Registration open for VMI conference on strategic leadership
Registration is now open for the seventh annual Leadership and Ethics Conference at VMI, to be held Nov. 2-3. This year’s conference, titled “Strategic Leadership in Times of Global Transition: Past, Present, and Future,” is intended for high school and college students, as well as professionals in psychology and leadership, international business, political science, law enforcement, and national security.
The keynote speaker will be James A. “Jim” Baker III, White House chief of staff during the administrations of both President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. Baker, who carries the distinction of having served in the cabinets of three U.S. presidents, will receive VMI’s Harry F. Byrd ’35 Public Service Award during an11:15 a.m. ceremony in Cameron Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 2. That ceremony is open to the public free of charge.
In addition to Baker, more than a dozen experts will explore strategic leadership from a military, geopolitical, and global enterprise standpoint, with a special look at the leadership of Gen. George C. Marshall, VMI Class of 1901, as the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Plan approaches in 2017.
Among those speaking will be Linda Robinson, senior policy analyst with the Rand Corp.; Dr. Michael Mandelbaum, author of Mission Failure: America and the World in the Post-Cold War Era; and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center.
The program follows a timeline from post-World War II through the end of the Cold War, from Sept. 11 to the present, and from the present to the mid-21st century.
Conference participants will challenge their skills in critical thinking and ethical decision-making during an Ethical Leadership Challenge, in which they will break into small groups to examine a scenario rooted in historical events.
Registration rates through Oct. 19 are $39 for high school students, $59 for undergraduate students, and $99 for all others. After Oct. 19, the registration fee will be $99 for undergraduates and $119 for non-students. The fee for high school students will not change. Continuing education units are available.
Visit www.vmi.edu/leadershipconference for more details.
