Students Develop Leadership Values and Skills at Conference

The eighth annual Excellence through Leadership Conference took place on October 29.  More than 135 students from the College of Business had the opportunity to interact with 75 recruiters from 17 corporate sponsors.

The conference gives companies an opportunity to interact with students outside of an interview setting. Additionally, students are able to meet recruiters and find out about different industries with which they may not be familiar. Student attendees are included in a profiles booklet, which is given to all of the recruiters who attend the conference.

Dao Dang, a student in the Crosby MBA program, and Brian Johnson, a 2004 graduate who now works for Edward Jones, at the Leadership Conference.

“Events like these are an added benefit of my business education,” said Justin Diller, president of the Student Council. “I don’t have to wait until I’m in a corporate setting before going through professional development sessions.  I appreciate the chance to meet successful business people and learn from them.”

The conference focused on developing leadership skills with professional facilitation by Monsanto Company. Activities revolved around this year’s theme, “The Learning Leader: Developing the Leader in You,” including experiential activities on being a learning leader and interactive activities involving the students and corporate representatives.

Brett Begemann, an MU alumnus who is now the executive vice president of international commercial operations at Monsanto, was the keynote speaker at the conference. Begemann touched on several themes, including don’t be afraid to move laterally, or even down a step, to gain more experience; don’t be afraid to make mistakes; and learn from failure.

The Leadership Committee, consisting of eight members, planned all aspects of the conference, including interacting with the facilitators and working with them to decide on a theme. The committee was co-chaired by Lindsey Cunio and Andrea Rehm.  Karen Shelton, director of the college's Career Services Office, worked with the student committee to arrange the conference.