|
 |
Welcome to the March/April 2009 edition of the LeadAmerica Alumni Newsletter! A
MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER
Why is it that we look forward so to spring? It represents the accomplishment of enduring the winter and looking with anticipation to all the newness and possibility that spring can represent. But spring wouldn’t seem so important if it wasn't following winter, would it? Anne Bradstreet, an American writer put it this way -- "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome". Doesn't that really sum it up? And isn't that true of life in general? It is the times of struggle and challenge and adversity which shape us and make us stronger and ultimately the leaders of character that we wish to become. Whether on an individual, family or national level (as we see now with our economy), sometimes we must work through the challenges and see them as opportunities to really grow from them so that we can not only achieve success but truly appreciate all that it means to achieve it. As leaders, we must always keep our eyes on the goal. We know that good things are intended for us and are yet to come if we only persevere and work through the difficulties and overcome the obstacles. We may be momentarily side-tracked and occasionally may be blown off course by the winds of life, but if we steer back on course as the storms subside, we will reach our goal. Many of you are looking with anticipation to the spring and what it has to offer and what lies beyond with excitement and anticipation. There is so much promise awaiting you and you have such great potential as young leaders to effect positive change in our world. Don't lose that sense of hope, of eagerness and sometimes a little fear of the unknown, for it's what will keep you focused on your goal Borrowing from Mark Twain, another great writer, "It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" As leaders destined toward greatness, however, you do have to figure out what it is you want and what your goals and ambitions in life are. It is only then, that you can accomplish them. One way to take steps toward achieving your goals is to continually challenge yourself to experience new growth and development opportunities. Many of you are looking past spring and on to the summer and the many opportunities that await there. Attending another LeadAmerica conference is a great way to take learning and development to the next level. The National Leadership Summit and Global Leadership Summit are excellent ways to take leadership and your future to newer heights as you encounter and experience the challenges and complexities of leading at the national and global levels – or maybe you want to focus more on personal leadership skills such as communication and team-building while exploring what community-based leadership means by attending Leadership University. To really take things outside the box, you may want to continue your growth and development as a leader while travelling abroad to Europe, China, Australia or Costa Rica! No matter what you choose, Spring has sprung – what does it have in store for you?
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK Voters Want Economic Leadership During the recent historic Presidential Election, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece entitled, “Voters Want Economic Leadership”.[1] Though the article focused primarily on the “fortunes” of mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, it framed and defined an intense American need—economic leadership. What this is, or what Americans thought this was, became one of the central threads of the 2008 Election cycle. The history behind this intense need is complex. Indeed, the 25 years from 1982 to 2007 could easily be named the “American Economic Miracle”. During this time period, the United States experienced the greatest financial growth and the greatest democratization of wealth in its history. The nation’s net worth grew from $25 Trillion in 1980 to $57 Trillion in 2007. During this period, stock markets increased more than 10 times; GDP nearly tripled from $5 Trillion to $12 Trillion and over 40 million jobs were added to the US Economy. Amazingly, this prosperity was experienced by nearly every class. The Congressional Budget Office reports that from 1994 to 2004, Americans in the bottom 20% of income earners experienced the largest percentage increase in income.[2] From 1987-1996, individuals living at or below the federal poverty threshold saw their income rise 81% and the middle class experienced a modest growth of 9%.[3] As the Nobel Prize winner, Robert Fogel noted in reference to this period, “In every measure that we have bearing on the standard of living…the gains of the lower classes have been far greater than those experienced by the population as a whole.”[4] Exemplifying these trends, only 1% of all American households owned a microwave in 1970, but by 2005, 73% of households that fell beneath the poverty threshold owned a microwave. Clearly, real world goods and services were becoming more readily available to all classes as a result of this historic economic explosion. The economic environment of 2009 is quite different than the past twenty plus years. Rising unemployment, fears of rampant inflation and the reassertion of government command of the economy have led many to passively accept the worst. Doom and gloom crowds the headlines of our newspapers and resonates from the talking heads of our major media outlets. Fear has become the new currency in Washington and it is being used to purchase everything from historic banks to water parks in Miami. As national leaders continue to attest, we are apparently all Keynesians now.