Students seeking direction and advice about leadership skills need look no further than the Leadership Development Center at UB, which specializes in helping students gain leadership abilities that can help them attain success in today's competitive job market.
Frank Ciccia, the director of the center, said many people benefit from the center who may not have thought they would.
"In some point in your life, you will have to be a leader and use leadership skills, whether it is at school, in the classroom, at work or even in your church or community," said Ciccia.
Students that tend to be timid when it is time to take charge and assume a leadership position could benefit from the seminars at the Leadership Development Center, which seek to develop the communication skills students may be lacking.
"The classes helped my public speaking skills because they work with the students one-on-one, and they help you to take charge," said Lisa Kaplan, a junior medical technician major. "I was motivated to assert myself, and the classes influenced the way that I perform at work at Sister's Hospital."
According to Edward Brodka, assistant director of the Leadership Development Center, one of the center's main purposes is to give students an opportunity to see different examples of leadership and to learn how to avoid bad displays of leadership.
"The person in the position of power is not only meant to make themselves look good but to help others look good too," said Brodka. "The test of a good leader is the continued success of the organization after that person has left. A good leader helps everyone develop and look good, not just themselves."
Brodka said a key to being a good leader is helping staff members, rather than just assigning tasks.
Instructors and students at the Leadership Development Center stressed certain ideals to create successful leaders and to have a positive impact on the community.
"Classroom participation is important," said Katie Scollin, a first-year graduate student. "You have to use the skills they teach in class in real situation so that you can apply them effectively to be successful. To be more competitive in a job market, you must have leadership skills."
Based on their personalities, Ciccia said he is able to classify each student that comes into the Leadership Development Center into one of three distinct categories.
"One kind of student is the kind that seeks out the center and wants to know how to get involved," said Ciccia. "This type of student was usually active in high school, and they come right after orientation.
"The second kind of student wants to be involved but is not sure of their confidence level, and we establish goal-setting. These kinds of students never saw themselves as the leader of their organization."
The third type, Ciccia said, "knows that they need to be a leader in order to get that job they want."
The center uses various methods to teach people within each of these three groups how to most effectively be a leader. These methods include lectures, interactive group projects and courses like UB 101.
"I found the classes to be a confidence builder that helped me to learn more social skills and use the leadership skill effectively," said Kelly Steinkirchner, a sophomore human resources and marketing major. "You don't have to have a title to play a leadership role in an organization. Leadership is the ability to influence people without necessarily having authority over them. Transcending titles is a good leadership skill."
"We work as peer educators while working on our own leadership skills by being teaching assistants for UB 101 and other courses that instruct students in communication skills and teamwork," said Ajay Panchal, a junior biomedical sciences major.
Brodka said students who have been able to achieve positions they were aspiring toward while they improved their leadership abilities at the center are the best examples of the program's success.
"In 1998, a group of alumni students came back and told how much the Leadership Development Center helped them obtain success in their careers and their communities," said Brodka. "People that had graduated from many different majors benefited from the programs such as the LEAP Program, not just business or management majors."
The Leadership Development Center is located at 235 Student Union, and can be contacted at 645-6469, or through its Web site at http://www.leadership.buffalo.edu
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
