KU News Release

KU announces 62 graduates of 2009 LeaderShape Institute

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LAWRENCE — Sixty-two University of Kansas students have graduated from the 2009 LeaderShape Institute, sponsored and coordinated annually by the Student Involvement and Leadership Center.

The six-day intensive program to develop leadership abilities was held Jan. 8-13 at the Tall Oaks Conference Center near Linwood.

“This was the 12th anniversary of LeaderShape, which means we have just over 700 Jayhawks who have graduated through KU LeaderShape and 60 colleagues who have volunteered to be cluster facilitators,” said Rueben Perez, director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center and one of the lead facilitators for the institute.

KU has sponsored the LeaderShape Institute since 1998.

During training, KU students work in groups to create ideas for projects, then refine goals, plans and implementation strategies to accomplish those ideas within their own organization, living group, community or workplace. They learn about leadership styles and work through simulations of situations they could face.

Tanya Williams, graduate assistant at the Residence Life Resource Center at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, was the lead facilitator for this year’s institute. Cluster facilitators from KU were Colleen Drazen, assistant director for greek life and leadership; Annie McKay, assistant director of the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center; Matt Lehrman, past director of the Hillel Center and a master’s of business administration student; Mike Dickey, assistant director of the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center; and Heidi Simon, associate director of the Office of Admissions and Scholarships.

Two recent LeaderShape graduates were student onsite coordinators: Maggie Gremminger, a senior from Shawnee who participated in LeaderShape in 2008; and Nathan Mack, a senior from Lawrence who participated in the institute in 2007. Gremminger, the daughter of Robert Gremminger, is majoring in communication studies and a graduate of Mill Valley High School in Shawnee. Mack, who is majoring in linguistics and Russian, is the son of John and Karen Mack and a graduate of St. Sophia Academy in Lawrence.

For more information about LeaderShape, visit the Student Involvement and Leadership Center's Web site.

This year’s LeaderShape Institute graduates are listed below by home county, state or country.

Sponsors for LeaderShape are Student Union Activities, the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Success, the Raymond F. Nichols League of Former Student Leaders, Coca-Cola, KU Hillel, Recreation Services, the Music Therapy Program and Union Programs.

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