Our Mission & Goals
Our Mission Statement
The Big Ten Conference on Black Student Leadership will provide empowering opportunities for conference attendees through shared experiences. The intentional and enriching experiences will focus on the educational, cultural, spiritual, and social needs of student leaders and their advisors, with the intended outcomes being positive growth and development at the personal, group, and campus community levels.
Conference Goals
- To connect student leaders at the Big Ten and surrounding institutions who have similar experiences and similar concerns with campus life
- To empower students to work together to make the necessary changes happen at their respective institutions
- Provide opportunities for students to establish connections with faculty and staff who are members of their community
- To solicit and provide speakers and programs that address the many issues Black students face on their respective campuses, including, but not limited to: academic success, leadership development, current events, career exploration, discrimination, retention, historical perspectives, relationships, health and wellness, financial management, Black Greek letter organizational issues, political issues and community service.
- To provide performances and events to celebrate Black history and culture
- To assist advisors in formal and informal networking through specific educational sessions and roundtable discussions focused on the needs of their students.
Conference Description
The Big Ten Conference on Black Student Leadership is the first of what we hope will become an annual student-run conference. The conference will address issues that students face both inside and outside the classroom. As research and our personal experience tells us, networking and learning takes place in and out of the classroom, as well as participation in leadership positions. Many of our students accept leadership positions with little, if any, formal training or development. This conference will assist the students at Big Ten and surrounding institutions to further develop and hone their leadership skills, as well as to give them a common experience from which to grow.
The conference program is designed to provide training and development for leaders in Black Student Governments, as well as other leadership positions within the university setting. The program will focus on partnerships within higher education and preparing our students for the workforce. More specifically, the conference will provide students with the leadership training that will help them to obtain the skills and confidence necessary to successfully matriculate through college and into the workforce. The success of the conference will be measured during the conference and well beyond. Our goal for the Big Ten Conference on Black Student Leadership is that each year the conference will be hosted on a rotating basis at a different Big Ten institution.