“I really enjoyed the 2012 Leadership Challenge Event©. I didn’t participate in the first one last year and I can truly say that I regret not doing that. It was a great experience. From the students who came from other universities and high schools to the role players to the judges to the simulation to Ed O’Malley’s speech, everything was truly wonderful and spectacular.”- Anonymous Volunteer through evaluation
The second annual Challenge Event© took place on March 29th and 30th, 2012.
Conference
“This conference was a great experience. It really helped me figure out what I need to work on as a person. It was very professional, and everyone that worked and volunteered was wonderful and very helpful.” – Anonymous Volunteer through evaluation
The conference portion of the LCE© continued the traditional approach and allowed students to understand leadership roles and challenges specific to the organizations and positions they would be simulating Friday.
Leaders from the community provided insights and leadership lessons in break-out sessions:
Session 1: Organizational Leadership
Session 2: Role Specific Leadership
On Thursday evening, student participants along with team advisors, volunteers, and community members gathered at the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center for a dinner and program featuring keynote speaker Ed O’Malley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kansas Leadership Center.
Simulation
“The application is huge, being able to take the classroom experience and apply it. That’s what makes it unique and important.” – John Montgomery, advisor to Fort Hays State University
The 2012 LCE© Simulation expected students to work both individually and as a team to solve a budget crisis resulting from the embezzlement of millions of dollars within the Central Kansas Community Foundation.
19 teams participated, twelve of those being from high schools and seven from colleges and universities. Four states were represented: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Illinois.
High Schools
Colleges and Universities
Topeka Community Foundation 2012 Champion Award
College Division: Fort Hays State University (Hays, Kansas)
High School Division: Hayden High School
Joe & Jillain Williams Award for Team Communication
Topeka West High School (Topeka, KS)
St. Francis Health Center Award for Team Communication
McKendree University, Team 1 (Lebanon, IL)
Intrust Bank Award for Team Collaboration
York College, (York, NE)
BNSF Railway Award for Team Collaboration
Washburn Rural High School (Topeka, KS)
Community Involvement
“This was an incredible experience and I am so impressed with your campus and community involvement! The quality and reality of the experience was excellent.” - Misty Chandler, advisor to Metropolitan Community College
The 2012 LCE© was truly a representation of the Heartland Visioning initiative strongly underway in Topeka and Shawnee County. The LCE© required the involvement and support of the entire community in order to produce this event.
Sponsors
The Capitol Federal Foundation was the title sponsor for the 2012 LCE©, providing significant financial and human resources for the production of the event.
Seven organizations were award sponsors
Eleven Organizations were team sponsors:
General and in-kind Sponsors:
Volunteers
There were 173 volunteers made up of WU students, faculty and staff as well as the Topeka and Shawnee County communities.