Dear Alumni and Friends:

In leadership classes and institutes that I have run over the years, I have found that inexperienced leaders don’t trust their own voices. Sometimes they don’t even know they have a voice! And they don’t know their ideas are valuable.

Leaders don’t happen through an accident of birth, although that extra little dose of energy or charisma that your parents bequeathed to you can’t hurt! Leadership can be learned, and Farmington is a great place to learn it. As a result, Farmington grads are great leaders!

What does it take to grow leaders? First, and most importantly, there need to be many opportunities to lead and to make a difference. Second, the tasks need to be real ones that will make a difference to the group, or the entire institution or the world beyond. There need to be real chances to succeed or fail—the best leadership education can’t be a series of meaningless exercises. Finally, students need to do, to talk, to maybe fall on their faces, to experience efficacy, to make a visible difference.

Over the years students have led at Farmington in the clean clothes movement, in “green” energy and sustainability, in political campaigns across the spectrum, in the diversity committee, and in myriad student clubs, to name but a few examples, as well as in traditional key arenas like athletics, residence life and student government.

Example: Ryan Moore ’03 was a leader in educating the campus about “green” building techniques. He taught us all what sustainability meant and the various strategies to achieve it. He watched over the architect selection process like a hawk and made sure we asked all the tough questions.

Another example: Megan Dzyak ’08 has been helping with the conceptual design and architect selection process for the Emery Community Arts Center. I recall at a meeting this summer we were stewing about some detail. She just jumped up, grabbed a pencil and showed us on the design boards how to solve our problem. Megan is currently serving on the architect selection committee for Emery.

Leadership also takes mentoring. Whether it is in undergraduate research, campus employment, a service-learning project or an internship, faculty and staff are available to give support, feedback, critique and encouragement. As an alum wrote me the other day, reflecting on his own experience here, UMF provides a setting where every student can “be someone special, and contribute positively to UMF and the surrounding community.” Without mentoring, it does not happen.

Be special. Make a difference. Contribute in a visible way. Learn with committed mentors. Find your voice. That’s leadership education, Farmington style.

Sincerely yours,
Theodora J. Kalikow, President