tier I.
• 24 student leaders accepted their invitations and are now part of our new, wonderful tier. Congratulations, Tier I!
• Tier III has been hard at work coming up with ideas for their Capstone project, which will take place in spring of 2014.
• Advisory Council has been revamping and strengthening the UELA curriculum in order to produce the best leaders possible. We will also be interviewing applicants in order to find a new Tier II co-director, as Mallory will be at Harlaxton next semester. (We will miss you!)

Below are some pictures of Tier I! Be on the lookout for our upcoming "Meet the New Members" posts!

What are the Benefits of Being on ADCO?


The Advisory Council meets weekly to organize and manage what is going on in UELA. ADCO gives UELA members an opportunity to put the leadership skills learned in the Tiers into action. ADCO also has other opportunities such as representing the organization at leadership conferences across the country. This year Ashley and Mallory represented ADCO at a conference in Arizona.

Below the 2012-2013 ADCO share what leading UELA has been like for them this past year and what they have learned.

"Being a part of ADCO has allowed me to actually use the leadership skills I learned throughout the Tier experience. ADCO has also tested my leadership skills given certain situations that have come up that don't necessarily come up when you're just learning about leadership." -Jeff Hoida, Chair

"I love being on ADCO because it provides me with an opportunity to utilize the curriculum through my experiences. I learn best by doing, and ADCO has proved to fulfill the need. ADCO has also given me the power to give back to the organization and contribute to its development. I love the sense of ownership I feel with UELA as a result of my role in ADCO." -Ashley Schultz, Co-Chair  

"My favorite part about ADCO was implementing the new curriculum changes with my Tier because I feel a direct sense of accomplishment within the program" -Mallory Ermler, Tier I/II Co-Director

"Just like Mallory, I feel I was able to learn more about myself through the new curriculum process" -Victoria Bruner, Tier I/II Co-Director 

"It is really cool to see all the background stuff and see the leadership that is going on behind the scenes that people don't really know about or see."  -Jessica Stoens, Operations Director

"I have been on ADCO for 3 years now and have learned something in every roll. This year I learned a lot of new skills and about creating and setting up a new position when I stepped into the new Marketing Director position. It has been great trying to help share the name of UELA and I can't wait to see where the person after me takes the position." -Kate Schlarf, Marketing Director

Network Better at Your Next Leadership Conference
by +Kate Schlarf 

Recently many UELA members participated in the Students in Leadership Conference held at the University of Evansville. Many members were nervous about attendance and networking with local professionals. Here are some tips for networking at future events to maximize your conference experience. 

Some UELA members at the Students in
Leadership Conference 

1.  Do Your Homework!

If you know who the keynote speakers or guests will be before the event be sure to research a little bit about them or their company. What has been some recent good news from their company? Are there any industry trends you can learn more about?  Learning more about the speakers gives you more speaking topics than just "Hi my name is...and I study...." It also makes you seem much more knowledgable and relatable that you can as relevant questions about their industry.


2. Smile and Ask Genuine Questions

A smile, though simple, can often be forgotten when on is nervous in networking situations. A smile can make you seem much friendlier and inviting so be sure to flash a genuine smile as you meet people at the conference. Also, when talking avoid forced questions. Only ask questions you truly want an answer to and that are appropriate to the situation.

3.  Exchange Information and Follow Up

Make sure before you leave you get their card and offer your own if you have one. Getting their information allows you to email the person a day or so later to thank them for talking with you (this is also a great way to give them your information if you didn't at the event). This ia also an appropriate time to follow up on any questions you had about the conversation or presentation.

New Year, New Social Media

By: +Kate Schlarf

Welcome back to campus UELA members. The New Year is a great time full opportunities to take chances and try out new leadership positions. It is also a great time to take a look at your online presence and make. So here are some tips for cleaning up your presence.

1. Have you changed your passwords lately?

Public computers are a great place to log on and accidentally stay logged on. Don't let randoms change your status or pick up your password around campus. Especially be sure you are using varied passwords across all platforms. Don't let one public computer slip turn into someone knowing your password to everything. So be safe, differentiate, and change passwords every few months. 

