Schedule

Are you one of the best SGs in America? Before you start boasting, keep in mind that even the finest SGs in the country have lots of room for improvement. And just because you control millions in student fees, get quoted on the front page of the campus paper, or are a minor celebrity in your own mind doesn’t mean that you’re truly appreciated, respected, and actually get things done for those you mean to serve: your fellow students. The nation’s “Super SGs” have some key characteristics in common. This is your chance to finally find out how yours stacks up against the best.

Delivery Format: It is presented in a lecture format. The presenter encourages feedback.

Presentation Resources: The session utilizes PowerPoint, as well as printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 3

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand the 13 key components that make up great SGs
• Know what to do first to improve
• Understand your SG’s current strengths and weaknesses

Conflict is normal right? So why do we have so much trouble managing it when it comes up? It’s because we are sooooo dirty (when we communicate)! But it doesn’t have to be that way. This workshop will help you learn to fight it with good ol’ assertive communication. You think you know what that is, but you have no idea! Participants will have an opportunity to put their new skills to practice during the session.

Delivery Format: PowerPoints are used as a background visual to highlight major points, ideas, and strategies. The presentation is highly dialogued and participation based, where participants are asked from the moment they enter to engage in simulations and role-play.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes PowerPoint/Keynote and printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 5

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Identify the most common dirty fighting techniques used in personal and organizational communication and how to avoid them
• Define four different types of communication and when to use each one
• Apply assertive communication techniques through discussion and role playing

83 percent of college students experience a mental health crisis while in college. There are few issues that are of life or death importance on college campuses and mental health supports and policies are one of them. Learn how to evaluate your campus mental health supports and policies. Using interactive activities, students will learn how to effectively advocate for better policies.

Presentation Resources: Assessment guide, Prezi, and handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Assess the mental health policies and supports on campus
• Determine which mental health supports or policies can be improved and how to advocate for change effectively
• Know how to implement better mental health policies and create a more inclusive community on their campus

Have you ever stopped to think about how you lead? Have you ever considered the different voices of those you lead? Developing your leadership style takes time and experience. Let’s dive into understanding your leadership voice as a part of that journey! Do you like to focus on relationships? Are you the type of person who likes to get things done or are you the team strategist? Whatever your style, we all have the ability to lead followers through our authentic voice. Join me as we journey through this topic through an engaging series of questions and experiences.

Delivery Format: This workshop utilizes a balance of engaging lecture format and individual and small group interactive activities that are self-reflective, thought-provoking and oriented toward skill-building.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes display media as well as printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand the leadership lens from where they operate
• Understand the 4 Needs of Followers
• Identify how to build trust on a team

Many SGs make the same mistakes over and over, never learning from the past. In this workshop, you’ll discover the most common SG mis-steps, and most importantly, how to avoid these pitfalls during your term of office.

Delivery Format: It is presented in a lecture format. The presenter encourages feedback through direct questions. The presenter uses volunteers to illustrate key points.

Presentation Resources: The session utilizes PowerPoint, as well as printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand the importance of learning from the mistakes of others
• Brainstorm your own list of mistakes to avoid at your institution

Delegation is a process and an art form. If you are going to get anything done this year, you have to do this better! Bring your fears of doing it all yourself and leave with a renewed sense of your ability to just let go!

Delivery Format: PowerPoints are used as a background visual to highlight major points, ideas, and strategies. The presentation is lecture/dialogue based, and utilizes a case study analysis by table participants to understand the content. Role-play is used to practice what has been learned.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes PowerPoint/Keynote, case study, and printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Describe the process of delegation
• Develop strategies to improve delegation skills
• Practice the language and art of delegation

Student government treasurers and finance leaders play a crucial role in enabling student activities, events, and initiatives. Effectively managing and allocating funds requires strategic planning, clear processes, and transparency. Join this session, led by a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP), former Student Government President, and higher education consultant, to master essential financial leadership skills. Learn how to create and manage clear budgets, responsibly allocate resources, secure additional funding, and communicate financial decisions transparently to the student body and campus community.

Presentation Resources: Interactive budgeting exercises, scenario-based simulations, and group discussions.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Develop and maintain transparent, sustainable budgets for Student Government
• Create effective and equitable funding allocation processes
• Identify and pursue additional funding opportunities, including fundraising strategies
• Clearly and effectively communicate financial decisions and updates to students and campus stakeholders
• Evaluate financial activities to align spending with the organization’s mission and goals

You are only as strong as your weakest link. The more you understand about the various personalities in your organization the more successful you will be. While there may be no “I” in team, understanding yourself can be the key to your success in SGA! Participants will take a personality inventory that will help them understand how they operate in a team and how to use that information to build a better SGA.

Delivery Format: This workshop utilizes a balance of engaging lecture format and individual and small group interactive activities that are self-reflective, thought-provoking and oriented toward skill-building.

Presentation Resources: The session utilizes visual display media (i.e. Microsoft PowerPoint), as well as printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Assess individual personality type
• Understand how individuals work in teams
• Understand how to utilize the assessment to create a better team environment

Your SG must do something real that matters to fellow students if you ever want to be respected and appreciated. This workshop will give real examples of innovative and exciting “signature programs” that are being used by SGs nationwide to get the attention of students and administrators. These programs will make your SG much-admired and “relevant,” and will help you with everything from member recruiting to voter turnout to relations with administrators.

