INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP ASSOCIATION
Leadership studies students and faculty travel to Barcelona, Spain
Leadership development happens every day at the Staley School of Leadership Studies. Everything we do ties back to our mission of developing knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse and changing world. As part of our mission, we strive to develop students who appreciate diversity by exposing them to a variety of cultures, studying leadership issues of special populations, and facilitating intercultural communication. We know some of our best leadership development opportunities occur internationally. That’s why we offer several opportunities for students to engage abroad. The International Leadership Association annual conference is just one of these opportunities. On October 14, the 17th annual International Leadership Association conference commenced in Barcelona, Spain. The Staley School of Leadership Studies was represented by four K-State students, thanks to the sponsorship of Warren and Mary Lynn Staley. The student team, which consisted of Jill Applegate, senior in political science; Alex Booth, graduate student in architecture; Ronald Sullivan, senior in agribusiness; and Marah Schneider, junior in social work, competed in the student case competition, placing second overall. The team competed in the graduate division of the student case competition. Their specific case analyzed the structure of FIFA and their objective was to determine how leadership philosophy and theory could be applied to address corruption within FIFA. First, the team had to submit a written response to the case. In addition, the team created and presented their poster during the opening session of the conference. During the final round the team presented the material they had developed – their presentation was about the use of adaptive leadership to mobilize various actors to pressure FIFA into making changes to its internal structure. “My time in Barcelona at the International Leadership Conference was amazing! I had the opportunity to connect more deeply with my teammates for the case competition, the faculty of the Staley School, and leadership educators/researchers from several different states and countries. Learning about leadership from these diverse voices was motivating, and I’m excited to integrate what I learned in my own leadership philosophy. Additionally, we had a lot of fun exploring Barcelona, drinking lots of café con leche, and practicing some Spanish. It will definitely be one of my favorite memories from senior year,” said Applegate. Photo: Student team representing the Staley School at the 2015 International Leadership Association annual conference: (back - from left to right) Marah Schneider, Alex Booth, Jill Applegate, and (front) Ronald Sullivan.
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