This summer, rising 10th graders and police officers from all over the state will learn leadership skills in two separate programs on the Virginia Tech campus sponsored by the Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation and organized by the Pamplin College of Business. Both programs start on Sunday, June 17.

The teen program, known formally as the Commonwealth Youth Conference for Leadership Effectiveness, was conceived by Virginia police chiefs who saw a need “to help young people develop their leadership potential,” said Sharon Scott, associate director of the Pamplin College’s Management and Professional Development office.

Scott said that this year, 125 high-school students will attend the program, organized as a series of five separate one-week camps for two dozen participants each week. The week’s curriculum is built around Sean Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. The teens discuss the book and do exercises designed to examine their own habits and to develop effective strategies for interpersonal communication, decision making, and problem-solving. “The overall goal,” she said, “is to help young teens gain a better understanding of themselves and their relationship to others, the value of teamwork and diversity, and their role in their community.”

Though university faculty members help organize the program and are on call during the week to assist with instruction, the programs are entirely led and taught by five Pamplin College students selected for their experience with youth camps and who have undergone extensive training. Their work as program facilitators, Scott said, gives these students, most of whom are studying business leadership themselves, a good opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills.

The conference is free to participants, who live in dorms on campus, with a facilitator housed in each suite.

The adult program, known as the Institute for Leadership in Changing Times, has attracted about 39 police and other public safety professionals from government and campus police departments, sheriff’s offices, and regional jails. They will attend a one-week workshop in two groups, each of which will return to campus for a follow-up week-long program in September.

"The program does not teach policing skills," said Scott. "Our goal is to help participants develop leadership characteristics and communication and problem-analysis skills that will help them improve their decision making and interact more effectively with their co-workers and the public."

Pamplin and other faculty will lead classroom seminars and outdoor exercises on topics that include leadership and followership, team building, change management, problem-solving, decision-making, emotional intelligence, and the multigenerational workplace.

Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of ethical values and leadership, technology, and international business skills. A member of its marketing faculty directs the interdisciplinary Sloan Foundation Forest Industries Center at Virginia Tech. The college’s other centers focus on business leadership, electronic commerce, organizational performance, and services innovation. The college is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. It is named in honor of alumnus Robert B. Pamplin, the former CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and businessman, philanthropist, and alumnus Robert B. Pamplin Jr.

For information about activities scheduled, including times and locations, please contact: Sharon Scott at (540) 231-5567.

Schools represented in the Commonwealth Youth Conference for Leadership Effectiveness include:

  • Week 1, June 17-22
  • Chantilly High School, Chantilly
  • Forest Park High School, Woodbridge
  • George Washington High School, Danville
  • Godwin High School, Richmond
  • Halifax County High School, South Boston
  • Heritage High School, Leesburg
  • Heritage High School, Lynchburg
  • Heritage High School, Newport News
  • Hermitage High School, Richmond
  • Hickory High School, Chesapeake
  • Hidden Valley High School, Roanoke
  • Indian River High School, Chesapeake
  • J.R. Tucker High School, Richmond
  • James Madison High School, Vienna
  • Lloyd C. Bird High School, Chesterfield
  • Manassas Park High School, Manassas Park
  • Minnie Howard School, Alexandria
  • N.B. Clements Jr. High, Prince George
  • Radford High School, Radford
  • Robert E. Lee High School, Staunton
  • Robinson Secondary, Fairfax
  • William Byrd High School, Vinton
  • William Fleming High School, Roanoke
  • Woodside High School, Newport News


School lists are also available for remaining weeks:

  • Week 2: June 24-29
  • Week 3: July 8-13
  • Week 4: July 22-27
  • Week 5: July 29-Aug. 3


Departments represented at the Institute for Leadership in Changing Times:

Group 1: June 17-22 and Sept. 18-20

  • Alexandria Police Department
  • Charlottesville Police Department
  • Chesapeake Police Department
  • Danville Police Department
  • Fairfax County Police Department
  • Franklin Police Department
  • Hanover County Sheriff's Office
  • Harrisonburg Police Department
  • Henrico County Division of Police
  • Herndon Police Department
  • Leesburg Police Department
  • Lynchburg Police Department
  • Martinsville Police Department
  • Newport News Police Department
  • Norfolk Southern Police Department
  • Powhatan Sheriff's Office
  • Roanoke County Police Department
  • Virginia Tech Police Department


Group 2: June 24-29 and Sept. 25-27

  • Alexandria Police Department
  • Arlington County Police Department
  • Chesapeake Police Department
  • Danville Police Department
  • Hanover County Sheriff's Office
  • Henrico County Division of Police
  • Newport News Police Department
  • Norfolk Police Department
  • Riverside Regional Jail
  • Roanoke County Police Department
  • Virginia Beach Police Department
  • Virginia Tech Police Department
  • Williamsburg Police Department


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