Delivery Format: It is presented in a lecture format. The presenter welcomes feedback through direct questions. The presenter calls on volunteers to help illustrate key points.

Presentation Resources: The session utilizes PowerPoint, as well as printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Be aware of the 800 programs you could bring to your campus
• Understand what makes a “signature program” and how do you find one that will work for you
• Understand which signature programs are best

Time management is for the birds! Who wants to just manage time? You need to get smarter about managing your priorities. Based on the work of Dr. Steven Covey (author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”), this workshop will teach you how to put “first things first.” You only have a short time in office, come learn how to manage those “urgent” priorities with the “important” ones, and you’ll have more impact than you can ever imagine.

Delivery Format: PowerPoints are used as a background visual to highlight major points, ideas, and strategies. Mini-assessments are used to help participants understand how they currently use their time, and be able to walk away with a tool to maximize their time.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes PowerPoint/Keynote, assessments, and printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Differentiate between important and urgent priorities in your life
• Identify your top time wasters and outline methods for dealing with them
• Understand how personal values/perceptions impact the way you establish priorities and manage your time

Student Government’s job is to represent students on their campus. A crucial part of representing students is to know student opinions. Hear from a former SG President and professional advocate on how to solicit feedback and involvement from the student body. Learn how to effectively collect student feedback, about assessing student feedback, and how to create systems that help engage students within student government.

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand how to use student feedback effectively
• Assess the student feedback collection methods for their SG
• Know how to utilize tools to better collect student feedback
• Learn how to actively engage students on their campus

This session includes a brief overview of general student-development theories currently used in higher education. Having a general understanding of where a student is developmentally is always helpful in advising/developing a solid working group and sound thinking leaders. This session is an interactive, discussion-based lecture on how to identify where a student is developmentally and how best to approach problems and find solutions to form productive relationships.

Delivery Format: Engaging lecture format, and individual/small group interactive activities.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes PowerPoint/Keynote and printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 3.5

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Review current student development theories
• Articulate how student development theories are integrated into daily activities
• Gain new perspectives in problem-solving student issues

The times we live in have exposed a major weakness for most student governments: our web sites are outdated, inaccurate, and just plain bad. Also, our social networks are drastically underutilized. This workshop will provide tangible instructions on how to improve our entire web presence.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes the internet.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 2

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand what should be included at our SG web site
• Learn how to utilize social media to engage our student body
• Recognize the importance of focusing on web/social media

We all like to think our SG can change the world, but the reality is more brutal. Even the greatest SGs in America are limited in their authority, “power,” and influence. Can you really stop tuition increases, get more financial aid from the federal government, and build a new parking garage? This brutally frank session tells the truth about which projects, issues, and programs you can take on successfully—and which ones are doomed to fail.

Delivery Format: It is presented in a lecture format. Half of the workshop is an interactive exercise that includes all participants working in small groups. The presenter welcomes feedback through direct questions.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes PowerPoint/Keynote and printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 4

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand which issues are impossible, possible, and probable to make a difference
• Understand how to prioritize your work on issues that are realistic
• Determine how much time to spend on lobbying

Student legislators can have a lot of authority over finances, decisions, space, and much more. You’ve been entrusted to do what’s right, but you might not know how, or even what you could be doing. New and veteran legislators come to this session and explore the who, what, why, and how of being a good student legislator.

Delivery Format: The presentation is lecture/dialogue based, and the presenter engages participants in mini brainstorming and strategy sessions throughout the presentation to maximize the information being shared in the room. Suggestions, tools, and strategies are written on a flipchart as participants share best practices.

Presentation Resources: This session utilizes PowerPoint/Keynote and printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 3

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Discuss ethics and integrity as they relate to holding a legislative position
• Identify strategies for being an effective representative
• Learn to develop effective legislation and how to engage constituents

Welcome to Spark Sessions, where ideas ignite and action takes center stage. In these interactive, hands-on innovation labs, student leaders collaborate in real time to transform inspiring concepts into impactful campus initiatives. Guided by a seasoned student leader and policy consultant, participants engage in rapid brainstorming, structured ideation, and practical planning exercises. This session emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and strategic thinking, ensuring every participant leaves with a clear, actionable plan for immediate implementation.

Presentation Resources: Interactive group brainstorming, guided planning templates, and facilitator-led rapid brainstorming activities.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 5

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Rapidly generate and refine innovative ideas for campus initiatives
• Master structured techniques for assessing idea feasibility and potential impact
• Enhance collaborative skills by working dynamically with peer leaders
• Identify common roadblocks and develop preemptive solutions

When it matters, do you do the right thing? Have you ever had a dilemma to resolve in your SGA? What ethical principles does your SGA value? Come understand how developing a code of ethics is as important as setting your yearly goals. This interactive session will help participants gain hands on experience in thinking through ethical dilemmas and developing a code of ethics for their SGA.

Delivery Format: This workshop utilizes a balance of engaging lecture format and interactive small group activities that are self-reflective, thought-provoking and oriented toward skill-building.

Presentation Resources: The session utilizes visual display media (i.e. Microsoft PowerPoint), as well as printed handouts.

Level of Interactivity (1–5, 5 being very interactive): 3.5

Learning Outcomes. After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand the definition of an ethical dilemma
• Learn how to problem solve ethical dilemmas
• Learn how to develop a code of ethical behavior in your SGA