GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Students from all 15 Atlantic Coast Conference universities and their leadership advisors will gather to discuss courageous leadership in contentious times February 9-11 at Duke University. The ACC Leadership Symposium is the first of four events sponsored by the ACC Academic Consortium (ACCAC) this spring. The ACCAC leverages the athletic associations and identities among the 15 ACC institutions in order to enrich the educational missions of member institutions.
 
“Being a leader is a lifelong responsibility of students fortunate enough to attend an ACC university,” said Dave Brown, coordinator of the ACC Academic Consortium and provost emeritus of Wake Forest University. “This weekend of leadership education and practice is about framing goals, building networks, coaching colleagues, practicing advocacy, establishing priorities and swapping best practices. By joining the resources of many universities, the experience is beyond what any one university can provide.”
 
Throughout the Leadership Symposium, delegates will focus on leadership development through workshops and case studies, while strategizing how to courageously lead their campus community in scenarios which are rarely black and white. The symposium will develop a community of ACC undergraduate students who understand the relationship between global and local issues, while creating innovative initiatives that advance students’ capacity for global leadership.
 
"It has been an honor to serve as the chair for the 2018 ACC Student Leadership Symposium at Duke University,” said Jesse Simmons, Student Development Coordinator in the Center for Leadership Development and Social Action at Duke. “Our phenomenal planning committee has created a weekend that will challenge students to think outside the box as leaders, and will give them the tools necessary to navigate tough times. We believe our students will leave this weekend with a broader network and a new perspective on their leadership potential."
 
"Thanks to the dedicated work of our planning committee, we were able to pull together a theme and Symposium schedule that we feel will resonate with our student leaders,” said Katie Colleran, Associate Director in the Center for Leadership Development and Social Action at Duke. “Whether working as a leader on campus or out in the world, there will be areas of conflict to navigate and we want to focus on preparing our student leaders for that."
 
Building upon the collegiality and the desire for success nurtured by athletic competition among the league’s 15 universities, the mission of the ACCAC is to enhance the academic experience of all students (athletes and non-athletes) and the success of faculty and administrators through collaborative programs, ideas and recognitions.
 
By sharing resources and expertise, ACC institutions are providing an enhanced level of access to learning and discovery. Created nearly 15 years ago, the ACC’s Council of Presidents earmarked league revenue from the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game to fund several academic initiatives, and today ACCAC programs continue to reach record numbers of students and faculty through the events highlighted below. For more information visit http://acciac.org.

Upcoming ACCAC Events:
ACC Debate Championship – March 2-3, Clemson
ACC InVenture Prize Competition – April 5-6, Georgia Tech
ACC Meeting of the Minds – April 6-8, Boston College