Educational Resource Materials
Del has presented
educational sessions at the Association
for the Promotion of Campus Activities National Convention,
Regional Conferences, National Advisers' Institute, and Summer
Leadership Workshops, and at the National
Association of Campus Activities National Convention and
Regional Conferences. He has presented at numerous Leadership
Workshops and Student Activities Retreats at campuses across the
country, and also numerous district and state Student Government
Association conferences. He is one of the most frequently published
authors
in the field of student activities, and has published nearly eighty
articles and columns in Programming,
Student Activities Journal, and Campus
Activities magazines.
Del is a regular contributor to The Student Affairs Collaborative Blog, available here at TheSABloggers.org. Take a moment to check it out, and if you find it useful you should subscribe free, either by the email link or with your RSS Reader. This blog features some of the best in Student Affairs and Student Activities sharing ideas and insight. Poke around and search back through past issues, too, and you'll find a wealth of great information.
To learn more about bringing Del to your Campus or Conference to present Leadership Development Programs, Click here.
To learn more about bringing Del to your Campus or Conference to present Student Activities Development Programs, Click here.
Here are the handouts and
summaries from many of Del's
educational sessions, along with his magazine articles. They require
Acrobat Reader to view and
print.
Leadership Development Articles
- Leading With Integrity
- It's perhaps the most difficult challenge facing any potential leader. Leading with Integrity is the most important role you play.
- Five
Rules For Great Leadership
Here are five rules you can apply to yourself to help you become a great leader. - Motivating Your Members
All leaders have to find a way to motivate their members in order to lead. If you are looking for motivational ideas, check out this article. - Setting
Goals
Achievement at both the personal and organizational level is keenly linked to goal setting. But what are goals, really? And how do you set them? - The
Art of Delegation
How do you get things done-- and accomplish your goals-- without burning yourself out? Learn how to delegate duties and responsibilities to others within your organization. - Interpersonal
Skills
How you are perceived by others is determined completely by your interpersonal skills. This article will help you understand your interpersonal skills, and help you to make a great first impression. - Conflict
Resolution
Do all of your members play well together? Do they all get along-- or is there frequent infighting and arguing? Check this article on conflict resolution. - Effective
Time Management
You don't have enough time to get it all done... but it all has to be done on time. Learn how to manage your time wisely, and accomplish more than you think! - An
Alternative to Robert's Rules
Do you hate "Robert's Rules Of Order," but have no alternative? Consider consensus. - Using The
Five Whys
Here is a method developed by Dr. Sakichi Toyota to discover the core purpose or reason. It's great for creating goals or a mission statement. - Embracing
Technology: Rushing Headlong Into the
21st Century
As your students become more dependent on contemporary technology, it's more important than ever that Student Activities personnel understand and utilize it. Here are some tips to bring you along. - Writing
a Contemporary Mission Statement
The traditional mission statement explains what an organizaiton does. The contemporary mission statement defines Why an organization does. - The
Power of a Retreat
Need to do some team building and teach your new board members how to do their job? One effective answer is the Board Retreat. Look here for some good advice on getting the most from your retreat. - Being a
Better Leader for your Organization
It's the beginning of the academic year. Being a better leader should be your "New Year's Resolution!" - Effective
Program Board Meetings
"I hate meetings!" Does that sound like your board members? Unfortunately, meetings are a necessity. If your campus activity board members hate to meet, then it's time to do something altogether different. - Presenting
a Leadership Conference
A Leadership Conference can inspire your students to higher goals, stimulate new leaders, and expand your programs into cocurricular education. Here is some advice for putting your leadership conference together. - Recruiting
New Members for Your Organization
Here is a clearly defined method for recruiting new members for your organization. You've got to have them, or your organization will perish! - Budget
Cutting: Presenting Programs Inexpensively
Surprise! Your budget has been slashed. Need some new ideas for keeping the doors open and the students busy? Check out this article. - Promotion
Without A Budget
This article contains many inexpensive or free ways to promote the concerts and other programs you present on campus. Check out all these great ideas for drawing a crowd. - Incorporating
Student Activities into Community Service
Use your skills in producing entertainment programs and events to enhance and improve a community service program. You can often make an existing program even more effective by adding entertainment. - Branding
Your Board
It works for Victoria's Secret, McDonalds, and Nike. You must create a brand for your board! - Learning
Reconsidered: A New Direction in Student Activities
Since the publication of Learning Reconsidered by NASPA and APCA, Student Development has taken a different turn. Read about the most important reassessment of Student Life in two decades, and how it will affect Student Activities. - Fifty
Low Cost Program Ideas
It started out with the ambitious goal of soliciting 50 low-cost program ideas in a little less than an hour. Fifty minutes later, the delegates at the APCA National Advisors' Summit in Las Vegas had suggested 91 ideas! This is a link to the Student Affairs Blog post. - Embracing
Technology in Student Activities: Rushing Headlong Into the
21st Century
As your students become more dependent on contemporary technology, it's more important than ever that Student Activities personnel understand and utilize it. Here are some tips to bring you along. - The
Power of a Retreat
Need to do some team building and teach your new board members how to do their job? One effective answer is the Board Retreat. Look here for some good advice on getting the most from your retreat. - Presenting
Shows The Right Way
The "little things" can make all the difference when you present events on your campus - Building
a High Powered Program Board
