University News
New Center For Leadership Learning
This September, at the Embassy Suites of Palm Desert, California, 80 high school students and 15 youth leaders from nine different churches met for the annual Dare to Lead Conference. The Dare to Lead Conference is just one part of the new Center for Leadership Learning that Hope has initiated. The Center has four dimensions that work together to promote education in leadership skills: the Dare to Lead Conference, Hope’s undergraduate leadership courses, a leadership training program for adults, and the Center for Public Leadership.
The Dare to Lead Conference is an annual conference for high school students, which promotes leadership learning. The conference is now hosted by Hope and facilitated by Hope students who help the high school participants learn confidence in their leadership skills and abilities through a series of exercises and lessons. The conference also features speeches from Dr. John Derry, Dr. Joe Grana and Dr. Paul Alexander.
The Center for Public Leadership was created with the intention of bringing influential leaders from the political and business realm to the Hope campus through lecture series and other feature events. It is designed to connect students with successful leaders in high-ranking government and business positions. The program is the product of Hope alum Rich Davis’ (BA ’93) vision to develop a forum that would bring in experts in leadership and allow Hope students to become more exposed to influential leaders and raise students’ social and political awareness. Davis currently served as Director of Prevention Policy for the Homeland Security Council at the White House, and is responsible for counter-terrorism policy development.
The Center For Leadership Learning is designed to grow students’ understanding of leadership and the need for leadership skills in today’s global environment. This program is addressing the rising concern that students are often under prepared to take on leadership roles after college through growing students’ understanding of leadership from the high school level through college, and beyond.