2. Clean House

Would you show the weekend out photos to your grandma? If the answer is no then it probably shouldn't be up there. Despite ever changing privacy settings there are still many ways for potential employers to look up your photos, posts, and other internet activity. Obviously there are different standards to consider for different platforms (clearly LinkedIn will be more professional than Facebook) but in general the 'would you show grandma?' rule works across the board. Be sure to take a few moments to scroll through past activity too.

3. Get a Second Opinion
Does this picture look professional? Is this post pushing it too far? Sometimes questions like these are best answered by an outside source. Let a friend browse your social media and ask them what they think. Would they show their grandma? Friends are also great sources of input for choosing your best professional profile picture and for writing an eye catching about me section. 

4. Schedule a Review

Set up a time in the future to check your online presence again. The frequency at which you should do clean ups will depend upon the platforms you're using and how often you are posting. Set a weekly or monthly reminder in your phone or planner, and then hold yourself to it! The more you stay on track the less time a quick check will take. 

In case you didn't know UE has gotten into social media in big ways. For campus leadership and community service ideas you can follow the Center for Student Engagement on Pinterest. You can also follow the University of Evansville on Twitter as well as LinkedIn. 

Inspiring Leadership Quotes 
by Kate Schlarf

As we get closer to Thanksgiving for many campus organizations that means mid-year elections. Whether you are running for a position, voting on your future leaders, or just need some inspiration here are some leadership quotes to inspire you. 

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." President John Quincy Adams 

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." -General George S. Patton

"A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see." -Leroy Eimes 

"When the effective leaders is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally." -Lao Tzu

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and will to carry on." -Walter J. Lippman

"Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position." -Brian Tracy 

"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions." -Harold S. Geneen

Hanging with My Friends, Ropes Course Style 

by Kate Schlarf 

A little over a week ago the current Tier 1 members had the pleasure of experiencing a right of passage for any Leadership Academy member. That is making daunting trek across the bridge to Kentucky to complete the ropes course at Audubon State Park. This course has been pushed a lot this year by the Center for Student Engagement and from spending the day with the Tier 1 members it is easy to see why. Many lessons can be learned on the course, but here are a few that Tier 1 really maximized through out the day:

1. Learn to To Communicate and Listen 

One of the toughest parts for students coming to this course for the first time is learning to tackle some of the group elements. These elements require communication, understanding, and listening to be completed.Without being able to communicate and listen to ideas, your group will not be able to move forward with the best one. Make sure that everyone has a chance to voice their opinion and that your listen to them while they talk. 

2. Think an Idea All the Way Through Before You Scrap It

Many times throughout the day our members were given complex tasks to complete. Often there were a few verbal leaders who shared their ideas on how to complete the task, while others just listened and helping make the ideas a reality. In some cases after many rounds of trial and error the group found out during debriefing that one member had indeed had the correct idea to complete the task, they had just been cut off by other members or the group just didn't think their idea through. So always remember to take all the ideas you can get and think them all the way through. You never know if they will be a hidden gem or if they can be pieced together to achieve success!

3. Learn to Laugh at Yourself!! 

One scenario on the trip was protecting a bucket of water all the way until the end. When one student accidentally knocked the bucket over during a debriefing round they learned that you can't take everything serious in life. Not all experience in life are life and death and sometimes you just have to laugh and move on. This is the same in leadership, if you have a little mess up or bump in the road just own up to it, laugh at the mistake, and move on -we can't be serious all the time that only leads to stress. 

Thanks for all your participation and hard work Tier 1! ADCO can't wait to see the places you go with the leadership lessons learned at Audubon. 

WECOME NEW MEMBERS!!

UE Leadership Academy would like to welcome our newest Tier 1 members: 

Tyler Asgrimson

Charlie Matias

Matt Roberts

Austin Willis 

Sam Kosmer

Laurel Spurgeon

Maggie Limmer

Annaliese Trapp

Alexandra Hollingsworth

Sheilah Payton

Brianna Van Horn

Kyle Abraham

Erin Whittmer

Bryan Bennett

Nicole Ivanovic

Joshua Herrera

Craig Schlemmer

The newest Tier includes Freshmen, Sophmores, and Juniors from all walks of campus. Today the members were able to get together for the annual new member picnic at Wesselman Woods where they got the chance to eat, mingle, and do some ice breakers. ADCO would like to wish them the best of luck on their leadership journey.