The Crain Leadership Council will once again be hosting the annual Crain Leadership Conference this Saturday in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Students representing various organizations across campus will attend the conference to participate in leadership workshops, as well as hear keynote speaker Robert L. Pruitt.

The Residence Hall Association, Student Foundation, Student Senate, Program Council, Emerging Leaders and several sororities and fraternities all send leaders from their organizations to the conference. The goal of the conference is for members of these organizations to work on improving leadership skills.

“I am attending the conference as a part of Emerging Leaders,” first-year Hillary Barnard said. “It should be interesting to learn about the various aspects of leadership.”

The conference this year will include more than just SMU students. For the second year in a row, students from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex will also be able to participate in the event.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Leadership: The Ultimate Drive.” The various workshops and activities were designed around this theme.

The conference will begin with breakfast and an opening session at 9 a.m. Students will then participate in several workshops.

These workshops include “Developing,” “Organizational,” “Service and “Business/Career Leadership.” Each track of workshops is designed for specific leadership such as presidents, Greek organizations and Emerging Leaders. The workshops are intended to fulfill individual leadership goals for the students attending the conference.

“I am also hoping to learn about some things other than leadership,” Barnard said. “Teamwork and understanding others are also crucial parts of leadership that everyone should know about.”

During a lunch break, dignitaries from the school and community will speak to the students and other attendees. Immediately following will be an additional group of workshop sessions and a closing session. The conference will tie up with nationally renowned speaker Pruitt delivering a presentation about what it takes to be a strong leader. Attendees will also have a chance to win a variety of door prizes.

To find out more information about the conference, visit the Leadership Consultant Council website at www. smu.edu/lcc.