Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013
Connect with professionals, explore your potential and develop leadership skills through fun, experiential programming.
by Lauren Adams
Rider was built on a tradition of producing the innovative leaders and confident professionals of tomorrow, and the Center for the Development of Leadership Skills (CDLS) complements that ideal by providing effective leadership training and quality programming for its student community.
This semester, CDLS once again offers a number of events for students to connect with professionals who will discuss the leadership skills and behaviors that promote career success, offering insights and advice to help students make meaningful connections on how leadership is utilized beyond the college experience. These experiential programs are fun and exciting opportunities for students to identify their passions and strengths.
Attending a variety of CDLS programs provide students with a good opportunity to learn more about leadership opportunities in their career path as well as connect with professionals in their field, according to Laura Seplaki, associate director of CDLS.
“Often, students who have attended CDLS events learned more than they anticipated,” Seplaki said. “Some have also made connections to professionals that even have resulted in internships and jobs.”
The programs range across multiple interests. Leadership and the Arts: Whose Show Is It Anyway offers an opportunity student to learn about leadership in the performing arts, while Leadership and the Military unites student leaders with Rider student veterans to learn about leadership from a military model and see how it relates to other organizations. The complete listing of events, along with descriptions and registration information, can be found at CDLS events.
The perennially popular Team Leadership Challenge will take place for the fourth consecutive year on Sunday, April 21, from 2 to 7 p.m. Teams of students will put their leadership and team-building skills to the test as they construct cardboard canoes and race their creations across the Richard A. Coppola Pool on the Lawrenceville campus.
Students are encouraged to register in teams, with a maximum of five students per entry, but they may also register individually. The latter will be placed on a team when registration is complete. As a team, students will attend a two-hour workshop designed to provide leadership training and cardboard canoe building preparation. Early registration is strongly encouraged for this much-anticipated annual event.