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Del received his Master's degree in Instructional Design and Development from Florida State University, and studied with Dr. Robert Gagne and Dr. Leslie Briggs, two of the most widely respected scholars in educational psychology and peers of Dr. B. F. Skinner. He received a Bachelor's degree cum laude in History and Political Science from FSU.
His volunteer work in various human service, civil rights, environmental, and educational causes has been recognized by a nomination for the "Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity" on three occasions. That is the highest honor the entertainment industry awards for public service. Past recipients include Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Ken Kragen (Live Aid), The AIDS Quilt Project, Habitat for Humanity, and Comic Relief.
Del is one of the most widely published author in the field of Student Activities, and he has been published extensively in "Programming," "Student Activities Journal"and "Campus Activities" magazines. He has also written for numerous other mass market publications such as "Canoe" and "Trailer Boats" magazines. Some of these articles are available here. He was also a finalist for Best Campus Speaker for 2009 as voted by the school members of The Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities.
He's sailed the Caribbean. He's built houses. He's written songs. He's founded a record label with over a dozen releases. He has been an Adjunct in both the College of Education and in the College of Music at Florida State University. He's hosted television specials for public broadcasting. He's an avid gardener, a gifted cook, and he builds his own computers. He has presented his educational programs to more than 4,000 people at over 100 conferences, conventions, and campuses.
Del Suggs is striving to be a "Renaissance Man"-- referring to the Victorian ideal of aperson who is able to do anything and everything. Along the way, he has discovered some of the secrets of both achieving life goals, and finding balance and joy in everyday life. He would like to share those lessons with you.
To see a sample full-day Student Leadership Conference schedule, Click here.
What do you want to do? Be SGA President? Be President of the United States? Fly a plane? Be a movie star? Teach? Travel? This session will give you the tools to reach your goals. Success is a matter of goal setting and developing a plan of action. Achieving your goals is really pretty simple...whether they are basic or lofty, material or spiritual. First you have to set a goal, then develop a strategy to accomplish it. But, of course, you have to stay motivated. This session is perfect for Orientation, "Freshman Year Experience" classes, athletic teams, SGA or Program Board retreats, a Keynote Address, or for the student body.
So you've sought a position of leadership (or had it thrust upon you). Now what do you do? Leadership can be a complex task, but True Leadership comes from both within and without. It begins by knowing yourself, and who you seek to be. In this session, we'll define leadership, consider the various elements and components. By understanding what followers look for and expect from their leaders, you can better develop the characteristics and attributes that will make you a better leader. This allows you to to Truly Lead by inspiring others to follow.
In today's world, the gift of service may be even more valuable to many nonprofit organizations than philanthropy. You can support the causes you believe in with your service, while growing into a better leader. Learn how your own efforts can lead to positive changes within individuals, families, and the world-- while at the same time you are honing your own leadership skills. This session includes some basic leadership skills, achievement practices, goal setting, and successful motivations from a lifelong volunteer leader.
Some folks just seem to be "born leaders." But if you're not a trait-based leader, you can still attain a Leadership Position. That doesn't mean just winning an election or being appointed to the right position, because 'power' is not the same as 'authority.' There are ways to "acquire" leadership-- that is, to be perceived as a leader and to inspire others to follow you. Drawing from such diverse sources as advertising and marketing concepts, Shakespeare, and even the basic tenants of Alcoholics Anonymous, this session explains how you can re-create yourself as a real leader.
It is remarkable how important our interpersonal skills are in our lives. They effects every aspect of your personality and perception-- that is, how you are perceived! Interpersonal skills include everything from your manners and habits to etiquette. Have good interpersonal skills can assure you get the job at the interview-- or a date for the dance. They are that important. Understanding Conflict, and how to resolve it, is a singular Interpersonal Skill that will also draw focus in this session.
**A Special Topic of Interest to all your campus musicians and performers!**
Designed to explain how the world of commercial music operates, it covers nearly all areas of music and entertainment. It includes live performance, recording and the record industry, publishing, radio, and more. It will explain the role of such professionals as personal managers, booking agents, entertainment attorneys, road managers, and others. It's a rare chance to "follow the money" from a voting member of The Recording Academy!
It seems like every organization-- no matter how dynamic-- eventually becomes stale. Successful leaders are able to reignite organizations and members, and inspire them to higher goals. This session will cover a number of immediate actions that can be implemented today to improve your organization, plus both short-term and long-term changes which will result in continuing improvements next month and next year. It includes some basic leadership skills, organizational structure, meeting management, concepts of goal setting, and outcome evaluation.
Ever notice that some organizations have lots of active and involved members, while other organizations struggle to survive? There is always a reason, and often that reason is one word: recruitment. This session will teach you to recruit more (and better) members, while also teaching you how to get those new members involved. If you want your campus organizations to flourish, then consider presenting this program. You can never have too many volunteers!
You don't automatically know how to be an organizational officer just because you are elected. Where can you learn to be an effective President, a vital VP, an essential Secretary and a trustworthy Treasurer? This session provides the basic training for the four major officers in every organization. Can you imagine how effective your campus clubs and organizations would be if the officers knew their jobs? Includes meeting management, leadership skills, concepts of minutes, financial basics, and much more.
Goals are not ethereal, abstract dreams. They are concrete and specific-- and absolutely necessary for every organization and individual. Whether it's raising funds for worthy cause, becoming the largest club on campus, or simply seeking to be "the best," every group must have a goal. There a strategies for setting and achieving goals, strategies which will move you towards success directly and quickly. This session will teach you how.
