Call For Papers & Presentations

            "Effective people, teams, and organizations require not only skills and structures, but spirit, trust, and vision, because these qualities are necessary for open communication, common cause, and synergy" (Spitzer, 2001, p. 17).

            In Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age, Juana Bordas (2007) reminds us of the importance of bringing forth the wisdom of the past through both an awareness of the past and a connection to those ancestors who have passed to the spirit world.

            "Spirit is the most critical element of any organization. With Spirit of the appropriate quantity, quality, and direction, almost anything is possible. Without Spirit, the simplest task becomes a monumental obstacle. Furthermore, it is in the domain of Spirit that leadership operates" (Owen & Owen, 1999, p. 52).            

Call for Papers and Presentations
     The 2008 Spring Leadership Conference brings together graduate students from Gonzaga University and Seattle University for the second consecutive year to exchange ideas, share research, and build relationships that will continue beyond the boundaries of this conference. This year's theme, "Leadership and Spirit," evokes the notion that leadership is not contained in the individual, but reaches beyond, to the past and to the future; to the forces that shape us, inspire us, and guide us. Current graduate students in leadership at Gonzaga University and Seattle University, as well as recent graduates of the graduate programs in leadership at both universities, are invited to participate in this conference through presentation and dialogue. Papers and presentations can explore any connection--or disconnection--between leadership and spirit. What is "spirit" in the context of leadership? How can we honor spirit in the workplace, in our lives, in leadership development? How do organizations break and repair spirit? How do we foster spirit in a technological world? These questions are merely the beginning. Ask your own, share your answers.

Individual Presentation
     Individuals and teams of presenters are invited to submit abstracts of 20-minute presentations of original research (including in-progress research), findings from a project, case study, or critical analysis. Creative works, multimedia presentations, and, other forms of re presentation are welcome as well as traditional academic papers. As a guideline, if participants choose to present a written paper, 20 minutes of presentation time translates into approximately 9 double-spaced pages of computer text. However, participants choose to present a written paper, 20-minutes of presentation time translates into approximately 9 double-spaced pages of computer text. However, participants are encouraged to prepare a 20-minute presentation rather than read a paper to the audience. Program organizers at Gonzaga University will schedule one presentation each from Seattle University and Gonzaga University into a single one-hour session. Each presenter will have 20 minutes for presentation, with a five minute break between speakers. A question and answer period of approximately 10 minutes for both speakers will follow both presentations. Proposals for individual and team presentations must be submitted electronically using the Individual or Team Presentation Proposal and the Template for Individual and Team Proposal forms. Deadline for proposals is Monday, February 25, 2008.

Poster Session
     Posters provide an excellent forum for authors to present their work in an informal and interactive setting. Posters are ideal to showcase speculative, late-breaking results or to introduce interesting, innovative work. Posters sessions are highly interactive. They allow authors and interested participants to connect to each other and to engage in discussions about the work presented.  Successful posters have a strong visual impact that attracts the attention of attendees as they stroll past the displays, either during the interactive poster session or at other times during the conference. The goal is to develop a poster that encourages and facilitates small groups of individuals interested in a particular area to gather and interact. Poster authors are required to attend the scheduled interactive poster session, staying with their poster so that they can discuss their work with conference attendees. Poster authors may post an informal schedule along with their poster, listing times when they plan to be available for discussion later on during the conference.
Proposals for poster sessions must be submitted electronically using the Template for Poster Proposals and the Poster Proposal forms.

References
Bordas, J. (2007). Salsa, soul, and spirit: Leadership for a multicultural age. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Owen, H., & Owen, H. (1999). The spirit of leadership: Liberating the leader in each of us. San Francisco.: Berrett-Koehler.
Spitzer, R. J. (2001). The spirit of leadership: Optimizing creativity and change in organizations. Provo, Utah: Executive Excellence Pub.

Choose your university for the appropriate proposal submission process: