Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--"Leadership begins with Day One."
It's more than a catchy phrase or inventive play on words to promote the new freshman leadership development program at Mississippi State. According to university officials, those five words encompass the commitment by a team of mentors and teachers to shape the students of today into persons of impact and significance tomorrow.
The brainchild of university President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong, Day One is part of a leadership continuum currently being developed through the Appalachian Leadership Honors Program that Foglesong founded earlier. Among its programs is a summer leadership camp called Young Guns for high school students entering their senior year.
Day One is led by a team of MSU's John Grisham Master Teachers under the guidance of director Tom Carskadon. The semester-long program has the potential to have a significant impact on the lives of the students who participate, the veteran psychology professor explained.
"We want this to be the course students write home about," Carskadon said. "And, more than that, we want it to be what stands out when these students look back in 30 years as making the difference in their lives at university. If that happens, it will be because of the team we put together to lead them."
Kelley M. Barber of Sallis said she is "looking forward to the rest of the semester. It's going to be a lot of fun but a lot of work.
"The things I learn in Day One will not only help me be a better person but also a better student," continued the Attala County biological sciences/pre-medicine major. "I am going to have a lot of opportunities to work on my own and learn to be more self-reliant."
As part of the requirements, participating students are housed together in Cresswell Residence Hall. There, they are divided into nine pods of some 25 students, with members of each pod enrolled together in at least one basic core class.
Pods also are divided into four "Action Teams," with specially trained mentors serving as resource advocates and coordinators for the mandatory service projects designed to extend the classroom learning experiences.
Shelbie J. Gordon of Columbus echoed Barber's comments.
"Participating in Day One is going to be a unique and challenging opportunity," the political science major said. "I plan on going into law school and later politics, and I think Day One will help me be the leader I need to be to be successful."
For Aaron R. Ramsey of Monroeville, Ala., who learned of the program from the MSU Web site, it provides an ideal opportunity to build on the leadership characteristics he learned to use as an athlete in high school.
"I saw being a part of Day One as a chance to develop personally into the person I want to be," the general business administration major said. "A program like this can equip me to be a better person and help me make the transition from a teenager into a responsible adult."
Cade Smith directs the Appalachian Leadership Honors Program. By helping students change the ways they see their local community and the larger world, they are better able to develop the vision to impact both, he explained.
"We want them to see they have not only the opportunity, but a responsibility, to shape and change their worlds," the assistant dean of students said. "Day One is about helping them see that everybody, regardless of perspective, can contribute something meaningful to society. Learning that is the key to learning what a leader truly is."
Barber, Gordon and Ramsey are among 227 selected on a competitive basis to participate in Day One for the 2007-08 school year. More than 300 applied.
"In selecting our participants, we looked at several factors," Smith said. "We focused on students with outstanding character, a keen sense of responsibility and a willingness to work hard. This program was designed to help them see that leadership is more than actions, it's a lifestyle and that means working hard."
Smith said students completing Day One may advance their specialized education by seeking an academic minor in leadership or by applying for one of the 30 slots as an Appalachian Leadership Honors Program Fellow.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information on Day One, contact Dr. Smith at 662-325-0244 or cade@saffairs.msstate.edu. Dr. Carskadon may be reached at 325-7655 or tomcar@ra.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.