Issue date: 4/6/07 Section: Campus News

Last Sunday approximately 40 of Stevens' student leaders convened at a leadership retreat co-organized by the Gear and Triangle Society and Student Government Association. The event was held on campus and speakers David Ledgerwood and Scott Crowther came in to offer thought-provoking presentations.
The theme of the event was "Growing and Sustaining Multi-Generational Organizations," which is an issue that is in serious need of recognition at Stevens. Most Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) operate on a rollercoaster of involvement. Many RSOs plummet after a couple key seniors graduate. Other RSOs deal with overly motivated new comers who quickly burn out, leaving gaping holes in organization and task distribution.
Ledgerwood and Crowther asked the attendees to list the specific problems with which their respective organizations were struggling. These problems included: involvement, motivation, personal politics, infighting, sustainability, and accountability. Ledgerwood and Crowther then developed a program specifically catering to the needs of Stevens' leaders. The program the two speakers proposed included a list of goals to which the attendees should work toward and a list of commitments to which the attendees contractually agreed.
The first half of the retreat focused on weeding out the negatives in an organization, but Ledgerwood and Crowther were thoughtful to include a positive outlook as well. The presenters stressed the importance of recognizing how the organization should run ideally so that the members would have an idea toward which to work. Pointing out flaws is always easy, but putting energy toward improvement is much more productive.
Seniors Kate Freed and Jon Matos both spoke about their campus activities and then the large group was broken down into smaller groups to give the leaders a chance to problem-solve among themselves. Simply putting 40 leaders in the same room would yield significant results; coupling this group with Ledgerwood and Crowther led to an efficient, productive, and downright outstanding event.
Following are a list of the students who attended the event:
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Willy Acosta
Mike Bocchinfuso
Keith Cassidy
Kate Crane
Erika De Wan
Ron Ehlert
Eric Eisenhart
Cristina Fulgencio
Patrick Gleeson
Neha Govil
Brandon Haverberg
Nery Hernandez
Sheeraz Hyder
Kate Freed
Mitchel Izower
Andy Kaplan
Mary Kelly
William Kowalksi
Chris Lantz
Ling Lin
Mike Manzella
Jenise Marte
Don Massoni
Jon Matos
Erin McDonnell
Erica Mondadori
Anthony Ortega
Matt Paragano
Eileen Parra
Massiel Parra
Ronen Peled
David Pfeffer
Chris La Pilusa
Ryan Price
Valentin Riazanov
Stephanie Smith
Christine Topacio
Daniel Velasquez
James Woolley

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