Recently in Leadership Opportunities Category

Participate in the Liberal Arts Mentor Program--applications now being accepted.

All Liberal Arts students intending to graduate in 2013 or 2014 are eligible for the program, which is designed to help students develop professionally and explore career options by connecting them one-on-one with alumni.

Applications for the next program cycle, which starts in the fall, will be accepted till June 1, 2012, and you will notified by August 1 about the status of a match with a mentor.

Visit the program web-page for complete information including the on-line application.

The mentor program does not take a lot of time but can reap big benefits. View it as an investment in yourself and your professional development. Though it is not a job- or internship-finding program by design, some students have in fact achieved such results through excellent relationship-building and communication with their mentor. At the very least, you will develop clearer career plans, a top-quality résumé, a professional reference, and access to your mentor's network.

Here are comments from student participants:

• "Thanks for making the wonderful alumni mentoring program possible! I've yet to stop raving!"
• "The mentor program was the best thing I've done as a Penn State student."
• "Thank you so very much for opening the Penn State network to me and putting me in touch with my mentor. I'm very excited to say I have a paid internship with her agency this summer!"
• "Thank you again for matching me with (Beth) through the alumni mentor program. She was and continues to be an excellent mentor."
• "I had a very successful matching and have had wonderful experience."

Students interested in the Liberal Arts Mentor Program can also listen to Episode 39 of the Liberal Arts Voices podcast to hear more from student participants in the program.

I'm writing to encourage first-year Paterno Fellows and PF aspirants to apply for membership in the next Presidential Leadership Academy class. The selection process takes place this semester and activities begin in the fall.

Interested? Come to an info session Thursday, February 2 at 4 pm in 124 Sparks. You can still apply without coming to the info session, but the info session will include helpful hints and address frequently asked questions. Current Liberal Arts Presidential Leadership Academy members will be there to offer their perspectives on what makes a successful application and what the PLA involves and offers.

Established in spring 2009, the Academy is a three-year leadership development opportunity for a select group of students. Through the Presidential Leadership Academy, students will develop leadership fundamentals to thrive in an environment in which multiple dimensions of an issue are explored, diverse viewpoints are welcomed and heard, and a fully informed and respectful discourse ensues that leads to sound action. The curricular and extracurricular opportunities available through the Academy lead to further development of critical thinking abilities necessary for leaders to implement decisions with sensitivity to the circumstances that led them and the flexibility to rethink decisions and even change course along the way. A highlight of the Academy is a one-credit introductory seminar led by the President of the university. For more information, see http://academy.psu.edu/

Note that the only requirements necessary for nominations are:

1. Current status as a first-year student
2. Demonstrated leadership skills, either in or outside the classroom 
3. Minimum GPA of 3.2
   

Deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday, February 14, 2012. Students nominated for the Academy will be asked to complete the application process, which includes a resume, two essay questions, and two letters of recommendation.

Do you want to travel and explore life in developing communities?
...and apply your knowledge to empower marginalized people?
...and engage in research endeavors that lead to publications?

The Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) Program provides several transformational integrated learning, research and entrepreneurship opportunities. HESE brings together passionate students and faculty from various disciplines to develop innovative and practical technology-based solutions to address compelling global challenges. Paterno Fellows can participate in seven sets of real-world ventures that range from low-cost greenhouses and ceramic filters to telemedicine systems, cellphone apps and innovative science education programs. Students will be working on various aspects of research, design, field-testing and implementation of these ventures in the Spring 2012 semester with travel to Kenya, Tanzania, Nicaragua, India or the US for three weeks in the Summer (Travel is optional).

Interested students are required to take both EDSGN 452 and EDSGN 497 during the spring semester.  Students can receive regular (or honors) three credits for EDSGN 497 (EDSGN 497H) and have the option of traveling to project sites in the Summer and participating in a follow-up honors course on reflection and research dissemination in the Fall semester. Credits count towards a certificate in Engineering and Community Engagement and the minor in Sustainability Leadership.

These courses are open to undergraduate and graduate students from all majors and all semester standings. Only 35% of participating students are engineers and every single college is represented...Enter the intersection!

