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Leadership Conference Awarded the President’s Innovative Fund Grant

Early May it was announced that the application submitted for the President’s Innovative Fund Grant was approved to support the First Annual Leadership Conference at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.

Leadership in Strategic Planning for Realizing Extraordinary Results--2013 Conference Theme
Leadership in Strategic Planning for Realizing Extraordinary Results–2013 Conference Theme

The application required that proposed projects illustrate clear alignment with the University’s Strategic Plan.

This is a wonderful accomplishment for the Leadership Development Institute. The Spring 2013 class of LDI participants should feel most pleased with their contribution to leadership in Morocco through the conference and the potential future conferences have for creating a continuing education venue for North Africa.

Conference Overview
This year’s conference theme is Leadership in Strategic Planning for Realizing Extraordinary Results. There are over 15 sessions for attendees to select from for attendance. A morning and afternoon keynote speaker, respectively a Moroccan automobile executive and an United States oil executive. The conference also includes facilitated networking sessions and a campus tour. Finally, included in the reasonably priced conference is lunch, breaks, attendance to all sessions, and a certificate of attendance.

Conference Program
LDI_ALC Conference Program (02.05.2013)

A Short List of Conference Benefits

Conference Attendees
• Enhances skills and knowledge to impact immediate arenas in Morocco
• Receives a certificate of attendance from the AUI Leadership Conference, a copy of the bi-annual LDI newsletter, and an announcement and invitation to register for future Leadership conferences

AUI
• Establishes a visible role in promoting professional development and continual education and skills for leadership in Morocco
• Establishes a platform for potential employers to observe first-hand the knowledge, skills, and professionalism of AUI senior-level, graduate student, and alumni–creating greater appreciation and interest in the AUI graduate
• Promotes another venue for building partnerships with community members

AUI Academic Programs
• Exposes contemporary education topics for adaptation in workplace settings
• Showcases under-recognized programs at AUI that offer great value to leadership and context specific success

LDI
• Serves as a practical platform for developing leadership skills in LDI participants
• Impacts the leadership in diverse settings throughout Morocco, supporting the Institute’s mission
• Secures the financial resources to be self-sustaining on AUI’s campus and engage in development and outreach practices shaping itself as a regional and national icon for leadership development

By Avis Winifred Rupert, Ph.D.

Dr. Rupert has a 20-year teaching/leadership track-record in education. She is a native of Texas but has relocated to the East Coast where she is the Associate Dean of Arts & Humanities at Bristol Community College. Her background includes both teaching and administrative positions in the university and community college, international contexts, and secondary and dual credit experience in both the rural and urban high school setting. Rupert has traveled to 21 countries to-date, partnered with populations from diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds; and achieved an 8-year management career complemented by four levels of management with the largest retailer in the world. Dr. Rupert’s education is complementary to her professional and personal growth and interests. She has a BBA in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing, an MA in Composition Studies, an MA in Organizational Management with an International Focus, a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing, and she is presently working on an MA in Biblical Studies and Theology. Rupert’s profile gives her a unique way of at looking at opportunities in education and beyond that often escape others. She contributes her success to self-awareness, an unparalleled drive to grow and develop in varying ways, and a tenacity for leadership. Finally, her dissertation which required the exploration of ethnography requires mention, for it too has added to her unique perspectives and accomplishments.

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