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2003 Fall
Leadership Retreat

October 3-4, 2003



The annual Fall Leadership Retreat 2003 was held in Redisville, NC on October 3 and 4, 2003. There were approximately fifty NC-MSEN students, from across the state, and who came together for a weekend experience at PENN 4-H Center. NC-MSEN Pre-College Program students attending the retreat had an opportunity to enhance their leadership skills through workshops, team building activities, games, and social activities. The memories, valuable leadership skills, and priceless networking opportunities that the students gained will be remembered for years.

This year's Retreat was particularly special because the NC-MSEN Pre-College Program received sponsorship from the NC Biotechnology Center. The theme for this year's Retreat was "Preparing For the Future-A Leadership Enhancement Seminar with a Scientific Focus." The main goal was to expose students to leadership and post-secondary opportunities in biotechnology.

The NC Biotechnology Center, the nation's first state-sponsored biotechnology center, is conveniently located in the Triangle area in North Carolina. The Center has as one of its goals to inform and educate the public about biotechnology. Furthermore, the mission is to promote statewide economic development by helping the state's educational institutions provide a trained workforce and by educating North Carolinas about the science, applications, and issues of biotechnology. To learn more about NC Biotechnology Center, please visit http://www.ncbiotech.org/.
Mr. Kenneth Cutler, adjunct visiting instructor and secondary education advisor for the Department of Biology, North Carolina Central University, was Friday night's keynote speaker. He presented a very informative PowerPoint presentation which exposed many of the students to the field of biotechnology for the first time. They were presented information on how to pursue the field of biotechnology in post secondary education, including scholarships and programs targeted at biotechnology. After Mr. Cutler's presentation, many students expressed an interest in the field of biotechnology.


Students were fortunate to have Dr. Robert Jennings, executive vice-president of Future Focus 2020 at Wake Forest University as Saturday's facilitator. You can learn more about the organization by visiting the web site of Future Focus 2020. Dr. Jennings's topic mirrored the theme of the Retreat, which was "Preparing For the Future-A Leadership Enhancement Seminar with a Scientific Focus". He lead various activites which allowed students to gain in-depth knowledge on how to become true leaders, as well as to polish leadership skills. In additional, Dr. Jennings engaged students in group discussions using real life biotechnology-related scenarios. The students not only had a fun time problem-solving but also learned about the exciting field of biotechnology and teamwork. Both outcomes, brought students one step closer to becoming future leaders in one of the leading career fields of the future-----biotechnology.

Please click to see the pictures of all activites conducted by both Mr. Cutler and Dr. Jennings.
 

Additionally, students had a wonderful time interacting with each other through social activities such as the
traditional Bonfire and Marshmallow Roast, and also talent presentation.

Please click here to see all other pictures of the 2003 Fall Leadership Retreat.

 

    A word of thanks to those that have helped make 2002 Fall Leadership Retreat
    a huge success:

    NC Biotechnology Center
    Dr. Robert Jennings, Future 2020
    Mr. Kenneth Cutler, North Carolina Central University
    Mr. Jay Rasta, jay rasta sounds
    Rita Fuller
    Felicia Lee
    Victor Mack
    Todd Bennett
    Robin Joyner
    Dwight Hawkins
    Dianne Affleck
    Tomikia Pickett
    Cheryl Jennings
    RL Govan
    Lori Frederick
    Mary Stamps
    Benjamin Connelly
    Pasty Long
    PENN 4-H Center, Reidsville NC


 

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