Lawyers as Leaders Institute
Beginning in Fall 2011, the Office of Student Engagement is updating how we support and train student leaders. Intended to provide training that will be relevant to not only their positions in student leadership positions, but to various leadership roles our students will hold as practicing attorneys in various government, corporate, firm and non-profit forums for years to come.
The program will include practical nuts and bolts procedures and polices, but will be enhanced with trainings from various experts on how to navigate the fundamental issues and complex conflicts that will arise in nearly any leadership role. All students holding executive board positions in all of our student groups, journals, moot court boards and organizations will participate as a unified team and meet on a regular basis to interact through these building-block trainings, but also have a consistent forum to share ideas, collaborate and foster community among these important groups.
Although a traditional assumption was that leaders are 'born, not made,' contemporary research is to the contrary. Studies of twins suggest that about 70 percent of leadership skills are acquired, not genetically based and . . . its major capabilities can be learned. Indeed . . . 'it would be strange if leadership were the one skill that could not be enhanced through understanding and practice.'
– Leadership: Law, Policy and Management, Deborah L. Rhode and Amanda K. Packel (Aspen: New York, 2011).
Year-at-a-Glance Lawyers as Leaders Schedule:
Please mark on your calendar all of the upcoming dates and times for our events. Each student leader is to participate in at least 85% of all trainings and the Retreat I and II are necessary and required for all leaders.
Wednesday, August 24 @ 11:00 am -- Immersion Week - Student Leaders Lunch with the 1L Students (4th Floor Atrium)
Friday, August 26 @ 7:30 am - 12:30 pm -- Service Project - Student Leaders act as Site Leaders (Law College Front Lawn)
Wednesday, August 31 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm -- Student Organization Fair (Law College Veranda)
Friday, September 9 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pm -- Lawyers as Leaders Retreat I (Room 471)
Friday, September 16 @ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm -- Lawyers as Leaders Retreat II (Room 473)
Thursday, September 29 *Cancelled*
Thursday, October 27 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm -- Lawyers as Leaders (Room 343) Guest Lecturer: Dean Howarth (MP3)
Thursday, November 17 @ 8:00 am - 9:00 am -- Lawyers as Leaders (Room 343) Guest Lecturer: Professor Brian Pappas
December - No Training
Thursday, January 19 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm -- Lawyers as Leaders (Room 343) Special Training: "QPR"
Thursday, February 16 @ 8:00 am - 9:00 am -- Lawyers as Leaders (Room 343)
Friday, March 16 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm -- Lawyers as Leaders Transition Meeting (Room 343)
*Registration Packets (Form, Activities Report, Financial Report, Constitution/Bylaws) due by 5:00 pm Friday, March 30 to the Office of Student Engagement (Room 308)
Thursday, April 19 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm -- Student Life Awards Banquet (Room 343)
* topics, readings, guest speakers, upcoming to dos, syllabi
Student Organizations Handbook
All student leaders should review the Student Organizations Handbook (PDF) from front to back to learn the policies, procedures, pull out great checklists for planning events and meetings and learn inside-information about where to look for important resources. This Handbook has been updated with a lot of important changes over the summer, so even returning leaders will need to review this. Encourage all of your colleagues to use this as a helpful resource when planning events and meetings.
Funding Options for Student Groups
To start out the year, the SBA has disbursed $200.00 into each registered student organization's bank account with the Accounting office. This should be used as seed money to start up the year, host a Student Org Fair table, and hold your first informational meetings. As you prepare to host events and need additional funding, you should prepare a detailed budget to find out what your needs are. Then, review your options for obtaining funds and weigh the pros/cons of each. We will go over these in further detail at the Retreat, but some of your options include:
- Student Bar Association (SBA) Funding Request for Events and Meetings
- Council of Graduate Students (COGS) Event Funding Request
- COGS Conference Funding Request
- MSU Law Alumni Association Event Funding Request
- Diversity Services Office (DSO) Event Funding Request
- Office of Student Engagement (OSE) Conference and Competition Directed-Study Request