Upcoming Events

February 20, 2006 - Careers in Entrepreneurship Leadership Panel, featuring Genevieve Bos of PINK Magazine, Debbie Shapiro, founder of Henderson Shapiro and Achim Reus, Founder and Owner of Achim's K-Bob; co-sponsored by SIFE and UGA Career Center, 5:00 p.m., Student Learning Center room 248

May 5, 2006 - Maximum Impact-360º The Measure of a Leader conference at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA

May 17-19, 2006 - Teaching Leadership Workshop, Terry College of Business, UGA Campus

Annual Report Available

The newest annual report is now available on the web. Please click here to see ILA's many activities and accomplishments for 2004-2005. To request a hard copy, email your name and mailing address to The Institute for Leadership Advancement with "Annual Report" in the subject line.

Applications Are Under Review

ILA received more than 200 applications to our undergraduate leadership programs and they are now under review; committees will announce selections in mid March. Stay tuned to meet the newest class of leaders!

Executive Speaker Series: Craig Johnson, Philip Morris USA

On January 18th the Institute for Leadership Advancement was pleased to welcome Craig Johnson, Executive Vice President of Sales and Brand Management for Philip Morris USA, to the spring installment of the Executive Leadership Speaker Series. ILA students, Leigh Foisy, Public Relations and Andrew Dill, Risk Management and Insurance/Political Science, introduced Mr. Johnson to a standing-room-only crowd of over 200 students, staff and faculty.

Mr. Johnson began his lecture by engaging the audience in a word association exercise to get their thoughts on different brand images. He then went on to relate that over his entire career he has thrived on challenges, and no tougher challenge than managing Philip Morris's brand image has ever emerged. He discussed the mission statement and core values that have guided his company through the downturn as one of the most admired to one of the most reviled companies in a short 10 year period.

Mr. Johnson was also able to shed insight on the future of Philip Morris and the business changes that have been neccessary to keep up in a world where public perception of businesses is constantly changing. He shared openly and honestly the daily struggles of his business and did not shy away from the tough questions regarding the controversial products of Philip Morris. He emphasized the importance of surrounding yourself with good people and retaining them by using your character and integrity. Many university students enjoyed this new insider's perspective on one of the most controversial products of our generation. In parting, Johnson left a valuable piece of advice, "To carry the burden of a controversial product, you must have people that act with the highest level of integrity."

Recruiting Info Session

The first ILA program information session was a success. It was open to all and held two weeks prior to the deadline to apply to ILA's programs. Introducing LLSP to the Class of 2008 applicants, Kathleen McNicholas, International Business and International Affairs, described the program and shared her perspective as Class President. Shortly thereafter, Adam Cohen, Management major and senior scholar, shared his personal stories about the impact of the program on his life as president of his fraternity.

L.E.A.D. President Leigh Foisy, Public Relations major, emphasized the importance of involvement and leadership development across all majors, and encouraged business and non-business students alike to participate in L.E.A.D.'s diverse leadership development program. During the discussion, LLSP and L.E.A.D. students brought up stories about the strong camaraderie in each program and invaluable applications of their leadership development.

After the brief introduction, the applicants asked one-on-one questions, got straight answers and advice about the programs and the application process from the participants themselves.

Community Connection Update

This section features bi-annual information on the many community service activities of the ILA. The Institute for Leadership Advancement seeks to create a strong community service and outreach component with its program and students. We have recently updated our website to highlight this as a major component of the Institute. You can visit here to see our general and program specific activities.

This semester we highlight the in-class activities of our leadership students. Service learning projects are often a large part of ILA courses. The professor challenges groups of 5-6 students to create and implement a meaningful semester-long community service activity. Over the years, projects have been very creative and made a significant impact in the Athens community. For more on these innovative and meaningful projects like Youthspiration pictured here, click these links.

• Scholars Class Service Learning Projects
• L.E.A.D. Class Service Learning Projects

Check the upcoming events section in each program below to see what other projects they have on deck. Next semester we will update you on the yearlong capstone service learning projects (CSLP) success and our group community service efforts.

New! ILA Photo Gallery

Check out photos from various ILA events including the recent corporate site visits, tailgates and speakers.

New Scholars Directory

Want to meet the other scholars? Browse and bookmark the scholars directory and take a look at their calendar to get a sense of a typical ILA week.

Shaping the Culture

The morning of February 20th, 2006 was filled with energy and excitement as the Class of 2007 Scholars made their way to St. Simon's Island for the much-anticipated leadership retreat. In teams of red, gray, and white they went. Cheers of “Glory to the Red Team”, quacks from the “Gray Goose” and the white team's chant of "just too good lookin'" kept the spirit up all weekend long. The theme of the retreat was “Shaping the Culture”, and scholars were encouraged to stand up for their beliefs as well as to be the change that will better society and the world.

They were also challenged on a low and high ropes course where teamwork thrived and fears were overcome, particularly on the infamous pamper pole. A deep connection was formed over s'mores, basketball and football games, and at a particularly heart-felt session where a common thread of values was discovered among the group. The scholars left the retreat not only with more respect and love for one another, but also with a new class of officers. Congratulations to the Class of 2007 Executive Team!

• President: Kelly Sandefer, Marketing and Finance
• External Affairs: Scott Voigt, Accounting
• Internal Affairs: Courtney Doran, Marketing and Public Relations
• Legacy: Lauren Gottung, Marketing and Blake Edwards, Business Management
• Communication: Charlene Wang, Marketing

It is now the time for this new class of leaders to shine, and you can be sure they are ready to show the world what Excellence is all about.

Upcoming Scholar Events

February 18, 2006 - Community Service Project, Athens Food Bank, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

March 27, 2006 - Youth Leadership Athens, SLC, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

April 8, 2006 - Community Service Project, Sandy Creek Park, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

April 22, 2006 - Orientation for New Scholars and Parents, SLC, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

May 6, 2006 - Graduation Banquet, Athens Country Club, 6:00 p.m.

Welcome Back!

The L.E.A.D. program is well on its way to a great start this semester! We spent the last two weeks of January promoting not only the program itself, but also inspiring students to apply. Applications were due on January 30th and the response was overwhelming.

The new executive board for L.E.A.D. has already made progress in getting the semester started. On February 2nd, the Vice President of External Affairs, Megan Toole, Business major, organized a successful "Welcome Back" social at Mexicali Grille. About 50 students showed up and the new officers were able to introduce themselves to everyone.

The Vice President of Community Service, D'Andrea Swoope, Risk Management and Insurance, has planned two community service events for the month of February; on the 15th, we will be helping at the Athens Food Bank and on the 21st, we will be volunteering to work with young students at Fowler Drive Elementary School.

L.E.A.D. Students Chosen as Orientation Leaders

Two L.E.A.D. students have been selected to be 2006 UGA Orientation Leaders! Michelle McFerrin, Business Education major, and Chris Thompson, Marketing major, successfully completed the selection process that includes an application, a group interview and an individual interview. More than 120 people applied to be considered for one of the most prestigious and honorable leadership positions on campus. Out of all those applicants, only 12 were selected to represent the University student body.

Throughout the spring semester, they will have weekly training sessions to prepare them for questions and concerns new freshmen, transfer students and parents may have. During the 15 freshman orientation sessions and 5 transfer orientation sessions this summer, they will have multiple jobs and tasks as "OL's." Some of these jobs include leading small group meetings, participating in parent question panels, giving campus tours, assisting with testing and class registration, creating and performing skits, and addressing concerns and fears of college.

Upcoming L.E.A.D. Events

February 15, 2006 - Community Service Project, Athens Food Bank, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

February 21, 2006 - Community Service Project, Fowler Drive Elementary, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

March 23, 2006 - Community Service Project, Odyssey Healthcare of Athens, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

March 28, 2006 - Winning Water Festival, Athens Technical College, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.

April 2, 2006 - Car Wash, Epps Bridge Parkway Wal-mart, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.

April 26, 2006 - Hail & Farewell, Georgia Museum of Art at UGA, 7:00 p.m.

~ Special Thanks to our Corporate Partners ~