Here are some ideas about Names, Structure, Officers, and Responsibilities for your Programming Board. Includes Time Management, Timelines, Forms, and Conflict Resolution , plus some ideas about Branding and Marketing for your Programming Board - Getting
the Most from the Conference:
Planning Ahead Makes a Difference
Getting ready for a conference means not wasting time or money. Here's how to get the most out of any programming conference. - Being a
Better Leader for your Campus Activities Board
It's the beginning of the academic year. Being a better leader should be your "New Year's Resolution!" - Effective
Program Board Meetings
"I hate meetings!" Does that sound like your board members? Unfortunately, meetings are a necessity. If your campus activity board members hate to meet, then it's time to do something altogether different. - Building and
Maintaining a (GREAT) Coffeehouse Series
If you're considering starting a Coffeehouse Series on your campus, or if you want to make your series even better, then take a look at this great information. - Cafeteria
Shows: Making the Best of a Bad Situation
Performers tend to dislike cafeteria shows because they are generally produced so poorly. Here is a step-by-step approach to change your "cafeteria gigs" into "Dinner Theater." - Bigger
Crowds and Better Shows: Planning
Planning is simply following a plan to become and stay organized. And being organized gives you the freedom to be creative. Here's one way to get your act together. - Bigger Crowds
and Better Shows: Scheduling
There is more to scheduling than just booking acts and events. Here are some ideas for putting together a balanced and appropriate schedule for your campus. - Campus
Collaboration: Integrating the College Mission into
Programming
Student Activities can truly be the key to campus collaboration with mission-based programming. - Contracts and
Riders 101
Baffled by the volumes of contracts sent to you by agents? Overwhelmed by the band's rider that asks for things you can't deliver (like alcohol) or seemingly foolish requests (like no brown M&M's...). This article can help you make sense of it all! Disclaimer: the author is not an attorney, and will not offer legal advice! But he will help you understand which items in a contract are negotiable and which items are "deal breakers!" - Try
Some New Promotional Concepts
This article explains some basic advertising concepts that you can use to promote the programs you present on campus. This may be the answer to your promotional questions! - Residencies:
Getting the most from Artists
If you're looking for a way to pull your campus community together, then consider an Artist-In-Residence. By presenting multiple shows, you can reach out to the campus and community, and reach different audiences. You will also generate a positive image for your school and your programs. - Programming
for a Commuter Campus
It may be the biggest challenge in the field of Student Activities: programming for a commuter campus. It's like having a student body of gypsies or nomads. Sometimes they're around; sometimes they're not. What can you do? - Family
Friendly Programs
As non-traditional students become a major population on college campuses, programming boards are facing a new paradigm in activities. Family Friendly programs may provide one solution to meeting the needs of these students. - Creative
Uses for Small Acts: Take Your Show to the Audience
Can't get your students to attend your programs? Maybe you should take the programs to your students! Here are some innovative ideas to utilize those less-expensive and easily-produced acts on your campus. - Get
Me to the Show On Time: Being a Traveling College Performer
in a Post-September 11 World
Getting to your gigs can be stressful. Here are some helpful hints from the pros to make travel easier! - Staying
Healthy On The Road
Here is some good advice for keeping healthy as a traveling musician. - Campus Event Form
Here is a comprehensive form to help you produce your campus events. It's designed to cover every aspect of each show, and you're welcome to customize it to your campus needs. - TV
Games Shows
These templates are for creating your own version of your favorite TV game shows! Included are "Jeopardy!", "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", "Are Your Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?", "Hollywood Squares", and more. Some of them even include the musical themes and sound effects! They are large compressed files, so you have to download them and then "unzip" or "unstuff" them. They are a great way to add some fun to your training programs, and can be fun, low-cost programs for residence halls and program boards. - Learning
Reconsidered: A New Direction in Student Activities
This article by Del Suggs covers the importance of Learning Reconsidered to Student Affairs. Since the publication of Learning Reconsidered by NASPA and ACPA, Student Development has taken a different turn. Read about the most important reassessment of Student Life in two decades, and how it will affect Student Activities. - Learning
Reconsidered
This position paper was published in 2004 by NASPA and ACPA. Learning Reconsidered calls for a radical new approach to learning on campus. You can download your own copy of Learning Reconsidered here, and read about Transformative Learning. - Writing
Student
Learning Outcomes
If you are struggling with drafting Student Learning Outcomes, then check out this article. It's a clear explanation and formula for writing learning outcomes. - Assessment
and Student Activities
Here is a terrific article to help you understand the very basics of assessment in Student Affairs. - Student
Learning Outcomes 101
This a terrific aid for anyone developing student learning outcomes, and it was developed for use by the University of Rhode Island. Highly Recommended! - Data
Don't Drive
This analysis of the force of statistics in higher education was published in 2005 by the Lumina Foundation. Data Don't Drive considers the volumes of data collected by schools, and calls for a movement away from collecting evidence and towards "a culture of inquiry." That means collecting useful data that can help to enhance student learning. You can download your own copy of Data Don't Drive here. - The Seven
Vectors of Student Development
Dr. Arthur Chickering is a leading researcher in Student Develpment theory, and this article explains very clearly the Seven Vectors of a college student's development. - Student
Development Theory
If you'd like to learn the basics in "Student Develpment Theory," here is a fine article. Highly Recommended! - Campus
Collaboration: Integrating the College Mission into
Programming
Student Activities can truly be the key to campus collaboration with mission-based programming.