NEWS RELEASES
Students attend media leadership academy
"Everything rises and falls on leadership." "Leadership skills will determine how effective your organization becomes." "The quickest way to gain leadership is to solve problems." "A leader is important because a leader has a vision, motivates, and identifies problems," are quotes that a handful of students grasped as Kenneth A. Dean, director of the Asa Philip Randolph Media Leadership Academy, emphasized many of the essential concepts necessary to becoming student media leaders. The Randolph Media Leadership Academy is an interactive learning experience designed to help students who want to become leaders and work in the Office of Student Media become better acquainted with leadership concepts and principles.
The academy was held for three days in the Alumni Conference Room of the John Garrick Hardy University Center on May 23-25 and was filled with numerous topics that addressed the issue of leadership.
Students attending the academy included Raven Peterson, former SGA Secretary and recommended editor-in-chief of the 2008 HORNET; Stanley Giles, chief of the Media Advertising Division; Julian K. Johnson, managing editor for The Hornet Tribune; Dale Clark, director of Online Services; Bryan Weaver, recommended executive editor of The Hornet Tribune; and James Lucy, university news editor for The Hornet Tribune. The academy also featured keynote speakers such as Alabama State University President Joe A. Lee, PhD, alumna Catherine Wilson Wright, a member of the ASU Board of Trustees and Ken Selvaggi, vice president and general manager of WSFA Channel 12.
During day one of the workshop, Dean systematically and comprehensively covered the definition of leadership, the five levels of leadership, the diifferences between a manager and a leader, and the various orientation of styles that leaders possess.
"In order for you to become a real leader, you must be able to define the term and once you define the term you must begin cultivating the qualities that are complementary to becoming good leaders," Dean said. "Contrary to belief, leaders are not born. People are born with natural tendencies that are complementary to leading."
The second day of the workshop highlighted the importance of cultivating integrity and being an effective communicator.
"Integrity means that what I say matches what I actually do," Dean said. "If you look at every institution in this country, you will find leaders that have disappointed their public either through scandals or corruption.
Wright agreed with Dean and encouraged the participants to cultivate their leadership skills.
"You are here to improve upon what you have. You should groom your leadership skills and allow them to grow," Wright said. "The combination of natural abilities with acquired skills creates good leaders. Integrity and high character are two main qualities of a good leader."
On the last day of the workshop, students were taught the significance of motivation, diversity, strategy and people development.
"Motivation is the reason why people behave the way they do," Dean said. "If you are a good leader and you are able to motivate your people to accomplish a set goal, you are now an effective leader because they have seen your vision and they have bought into your vision and made it their own."
Selvaggi said leaders are actually servants.
"A lot of people think being a leader means you're the power guy," Selvaggi said. "To be a good leader you have to serve others. People don't follow people who don't care about them. The best leaders care about their followers."
He later talked about the confidence of a leader.
"You have to believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else is," Selvaggi said. "Leaders are self-confidence and
forceful people."
Some of the students who attended commented on their experiences.
"This workshop was very enlightening," said Stanley Giles, a sophomore business major. "There were a number of things that are required of good leaders that I wasn't aware of. I would definitely do it again if the opportunity presented itself. The speakers were all effective and encouraging."