Student Global Leadership Program features leadership seminars and a 13-day European trip in May 2017

The spots for the spring 2017 European trip are full, but interested students are encouraged to apply next year.

The Student Global Leadership Program was developed by the Division of Student Affairs to help students cultivate important leadership skills and involves a series of six 90-minute seminars led by local leaders and political figures focused on exploring leadership theories, concepts, values and styles.

These seminars also include a professor to teach students basic phrases in the language of the countries they plan to visit and educate them on the countries’ cultures. All seminars are free, and any student is welcome to attend.

In addition to the Division of Student Affairs, the ISU Credit Union is a vital asset to the program, according to Anika Lovgren, one of the ambassadors of SGLP. Every year, ISUCU donates $1,500 scholarships to the first 20 students to enroll in the SGLP. This financial support allows students who would otherwise be unable to afford the trip participate in the program and be a part of the global community.

The locales visited for the European trip change every year; students visited London, Amsterdam and France in summer 2016, while their destinations for summer 2017 will be Spain and Portugal.

Lovgren said the seminars conducted prior to the trip were very useful.

“One of my favorite portions of the seminars was taking the Myers-Briggs type indicator,” Lovgren said. “This helped me identify strengths and weaknesses in my leadership skills and allowed me to improve those weaknesses.”

The Palace de Versailles in France was a major highlight for many of the students who went on the summer 2016 trip, Lovgren said.

“The grandeur and opulence of the Versailles was unlike anything else we experienced on the trip. The massive size of the gardens and fountains was breathtaking,” Lovgren said. “History textbooks simply do not do the grandeur of Versailles justice. It is spectacular.”

Lovgren encourages students on the fence about enrolling in the SGLP to ultimately enroll.

“As much as we wish we could bring the world to the classroom, we simply cannot,” Lovgren said. “The world cannot be understood by reading a textbook. While academics are important, it is equally important to supplement academics with diverse experiences within the global community.”

Employers want to hire individuals who have experience in the global community and the ability to work in a team. Both of these are goals of the Student Global Leadership Program, Lovgren said.

 “We encourage students to put this on their resume or curriculum vitae because employers want to know that students have had both traditional training in leadership and applied those skills to the world outside the classroom,” she added.

For further information on the SGLP, visit isu.edu/lead/sglp. For information about the European trip and tour, visit efcollegestudytours.com and enter tour number1823598TF.