In April, three Peru State College students and their faculty adviser had an opportunity to experience the National Student Leadership Diversity Convention hosted by the Miller Institute in Newark, New Jersey/New York City. The NSLDC is the largest national gathering of student leaders and campus-based advisors to address the most critical topics of diversity and social justice challenging campuses today.
Funding for the travel came from the College’s SEE (Student Engagement Enhancement) Grant Funds. Monies provided from the SEE Fund aided in covering conference registration, airline tickets, hotel expenses, and transportation costs.
Those attending the convention were Azlyn Fendrick – junior marketing major from Lincoln; Chris Giittinger – senior computer management information systems, human resources/risk management, and management major from Nebraska City; Kelsi Leininger – senior human resources/risk management and public administration major from Shenandoah, Iowa; and Dr. Sheri Grotrian – professor of business.
The convention was a prime opportunity to learn more about the hot topics on college campuses. Much of the focus was on leadership to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. A sample of specific topics from sessions is as follows: Social Impacts on Campus, Servant Leadership, Understanding Cancel Culture, Creating an Inclusive Community for Students, and Breaking the Bias. Grotrian noted they were surprised to see how many other Nebraska students were there. Large groups from the University of Omaha and Northeast Community College were also in attendance.
Regarding her experience, Leininger stated, “Through the NSLDC I was able to learn so much more about DEI issues and how we as students and future business leaders can make a difference in alleviating these issues. It was amazing to learn from so many others and to also offer up my own ideas making for a very collaborative experience!”
The overarching goal of the NSLDC is to help students become stronger leaders in their organizations and campuses, empowering them to create a more accepting, equitable environment and preparing them to work effectively in a diverse workplace. The NSLDC provided experiential workshops and discussions focused on four areas: 1) Raising Awareness, 2) Increasing Knowledge, 3) Developing Skills, and 4) Planning for Social Action.
Giittinger was pleased to have been able to go to the NSLDC. He noted, “New York City had diversity on every street. So, it was the perfect destination to experience, learn and see diversity in action. The overall trip was a learning experience from the conference, seeing the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, and the World Trade Center Memorial. The NSLDC demonstrated to me how diversity is essential for human resources. Knowing how diversity benefits organizations will inspire new ideas, create opportunities, and inspire peace between races and cultures.”
Continuing, Giittinger added a comment about the College’s Professional Business Leaders (PBL) (formerly Phi Beta Lambda) Chapter. He said, “PBL is a fantastic organization on campus that students should be a part of to experience meeting new friends, networking, competing, leadership skills, and the opportunities presented by Dr. Grotrian.”
In addition to the conference experience, the Peru State contingent enjoyed exploring the sites of New York City. None of the students had ever visited NYC before so they had an opportunity to check out Central Park, Times Square, Wall Street, the 9-11 Memorial, Rockefeller Center, and Grand Central Station. In addition, the group took a tour via the Hudson River and viewed the famous bridges, Battery Park, and the Statue of Liberty.
Grotrian commented, “I believe students were very appreciative of this experience—not only of the conference information, but with the overall travel experience to a new location as well.”
Student Engagement Enhancement (SEE) Funds are specifically designed to assist faculty in their efforts to pursue the transformational goal of excellence through essential engagement. Since the fund began in 2011, more than $450,000 has been used to support student engagement at Peru State College.
Original source can be found here.
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