[5] As the nation faces what are indeed challenging economic times, it must accept a central and fundamental truth. Economic leadership is as much about perspective as it is about policy. Economic policy does matter and it is crucial that the nation pursues agendas that reward initiative, grant proper incentives and encourage wealth production. Prosperity and growth do not simply happen. However, policy needs to be insulated from passion through the practice of a positive, pro-active approach. Economic policy always produces unintended consequences, but history clearly shows that reactive economic policy based on unmitigated fear or hope, generally produces extreme unintended consequences. In an attempt to address the growing energy crisis and its companion inflation of the late 1970’s, then President Jimmy Carter urged the Federal Reserve Bank to lower interest rates and force more dollars into the economy to provide immediate relief in 1977. At the start of 1978, inflation stood at 7% but rose to 9% by the end of that year. In 1979, inflation grew to 12% and reached obesity levels of 14.5% in 1980. While there were certainly other factors affecting the economy, Carter’s reactive monetary stimulus had disastrous effects not only for the country but for himself as well. He would lose the Presidential Election of 1980 to Governor Ronald Reagan. Carter’s now infamous doomsday perspective led to a reactionary policy, which ultimately undermined his leadership. Whether President Ronald Reagan’s contrasting economic policies were correct is a matter of debate. But what is known is that these policies would have not worked were it not for his now famous perspective of “Stay the course”. Attitude helped to shape the reality. Simply, economic
leadership demands an attitude insulated
against passion and founded upon a humane
and moral vision for the future of our
nation. There is simply no reason that
the United States cannot repeat the economic
miracle of the late 20th century. It
will require astute economic thinking
that translates into wealth producing
economic policy. To accomplish this requires
but only one ingredient: men and women
who understand the virtue and requisite
attitude of economic leadership. Voters
are looking for them… [1] Karl Rove, “Voters Want Economic Leadership”, The Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2008. [2] CBO Report, “Changes in the Economic Resources of Low Income Households with Children” (May 2007). [3] US Treasury Department Figures, 2007. [4] Robert Fogel, The Fourth Great Awakening & the Future of Egalitarianism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press) 2000. [5] Keynesian economic theory is named after the influential economist John Maynard Keynes. Keynes argued that recessions could be managed by the government stimulating demand for goods and services through an infusion of capital into the economic system. To simplify, Keynes argued that insufficient demand for goods was one of the major sources of economic recession and that this could be rectified through government deficit spending (i.e. stimulus).
An annual event, this event attracts over 2,000 parents and students from the town and county. Being on the committee, though bringing tedious work at times proves to be a fun adventure. "The committee decides the themes and decorations for the different tents, costumes and has book distribution companies donate books to be handed out in each of the tents." Sarah has attended both the Leadership University and CSI LeadAmerica programs. Congratulations to Sarah for her efforts in the fight against illiteracy. ***** Would you like your
leadership and service activities profiled
in the LeadAmerica Alumni Newsletter? Send
us your news! LeadAmerica wants to build
on the belief that teenagers are capable
contributors to society with valuable ideas
and the energy to become involved in their
community. Each month, one student will
be spotlighted for his or her outstanding
achievements in school and community. Become
a LeadAmerica Student of the Month! Send
your story to alumni@lead-america.org.
For example, have you every found yourself debating what to say when a friend asks how she looks? Was there ever a time where you witnessed a friend or family member doing something wrong and you wondered if you should say something? These day-to-day moral judgment calls weave throughout our lives. However, for some people, moral decisions go far beyond hurting feelings. Some leaders face life or death situations that call upon them to make difficult moral decisions at a moments notice. Consider the doctor who only has enough life-saving medication to give to half of their patients. What about the military officer who must make the decision to fight an enemy in an area close to innocent people? Both must make decisions with life-altering consequences. How do you make moral decisions? Read and think about the following situation. After reflecting on the choices, make a decision. There are no right answers. The purpose of this activity is to get you to critically analyze your own morals and values. Your name will not be published with your answer. A runaway train is traveling down a track toward a group of people standing at the end of the line, all unaware of any approaching danger. The train will not stop at the end of the track and will inevitably collide with the group of people at the end. You are an innocent bystander aware of the situation. You are standing next to a lever that you know can switch the train onto another track. However, the other track is under repair and will result in the derailment of the train. You do not know how many passengers, if any, are onboard the train. What would you do?
