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K-State Today

September 25, 2018

Staley School welcomes leaders-in-residence from Senegal

Submitted by Chance Lee

The Staley School of Leadership Studies celebrates the DECLIC organization of Ziguinchor, Senegal, West Africa, as the 2018 Michael C. Holen Leaders-in-Residence.

Six members of Développement Citoyenneté Leadership Intégré and Communautaire, or DECLIC, join the K-State and Manhattan community for a four-week residency. They will be honored at the Staley School's eighth annual Spirit of Leadership event at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28. 

This residency is a continuation of the reciprocal partnership between the Staley School and DECLIC, an integrated civic leadership and community development organization with a mission to "Take the Leadership Challenge for the Common Good." Founded in 2016, the organization has trained more than 750 youth in leadership, social entrepreneurship, project cycle management, and much more. In their own local context, they are doing work which parallels the Staley School's mission to "develop knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse and changing world."

Recently, Staley School faculty and DECLIC founders led a conference in Ziguinchor titled "Youth Leadership and Development in West Africa."

"Working with DECLIC is an important example of reciprocity in community partnerships," said Mary Tolar, director of the Staley School. "Although in different community and cultural environments, we share purpose in developing leadership capacity for community change."

This exchange, in addition to other Leading Change Institutes, is made possible through a gift from Dave and Ellie Everitt that established the institutes' cornerstone endowment.

Representing DECLIC are Haby Diallo, Salif Kanoute, Demba Kande, Jennifer Gbari, Francisca Napama and Adolphe Gomez. They will be in Manhattan through Oct. 13 and will participate in an array of activities, including visits to K-State classrooms, workshops with K-State faculty and staff, shadowing and service at area nonprofit programs, and consultation with university programs such as HandsOn Kansas State, Alternative Breaks and International Service Teams. Many opportunities will be available to interact with these guests throughout their stay, culminating in a public event at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, in Town Hall at the Leadership Studies Building. Each of the leaders-in-residence will share their perspective on leading change in their home communities and reflections of their time in the local community.

The Michael C. Holen Leader-in-Residence award honors outstanding individuals who are exercising leadership in a range of organizational, professional and civic settings. Named in honor of the College of Education dean emeritus, leaders-in-residence come to campus to share experiences and engage in rich and challenging conversations with students and the Kansas State University community. Recipients of this award are celebrated at the annual Spirit of Leadership celebration, hosted by the Staley School of Leadership Studies. This event brings together alumni and friends of the School to connect with current students and faculty.

If you have any questions about this opportunity or would like to connect with the leaders-in-residence, please contact Chance Lee at chance@k-state.edu. Please join the Staley School of Leadership Studies in welcoming this group of remarkable leaders to our community and our university.