Hello Campus Partners and STRiVE Supporters,
Student Life and the Student Government Association (SGA) are excited to announce our upcomingUMBC STRiVE Leadership Retreat session: January 11- 15, 2016. We are writing to request your involvement with this program by helping us identify emerging leaders who might be interested in participating in this leadership development experience.
STRiVE is an intensive and engaging off-campus leadership retreat (5 days, 4 nights) developed to inspire students to become more effective leaders on campus and throughout their lives. TheSTRiVE team (consisting of UMBC students and staff) believes everyone can develop leadership skills and abilities. STRiVE participants will make new friends, learn about themselves, reflect on values and ethics, work in teams to develop practical plans for making a difference on campus and in society, and tackle both simulated and real leadership challenges. Students will leave this experience with a well-conceived vision and plan of action for implementation at UMBC; their participation will directly result in effecting positive change within our UMBC community. As you may know, past STRiVE participants have gone on to lead some wonderful and thoughtful initiatives on campus.
You are invited to nominate students who demonstrate an interest in developing their leadership potential and who have expressed a commitment to making a difference at UMBC. Special consideration will be given to first and second year students to allow for the maximum impact for both participants and the campus community, but all students are eligible. We will contact the students you nominate, letting them know that you were kind enough to nominate them.
Please nominate students by 5pm on October 15. To nominate students just click the link belowand complete the very brief form:
http://goo.gl/rBnJZg
If you have any questions, please contact Virginia Byrne in Student Life at vbyrne@umbc.edu. More information on this program is available below.
We thank you ahead of time for supporting UMBC’s STRiVE 2016 and look forward to experiencing the impact this program will have on our community.
Sincerely,
Virginia Byrne_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUTSTRiVE:
What is STRiVE?
STRiVE is an intensive, engaging and exhilarating off-campus leadership retreat (5 days, 4 nights) developed by UMBC to help students become more effective leaders on campus and throughout their lives. The STRiVE planning team (consisting of UMBC students and faculty/staff) believes everyone can develop leadership skills and abilities. STRiVE participants will make new friends, learn about themselves, reflect on values and ethics, work in teams to develop practical plans for making a difference on campus and in society, and tackle both simulated and real leadership challenges. The STRiVE experience will include a bonfire, challenge course, games and other fun activities.
Do I have to be an “involved” student to attend STRiVE?
Absolutely not! STRiVE will be helpful to any student regardless of previous involvement or leadership experience. No prior experience is necessary! We are looking for a diverse group of students committed to developing their leadership skills and applying them to create positive change in the campus community. The application asks about campus involvement only to give theSTRiVE planning team a sense of the different perspectives participants will bring to the retreat.
Where is STRiVE being held?
STRiVE will be held at SkycroftConference Center in Middletown, Maryland. Participants will stay inmotel-style rooms (sharing rooms with 1 other student) and all activities will be held on site.
How much is it?
UMBC covers most of the cost of each participant’s attendance. However, there is a $100participation fee that helps cover some of the cost of transportation, lodging and food. Money should not be a barrier to attendance, however, and there is a section of the application where any participant can request financial assistance.
What is the “Vision Selection”?
STRiVE participants will devote a portion of the retreat to developing plans to make an impact in connection with an issue or problem about which they feel passionate. In the Vision Selection portion of the application, you are asked to choose the topic that most interests you so you can be placed in a group of students with similar interests, but there will be plenty of opportunities to interact with all STRiVE participants. Please note that the planning team will make every effort to place participants according to their choices; however, we are unable to guarantee participants any specific topic at this time. We encourage participants to be open-minded and flexible when considering their vision selection.
When is the application due?
Applications will be available on Oct 19 and due on November 9. Applications will be found atstudentlife.umbc.edu
When will are accepted applicants informed?
Applicants will receive an email in late-November about with additional details about participating inSTRiVE.
How can I find out more information about STRiVE?
STRiVE is brought to you by Student Life and the Student Government Association (SGA). For additional information, please contact Virginia Byrne at vbyrne@umbc.edu.
Virginia Byrne
Graduate Coordinator for Leadership
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The Commons, Room 2B15
vbyrne@umbc.edu
http://my.umbc.edu/groups/lc
(410) 455-2318
