Spring 2024 Student Leadership Conference

The MGA Student Leadership Conference is a free event for current students to network and connect with other students interested in developing as leaders.  The conference will help you develop skills necessary for student leadership positions on campus, and professional and community leadership roles by participating in sessions that introduce new ideas, challenge ways of thinking, and empower you to make a difference. 

For spring 2024 the conference will take place on March 8, 2024 at the Macon campus Art Complex. This year's conference theme is "Learn Your Leadership Language" and the focus is on helping students identify and define their individual leadership style. All students are a part of the MGA community and by attending this conference, you will develop a greater sense of how to contribute as an active member of the university and in the world around you. Transportation will be provided for Cochran and Eastman students, leaving from Sanford Hall in Cochran at 7:30AM.

The conference is also a great opportunity for students to get an early taste of what to expect from a professional conference once they are in the workforce. If you are a student and this is going to be your first conference, here is some advice on how to get the most out of it!

  • Review the schedule - find out the topics of the break-out sessions and plan your day in advance so you can attend the sessions you think you will enjoy most.
  • Dress professionally but comfortably, in other words, "business casual" - this is a networking opportunity so you want to make a good impression. If you're not sure what "business casual" means, level 4 in this article's infographic will give you a good idea of what it is: How to dress like a leader in any work environment
  • Take notes - this will help you retain important information, document ideas the presentation might inspire in you, and it's essential to help you divide and conquer. Speaking of...
  • Divide and conquer - if you're with a group split up and go to different sessions. That way you can share what you've learned with each other after the conference.
  • Meet new people - breakfast and lunch will be provided. Take those opportunities to meet someone new! If you go to a breakout session that you really like, take a moment to meet the presenter, tell them you enjoyed their presentation and, if they are willing, get their contact information to follow up later.
  • Get 3 ideas - try to come up with 3 key takeaways for each session you attend. After the conference take some time to think about how these can help you become a better leader, a better professional, and a better member of your communities.
  • Silence your phone - avoid the possibility of causing an interruption and throwing other audience members (or worse, the presenter) off track.
And finally...
  • Act professionally - the other attendees of the conference could be future co-workers, supervisors, or industry colleagues, be thoughtful about how your actions my impact their perception of you.

Keep an eye on this page for new and updated information as we get closer to the date of the conference.

A call for presenters will go out mid-fall semester and session information will be updated once we have it. Until then you can click below for the 2023 presenter bios and session descriptions, as an example of what we have done in the past:

2023 Sessions