The Agricultural Education Graduate Student Association will host the first Student Organization Leadership Academy April 6.  Due to inclement weather it was rescheduled from February.  The Academy is open to all students in CAFNR, whether you belong to an organization or not. The Ag Alumni Association is providing funding for the event.

The day will be split up into two sessions, morning and afternoon. During the morning session, attendees will hear from the keynote speaker, Missouri State Senator and MU alumnus, David Pearce.

“We are very excited to host Sen. Pearce as the keynote speaker,” said Kristin Kovar, president of Ag Ed Graduate Student Association. “He is a very inspiring and dynamic speaker. Our goal is for students to leave with a purpose-driven organization.”

Lunch will be provided, and will include a panel consisting of CAFNR Alumni Board members.

The afternoon will consist of five different sessions. They include recruitment and retention, professional development, public relations and marketing, event planning and running an effective meeting. Attendees can rank which ones they would like to attend, and will most likely attend three out of five of the afternoon seminars.

“Our association shares the same goal for the event,” Kovar said. “We want it to be beneficial and purposeful for the students. We want them to gain skills and experiences with leadership that they can use in their future.”

Dr. Bryan Garton, associate dean and director of academic programs, also contributed to the event. Garton proposed the idea to the Ag Ed Graduate Student Association and helped them submit the event request.

The academy will be held in the Animal Science Research Center from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The day will include prizes, lunch and refreshments at no cost.

Registration is due March 22 at midnight. The form can be found here.

“This is our first year, so we will see how it goes,” Kovar said. “The Alumni are planning to sponsor this event for at least three years. We are all very excited.”