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                         August 30, 2002

West Point to host annual Stevens Conference

By Spc. Nate Jastrzemski
Staff Writer

West Point is hosting the annual Robert T. Stevens Service Academy Leaders Conference September 8 through 11. Cadets and midshipmen from all five academies -- U.S. Military, Naval, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine -- will participate in numerous seminars designed to enhance their leadership abilities.

The 32 cadets and midshipmen attending are senior leaders at their respective academies and the topics they will cover while here include:

- Gaining insight into leadership skills with emphasis on the increasing demands to involve others in decisions.

- Reviewing and implementing contemporary leadership models.

- Building awareness of individual behavioral preferences.

- Contemporary research regarding the factors of success and career derailment.

- Providing a platform for inter-academy networking.

- Providing feedback to the academies on lessons learned and useful strategies in the working environments.

The coordinator of the conference, Capt. Vaughn DeLong, said the event is a great opportunity for the attendees to exchange ideas.

"This conference allows for idea swapping between academy leadership and is great for the cadets and midshipmen both professionally and socially," he explained.

DeLong said the conference gets the cadets and midshipmen out of the fast pace of academy life and allows them to concentrate on the topics.

"It’s a different setting than what they are used to and it lets them focus on the task at hand," he said.