Education, Leadership, Students, Youth

Leadership is a buzzword on campuses today. When I began formally studying the topic among high school and college students, only 70 universities across America had programs for leadership development. Today, more than 1,000 colleges have formal programs and courses and even majors or minors in leadership. Leadership is now a category in the minds of millions of young adults. Yet, while

Education, Students

Sophie, a 17-year old junior in high school, said it best: “I think I would have preferred growing up in the 90s.” Today’s teens are the newest demographic with a label. They’re called Generation Z, the Centennials, The Pivotals, the iGeneration, the Mosaics and the Homelanders. According to British news source The Guardian, “They’ve grown up with social media, a constant

Culture, Students

Napoleon Hill wrote a classic book years ago, called “Think and Grow Rich.” Others have come along and re-written his thoughts that are based on timeless principles and universal truths about success. Hill suggests in his book there is a “rich” way to think and a “poor” way to think. And it’s not just about money. It’s an entire worldview that informs

Athletics, Students

When we work with athletic departments, under the leadership of J. T. Thoms, we almost always take surveys of both coaches and student athletes. They provide us with data that informs our events and ensures that our partnership is guided by their pain points. These surveys also furnish us with a clear picture of what teams need. May I unveil a

Parenting

In recent years, I’ve spent countless hours with groups of parents, faculty, coaches and youth workers. Each conversation becomes a candid disclosure of the fears, the struggles and the preoccupation adults have with today’s youth. It has become clear that over the course of their kids’ childhood, parents experience various stages as they guide and lead their child. (For that

Leadership, Workplace

I just finished watching Ron Howard’s latest film on The Beatles. Those four pioneers of rock and roll (who America got to meet in February 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show), have a mystical aura to their story. Lots of legends surround their emergence as a musical force fifty years ago. Today—I’d like to clear up some of that mystery and

Education, Students

I watched as a Dean for Residence Life spoke to a college student recently. The dean was concerned about the lack of initiative the student was showing while serving as a Resident Advisor in her hall. The conversation went something like this: Dean: Why didn’t you talk to your residents about the electrical problem? Student: I didn’t know you wanted me to. Dean:

Culture, Parenting, Students

For the last few years, Americans have experienced an epiphany. Parents and educators realized our young adults have remained indoors in front of a screen for far too many hours. So now—we’ve begun to do something about it. According to a report from Kampgrounds of America (KOA), an organization of privately owned campgrounds, more and more Americans are now spending their