The narrative above asks us to weigh our actions using different moral theories—utilitarianism, realism and many others. As mentioned before, there is no right answer to this puzzle. What is right for one person will be wrong for another. So, where are we left in all of this? Well, to be honest not much farther than from where we were before reading this article. The purpose of this poll was not to solve a problem, but rather to open up a discussion amongst your family, your friends and especially your own thoughts. There are thousands of books and scholarly articles aimed at discussing morals in the decision making process of leaders. To cast your vote on the LeadAmerica online poll and view last month’s poll results, visit www.lead-america.org/alumni. If you are interested in more material, please contact Brandon Merritt at bmerritt@lead-america.org.
BOOKS IN REVIEW Title: Caesar:
Politician and Statesman Review: For nearly a thousand years, the Greco-Roman approach to leadership development was through the analysis and judgement of character. While character was discussed by some in terms of vices and virtues, its pragmatic study was pursued through the dissection of the lives and exploits of great leaders. Eternally famous writers like Suetonius and Plutarch authored the prominent “leadership development” texts of the Greco-Roman period and these texts are essentially character case studies of the greatest individuals produced by Greco-Roman society. Regarded as one of the few authoritative works on the person, character and exploits of Julius Caesar, Gelzer’s intense volume represents a gleaming example of classical character study in the tradition of Suetonius and Plutarch. Though many today regard this ancient general, politician and statesman as a tyrant and tragic figure who succumbed to his own lust for power, Gelzer makes no effort to hide his enthusiasm. To Gelzer, Gaius Julius Caesar is the “greatest genius produced by Rome”. For the reader who is able to endure the excruciating character study of a man who lived through the destruction of the Roman Republic and whose death inaugurated the full political establishment of the Roman Empire, he will gain an insight into humanity as it is: complex, flawed and yet noble. This is essentially Gelzer’s theme. Like Caesar, man is able to overcome his complexities, manage his flaws and emerge with a scarred nobility that enables him to impact the world around him. The practical lessons of how Caesar accomplished these feats in clearly difficult times is in the details of the book. Gelzer emphasizes that Caesar’s leadership skills originated from two key character traits that Julius Caesar developed throughout his life. First, Julius Caesar grasped and accepted reality. This enabled Caesar to pro-actively manage circumstances, rather than becoming the victim of them. Second, Gelzer explains that Caesar had a willingness to lead people in new directions; his convictions were his motivation. Simply, Julius Caesar understood that circumstances matter little. Most important is one’s response to those circumstances. Unfortunately, Caesar’s confidence in his convictions eventually obscured his perception of reality as he seemed unaware of the great fear that his power and standing begat amongst the Roman politicians. A bloody death in the Senate was the end result. The character lesson that Gelzer wants us to ponder is simply that circumstances matter, but that confident leaders with convictions matter more.
