The Honors Program hosts 4th Annual Student Leadership Conference

With over 160 students in attendance, the Tennessee State University Honors Program hosted its fourth annual Student Leadership Conference on February 19 - 20, 2010 with the theme, "Your Brand; Fact or Fiction." This year's conference was by far the best of all the previous conferences. The conference is the brainchild of Dr. William U. Latham who serves as the associate director of the honors program.

The two day conference consisted of sessions geared towards helping students become better leaders. The conference kicked off with an opening skit by students Patrick Walker-Reese, Charity Ward, DeRone Payne, and Patrick Calvin, who depicted a typical classroom at Tennessee A&I University in 1965. The students were discussing their participation in the Sit-ins in downtown Nashville and how difficult it was to be nonviolent. The professor came into the classroom and joined in the discussion by asking students what they thought the future would be for students like them as a result of the sacrifices being made. He then told them that he could show them the future. A film was then show entitled "A War for Your Soul," which depicts how far backwards many young people of today are going. Afterwards the actors discussed how disappointed they were that students in the future would not have learned from the movement. This skit was very moving and really prepared the audience for the need for the conference.

Excellent leadership trainers such as Anna McCoy, Janeth Brown, Tony Forte of Nike, Inc. Susan Shalud of the Gallup Organization, and keynote, motivational guru, Delatorro McNeal. The male only and female only sessions lead by several returning alums became so involved on Saturday that the noon closing luncheon was almost thirty minutes late getting started. A special surprise tribute was given to Dr. Latham for his outstanding sacrifice to help students walk in purpose. The Pentagon Project, founded by four young female alums of the UHP presented a $500.00 book scholarship to Ms. Angela Williams, a senior Communications major. Delatorro McNeal spoke to us about a much needed "Brain Surgery," which was designed to dispel the myths such as "time is money" or "knowledge is power." Delatorro was so motivational that he had the entire audience on their feet. Students from Vanderbilt and Fisk Universities stated that they were already looking forward to next year's conference.

The Student Leadership Conference is just one of many activities and initiatives led by the University Honors Program to make sure that students get all that they need to be successful after graduation. Feel free to contact us at sholt@tnstate.edu or (615) 963-5802. We are the Tennessee State University Honors Program and we make excellence a way of life.