Time management and motivational skills are two topics the “Future Student Leadership Conference” will focus on to aid students in their roles as students and leaders.

The Office of University Programming and Activities is sponsoring the Saturday conference, which will offer seminars on leadership skills.

“The main goal of the conference is to help future leaders develop necessary leadership skills,” conference coordinator Dave Hochberg said.

The program will be an all-day seminar consisting of at least five different discussion topics and a lunchtime break in the Blackhawk Cafeteria.

Hochberg said the other topics covered at the conference will include communication skills, running an effective meeting and dealing with cross-cultural differences.

Risa Newman, conference public relations worker, said the discussions and the luncheon will include a lot of interacting between the student participants and the panel.

“The discussions will include plenty of brainstorming and networking,” Newman said.

Steve Duchrow, UP&A activities adviser, said the leadership conference will provide a chance for students to develop leadership skills that can help them while participating in school organizations.

However, Duchrow said it also can help those not involved in school leadership organizations by developing skills that pertain to everyday life and in future careers after graduation.

“Cross-cultural differences, for example, can teach students how to deal with people of different beliefs and backgrounds that students will come across in the future and will help them to lose the fear of their differences,” Duchrow said.

Christin Galanopoulos, conference volunteer, said, “It (the conference) can benefit anyone interested in school politics or government or to improve your own organizational skills or self-image.”

Newman said she learned a great deal in her previous experience as a student participant in last year’s conference, but the conference re-enforced what she already knew and helped to build on her previously acquired skills.

“Attending the conference made me feel as though I was involved with special people and how important it is to be a leader in the university,” she said.

The conference committee was unable to get professors to participate in the seminar this year because of doctoral exams, Newman said. The seminars will be led by the UP&A activities directors and students on the conference committee, Newman said.

Newman said next semester they will try to get more staff involved.

The seminar is open to all students and student organizations and will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 506 of the Holmes Student Center. A $2 admission can be paid on the sixth floor prior to attendance.