Appreciation
Week – May 4th – 10th, 2008 How are you showing your appreciation? For more information and ideas about Appreciation Week, visit http://www.teacher-appreciation.info/Teacher-Appreciation-Week-2008/ and http://facops.wsu.edu/RECOGNITION/EasyIdeas.htm. National
Physical Fitness & Sports
Month For list of activities and information about National Physical Fitness & Sports Month, visit http://www.aahperd.org/Naspe/MayWeek/2008/template.cfm?template=main.htm. National
Bike Week – May 19th -
25th, 2008 For more information on bicycle safety, laws, and National Bike Week, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/ and http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. A
Safety Reminder…
Dr. Sikorsky has generously volunteered his time on various occasions. Currently he serves as a consultant to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Crime Lab assisting with their advancements in DNA identification. Previously Dr. Sikorsky has spent time judging state science fair competitions and has worked with the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on proper processing of clandestine burials. LeadAmerica is very proud to announce a new partnership with The Commission on Forensic Education – a partnership founded on the basis of improving forensic education in our school systems. The Commission on Forensic Education’s membership includes topic matter experts in various areas of forensics and law enforcement as well as educators teaching forensic curriculum – each is dedicated to improving the standard of education in our schools and communities. We are very excited to involve their members in our summer CSI: Forensic Science program as speakers and activities facilitators. The following is an introductory letter developed by the Commission Coordinator introducing their organization: The Commission on Forensic Education (COFE)
promotes the growth of and emphasizes the
importance of forensic science programs
in education. The Commission is an effective
and essential network that helps educators
and students stay informed of the latest
innovations, breakthroughs, and important
research in the field. The purpose of COFE is to promote growth and emphasize the importance of forensic science programs in education. The Commission helps educators advance the field and inspire future forensic professionals by doing the following:
The Commission holds annual meetings coinciding with the national conference of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute (ACFEI). These meetings provide great opportunities to network and meet with many of the leading forensic scientists in the world. Membership with COFE is free, carries many benefits, and is open to secondary and post-secondary education instructors. Furthermore, many of our COFE members also elect to join ACFEI, which offers membership benefits and certification opportunities, as well as free online continuing education credits and a subscription to our peer-reviewed journal, The Forensic Examiner®. If you have any additional questions, you may contact Anna Pry, the Commission Coordinator, at (800) 423-9737 or by e-mail at Coordinator@ForensicCommission.com. I look forward to welcoming you as a member of the Commission on Forensic Education. Sincerely, P.S. High school forensic lesson plans are also needed. Be among one of the first to submit your lesson plans for publication on the web site and to share with your colleagues! Please help LeadAmerica and support a valued partner with a similar mission – if you’re an Alumni, encourage your teachers to join the COFE and share their forensic curricula; if you’re one of our valued Educators, please assist in improving the global usage of forensic curriculum in schools by making your lesson plans available to other primary and secondary school educators through the COFE. Please take the opportunity to forward this message to any educators interested in obtaining lesson plans from the COFE or those that have lesson plans developed who may be willing to post them for others to use. Additionally, for students interested in studying forensic science, memberships in professional organizations like the COFE are extremely important in the academic and professional development of a forensic scientist. In closing, we are pleased to welcome The Commission on Forensic Education into the LeadAmerica family and expect you’ll do the same through support of their mission.
2009
ALUMNI REWARDS PROGRAM
The 2009 Alumni Rewards Program will go into effect on April 15th, 2009. All claims under the 2008 Alumni Rewards Program must be redeemed by April 14th, 2009. Points not redeemed by April 14th, 2009 will be carried over into the 2009 Alumni Rewards Program and subject to the revised program criteria.
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
2009 SOUVENIRS NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL LEADAMERICA
ALUMNI!
NOMINATE
A FRIEND!
|
||||
 |
||||||
Spring is here
at last – at least
for some of us the date tells us that,
but it may not feel that way outside; for
others, we’re already welcoming the
balmy weather and all the promise that
it brings. 
"'Literacy
Day Celebration" is
an event celebrating the improvements of
literacy in our community, yet at the same
time it’s an activity the community
can participate in to encourage the steadfast
growth of literacy in the community." Sarah
says, explaining the event. "The
community is a heavily concentrated Hispanic
area with literacy issues, so the event
is a way to have people enjoy book as well
as give books to them in both English and
Spanish.” The event, held at the
local mall, is considered a 'living
library' where over 20 different
tents are decorated in theme of famous
books: Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter, and Laura
Ingalls Wilder to name a few. The tents
have volunteers dressing like the book’s
characters, reading from the book or acting
out the scenes, and providing activities
paralleling to events in the book. "My
personal favorite tent this last year was
the Laura Ingalls Wilder tent. Participants
were able to churn butter and see some
of the antique pieces like a wash board
used back then." Last year, Sarah
played "Sarah Jane". 