Read a blog post from Amy Copley (BS, International Politics & Applied French, 2012) discussing her experiences working on HESE ventures:

I've been working as a part of the HESE Affordable Greenhouse Venture team for several months now, and I couldn't be more excited about our progress and the future of our venture!

The greenhouse venture focuses on providing a low-cost greenhouse technology to small-scale commercial and subsistence farmers because it can help them increase their agricultural productivity by up to 50%. While the initial greenhouse team designed and field tested the greenhouse in rural Kenya and Tanzania, my teammates and I are currently creating an operable business model that will ensure the sustainability and scalability of our venture.

During my time working on this venture, I've engaged in developing and presenting several different types of business pitches, designing our venture website, and preparing application materials for submission to national and international grant opportunities. As an international politics major with a passion for food security, taking this class has been particularly meaningful to me because I feel like my teammates and I are working towards achieving real-life social, economic, and environmental goals that will someday impact the future global food security landscape. Although learning the technical intricacies of developing a sustainable business plan has been challenging at times, our in-class discussions, group interactions, and team meetings with Prof. Mehta have made us all well-versed in the concepts and practices that lead to successful social enterprises.

The most exciting part of this experience is knowing that soon we'll be traveling halfway across the globe to implement the business plans that we're developing in class. No other course at Penn State has given me the chance to apply the knowledge I've acquired in class to such a real-world opportunity. I've found that the HESE classes really teach you to become a skilled public speaker, a knowledgeable business person who understands and can explain engineering concepts, and a successful social entrepreneur, because when you're traveling and working abroad you will assume these roles and responsibilities as you're developing relationships with local partners, pitching your venture to potential investors, and working on the ground to get your venture up and running. I highly recommend the class to anyone interested in taking part in a multidisciplinary, cross-cultural initiative that makes a difference in the lives of people all over the world.

For more information, please visit www.hese.psu.edu

Watch HESE teams in action in Kenya on the Global Penn State TV Program:

Hello Paterno Fellows and Aspirants!

My name is Caitlin Ogram, and I am a junior Paterno Fellow. I'm blogging today to tell everyone about a great opportunity available to you as Paterno Fellows and aspirants. You could say green fever has now hit the Fellows program, and we are currently looking for a group of motivated individuals to hold leadership positions for the upcoming Fall 2011 Sustainability Festival. 

What is this Sustainability Festival? Well, for starters it has the possibility to become whatever we make it. Currently, the plan is to hold an event in the middle of the Fall semester, showcasing the many different ways college students can incorporate sustainability into their every day lives. 

To accomplish this, we need a leadership board that can act as intermediaries between the various sustainability/eco friendly clubs and organizations on campus, handle a budget, and overall make the event run smoothly.

Interested?  Email me at cmo168@psu.edu, and we can set up a date and time for a brief organizational meeting based on everyone's availabilities.

Would you like to be considered for the Presidential Leadership Academy?  First-year students are now welcome to begin the application process for this valuable opportunity, one that's right in keeping with the Paterno Fellows agenda.

Established in spring 2009, the Academy is a three-year leadership development opportunity for a select group of students, who are admitted toward the end the spring semester of freshman year. The application process has now begun. (About 15 of the students selected in the first two classes have been Paterno Fellows aspirants, so we know that the opportunity is especially open to you.) 

Through the Presidential Leadership Academy, students develop leadership skills, especially the ability to explore multiple dimensions of an issue and to welcome diverse viewpoints.  A highlight of the Academy is a one-credit introductory seminar led by the President of the university, and there are numerous off-campus and on-campus special events and opportunities. Check out the details on their website.

Interested students may apply directly for membership in the Academy, or (better) they can be nominated by members of the university community.  My recommendation would be to come to an info session for Liberal Arts freshmen interested in the Presidential Leadership Academy on Tuesday, January 25, at 4:30 in 124 Sparks--you'll learn how to improve your application, and you'll also learn how to get feedback on your developing applications.

Deadline for receipt of nominations is Monday, February 14, 2011. Students nominated for the Academy will be asked to complete the application process, which includes a resume, one essay question, and two letters of recommendation.