Student Development Theory for Residence LifeKnowing what changes will occur in students-- when those changes will occur, and what they will be-- is the core of Student Development Theory. Serving as a "crash course" in psychology, this presentation covers the basics of Chickering, Perry, and Maslow for RA's, Directors, and other staff in Residence Life and Student Life. Student Development Theory is a remarkably powerful tool for staff working in Residence Life. This presentation will provide useful insight into your students' personal development, enabling your staff to better understand your students, to anticipate their needs, and foresee some problems before they occur.
Sixty Program Ideas for Residence LifeResidence Assistants and Residence Directors are typically charged with presenting a number of programs for their floor and hall. This session is an interactive presentation, designed to produce at least sixty free or inexpensive ideas for events and programs! Over the course of an hour, we'll generate program ideas for various topics, seasons, holidays, and more. If your RAs need program ideas, then this session is for you.
This workshop addresses the specific skill sets required to implement and execute student activities,
student life, and student development programs with excellence. While the exact content will be
developed based on your specific needs, this workshop can include the following areas of expertise:
program and event planning, scheduling and production; marketing and promotion of events; presenting
venue- and program-specific events (such as cafeteria shows, coffeehouse shows, film series, etc.);
special concerns and challenges such as programming for commuter and non-traditional student
populations; and more. If you allow enough time, this workshop can include hands-on development time
for designing and producing new programs by your staff.
The following topics are among those presented in the training sessions listed above. If you don't have a full-day (or even a half-day) for staff training, you might consider these specific programs. Each presentation takes approximately one hour.
Assessment is the best means of evaluating the success of your programs and events, and demonstrates your commitment to the educational mission of your institution. Assessment is also the best way to improve your programs, as it indicates where they've been successful and where they have not. This program covers creating straight-forward learning outcomes for your programs. Using these outcomes as a benchmark, this session will discuss methods for evaluating the success of your programs. We'll consider various assessment tools and techniques: anecdotal, web surveys, exit evaluations, interviews, departmental reviews, faculty evaluations, discussion groups, and, yes, even headcounts.
Knowing what changes will occur in students-- when those changes will occur, and what they will be-- is the core of Student Development Theory. Serving as a "crash course" in psychology, this presentation covers the basics of Chickering, Perry, and Maslow for RA's, Directors, and other staff in Residence Life and Student Life. Student Development Theory is a remarkably powerful tool for staff working in Residence Life. This presentation will provide useful insight into your students' personal development, enabling your staff to better understand your students, to anticipate their needs, and foresee some problems before they occur.
Data Don't Drive: Building a Practioner-Driven Culture of Inquiry To Assess Community College Performance by Alicia Dowd was published the Lumina Foundation in 2005. This report finds that schools often require the collection of data which is irrelevant to actually improving learning. Data Don't Drive calls for a fundamental change from a "culture of evidence"-- gathering relevant information-- to a "culture of inquiry"-- where the collected information is transformed into applicable knowledge. It will be your job to convert this data into useful information that enhances student success.
You see your students thumb-typing like crazy and wonder what's the big deal? Not after this presentation. It's like this: students are totally comfortable in the sea of technology, while staff and faculty are trying to learn how to dog-paddle. This session will explain what social networking is, and help you understand the most popular sites Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. If attendees have notebook computers, and wi-fi is available, then Del can assist staff and faculty in setting up their profiles. Here is a chance to catch up, before you get any further behind.
It's perhaps the most common missed opportunity on any college campus. While campus entertainment should be fun, it can also be culturally enriching, or have an educational slant. But more importantly, programs can serve to reach across campus and bring students, faculty, and staff together. You often hear those common buzz-words among the administration on campus, words like "campus community," and "experiential learning." The programming staff on your campus-- whether it's Student Activities, Student Life, Student Involvement, Student Leadership-- can truly be the key to campus collaboration in learning. This program discusses various ways to integrate student activities into the teaching/learning mission of the school, and seek to facilitate a true campus collaboration.
Non-traditional schools have a difficult time meeting the programming needs of their students. It can be an exercise in frustration to present wonderful events in empty rooms. This session will discuss the differences in programming for non-traditional schools: without residence halls, older (or mixed age) student populations, "suitcase colleges" and more. We'll also come up with useful strategies to meet the program needs of these students.
Del's fee includes as many as four programs presented on the same day, and may include leadership development and student activities training.
Please provide a video projector capable of PowerPoint for each program.
Staff Training Programs
"Best Practices In Student Affairs" Training
(Full-day or half-day program)Assessment in Student Activities
(60 mins approx.)
(60 mins approx.)Student Development Theory for Residence LifeData Don't Drive and Student Activities
(60 mins approx.)What You Need to Know About Social Networking
(60 mins approx.)Mission-driven Programs with Campus Collaboration
(60 mins approx.)Programming for a Commuter Campus
(60 mins approx.)
Fees
Del speaks primarily at colleges and universities, and his standard fee is $1950 plus accommodations for the day of the appearance.
There is an additional $250-$500 (based on cost) Travel Expense.
For programs presented over multiple days, please add $250 for each additional day plus accommodations.For current availabilities, contact Del SuggsDel Suggs
"This was the first year that Marymount University invited Del Suggs to present a workshop during the annual Student Leader Conference, and I am sure it will not be the last. The students thoroughly enjoyed the workshop 'How to Do Anything.' Del was engaging, easy to work with, and he made the students think. The students gave very positive feedback on the evaluations, and expressed that we should bring him back. I now understand why Del Suggs is an annual event at many colleges and universities." |
Del's fee includes as many as four programs presented on the same day, and may include leadership development and student activities training.
For programs presented over multiple days, please add $250 for each additional day plus accommodations.
Please provide a video projector capable of PowerPoint for each program.
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