TAMIU Offers Students Leadership Program
When Texas A&M International University students graduate they’ll be ready to lead, thanks to an innovative leadership-training program dubbed “Leadership TAMIU.”
The program works through a series of group experiences, opportunities to develop skills, self-assessment exercises and targeted opportunities to test leadership through community outreach. Students self –select to participate in Leadership TAMIU, but must meet requirements, attend group meetings and complete assignments as part of their personal commitment.
“The mission of Leadership TAMIU is to encourage students to make a difference in TAMIU and the Laredo community while developing their ethical, intellectual and personal skills,” said Miguel Treviño, associate director of the sponsoring TAMIU Office of Student Affairs.
“We started the effort with funding support from Excelencia in Education and a Walmart Semillas grant, both of which allowed us to create a program that has grown to 31 students. Among our first presenters was Dr. Judith Zaffirini who addressed the art of communication,” Treviño explained.
Students selected for the program are representative of all four colleges and a variety of majors, Treviño said.
“We have all of our colleges represented and the current Leadership TAMIIU student majors include business, biology, communication, nursing, psychology and more. Over 70% are female,” he noted.
While in its early stages, the program’s end goal is to develop a field of study at TAMIU that focuses on leadership development.
“This is a critical component in preparing our graduates for success in the global marketplace,” Treviño explained, “Expectations for all graduates in the workplace are high, but having leadership training and experience clearly advantages the graduate, letting the potential employer know that they are ready to lead. Our program is unique among our peers in The Texas A&M University System.”
This semester Leadership TAMIU, working with TAMIU students who attended last summer’s inaugural Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI) at Harvard University, will conduct a Leadership retreat, “Leadership TAMIU: Molding the Future,” scheduled Jan. 28-30, 2011, in New Braunfels. The retreat will provide an opportunity for LLI students to share their leadership experience at Harvard to help Leadership TAMIU students target their own leadership futures.
Treviño said the University is working with various community leaders to meet with Leadership TAMIU to discuss diverse topics including public speaking and communication, negotiations and entrepreneurship, community engagement and goal-setting.
“We’d welcome the opportunity to engage other area and community leaders in activities that can help us to present these areas for our students,” he said.
For additional information on Leadership TAMIU, contact Treviño at 956.326.2283, visit offices in the Student Center, room 226 or e-mail studentaffairs@tamiu.edu
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu