About 175 people turned out for the Northern Leadership Institute’s first spring conference Tuesday, highlighted by a keynote speech by former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon.

Institute co-chairman James Barr, who also serves as NIU student trustee, said attendance was higher than expected, although the crowd was handled easily. The conference began with a breakout session conducted by Juan Andrade, president and co-founder of the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, and was followed by presentations by NIU alumni and professionals.

“The sessions were very motivational, very successful,” Barr said. “They were conducted by a wide variety of individuals, which was beneficial for everyone.”

Barr and fellow graduate student Sadiya Khan gathered student leaders to form the institute last year as a way to train future students on how to become successful and knowledgeable leaders. Doug Stalker, a junior finance major and finance chairman of the institute’s board of directors, said the conference exceeded expectations, inspiring them to do more next year.

“With it being the first conference, the session leaders were exceptionally great,” Stalker said. “A lot of personal contacts were made to bring them here. Some of them were alumni who really love to come back, and a lot of networking was involved.”

Stalker said NIU colleges and sponsors donated about $20,000 to make the conference happen. Junior sociology major Melissa Hagensee enjoyed the keynote speakers and left the conference with ideas for her own role as an NIU leader.

“Former Sen. Simon was very interesting, very inspirational,” Hagensee said. “Juan Andrade emphasized to people about defining your own role and not letting other people make decisions for you.”

Hagensee is a community adviser at Douglas Hall and program designer for the Campus Activities Board Fine Arts committee. She said a major networking tip she learned at the conference is that you should make a point to introduce yourself to three people when you’re in a new situation.

NIU President John Peters spoke as honorary institute chairman during a special luncheon session, and Simon closed the afternoon with his speech, “The Keys to Leadership.” Stalker and Barr said Simon emphasized two of the institute’s major goals: character growth and civic duty.

“When you speak of strong character, you’re talking about Paul Simon,” Stalker said. “Response to his speech has been very positive, especially considering he flew up here especially for this and has another engagement [Wednesday].”

Simon served 14 years in the Illinois General Assembly, first as a representative and later as a state senator. He also is the founder and director of the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he teaches classes in political science and journalism. He holds 44 honorary degrees, has authored 16 books and writes a newspaper column.

“He said something that was very powerful to me, in that ‘Humanity is not divisible,'” Barr said. “He emphasized leadership in a way that spoke of his

experience but still related to students in college.”

Barr hopes underclassmen who participated in the conference come back next year, keeping the institute on a two-year track that delves more into advanced leadership courses. NLI has plans for more seminars next semester.