Leadership Conferences

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Leadership:  A simple word that holds the weight of entire armies in its complexity.  What is a leader?  How does he or she define themselves?  What problems stand on the path between these “leaders” and how can they be overcome?

NROTC members have the opportunity to attend multiple leadership conferences held for midshipmen, cadets, and officer candidates from across the country.  For the past few years a delegation of Penn State Midshipmen have attended the Naval Academy and Notre Dame Leadership Conferences.  These two events create camraderie-filled atmospheres where students can interact with their peers, tackle difficult questions of leadership, and learn from esteemed military and civilian leaders.

US Naval Academy

The Naval Academy Leadership Conference is unique in its ability to expose midshipmen at civilian institutions to their counterparts from the Academy.  They are future shipmates and getting to know them in settings such as this is critical for fostering seamless cooperation in the fleet.  This conference is structured around keynote speakers and breakout sessions to discuss the speakers and larger questions of leadership that they pose.  Topics also focus on the challenges that new Junior Officers face and the ways to promote leadership when in new situations.  Past speakers have included Former FBI Director Louis Freeh, as well as former FAA Director of Operations Ben Sliney, and British Army Major Russell Lewis.

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Notre Dame

The Notre Dame Naval Leadership Weekend brings in delegates of NROTC students from over 30 colleges and universities across the country.  Topics focus on questions of ethical leadership in a world where conflicts are anything but black and white.  Past speakers include VADM John Currier, USCG, Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard and The Honorable Jay Cohen, Rear Admiral Upper Half, USN (ret.).

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