Student Organization Academy
This year's Student Organization Academy will be held be on Sunday, September 7th from 10:30am-3pm.
This one-day conference serves to offer Club, Council, Sorority, Fraternity, and Student Department leaders a comprehensive and tailored training for their role ahead. We bring in experts from around the University and beyond to offer tools to navigate policies and procedures and direction to make organizations more successful.
This event is mandatory for Student Organization Presidents and Treasurers - early departures do not count toward attendance for the day. Brunch will be provided.
Click HERE to view the program for the 2025 Student Organization Academy.
* The following only shows sessions offered for 2025 *
2025 SPEAKERS
Dr. Leah Busam Klenowski
Assistant Vice President for Leadership and Engagement
Ray Flannery
Assistant Director for Student Organization
2025 EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
MAXIMIZING YOUR ORG’S IMPACT (12:00 PM - 12:55 PM)
FINANCE 101
12:00 PM - 12:55 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Treasurer? This session is for you! Finance 101 talks through the important details about funding – how to access it, ways to spend, and more! Come learn more about the world of Student Organization finances and the most up-to-date policies with Ray.
Ray Flannery (he/him), Assistant Director for Student Organizations
THE TRAVEL SESSION
12:00 PM - 12:25 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
If your group is planning a trip this year, this is your chance to come learn how to register and prepare, wherever your destination may be!
Dustin Lewis (he/him), Senior Associate Director for Student Involvement
THE POWER OF POWER-UPS!
12:00 PM - 12:25 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Power-Ups are a great way to make your org known to the wider campus. Work smarter, not harder with this budget-conscious option for meeting your programming needs! Alecia will share her expertise as the most prominent programmer on campus!
Alecia Conway (she/her), Assistant Director for Student Activities
GOAL-SETTING FOR SUCCESS
12:00 PM – 12:25 PM | Conference Room 3
When you aim for nothing, you’re sure to hit it. Setting goals as an organization is a great way to ensure a strong future and to have a plan or a target with how you invest your time, energy and resources. Learn more about how to build meaningful organizational goals in this session.
Dr. Leah Busam Klenowski (she/her), Assistant Vice President for Leadership and Engagement
BRANDING & MERCHANDISING
12:30 PM - 12:55 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Planning on ordering any apparel (shirts, sweatshirts) or branded material (giveaways with your logo on them)? Learn how the process works and understand how to navigate the university business with brand, licensing and apparel to make the whole process smooth and easy.
Blake Girdler (he/him), Student Involvement Coordinator
IN SERVICE TO OTHERS
12:30 PM - 12:55 PM | Conference Room 3
Part of the Jesuit tradition is being people for and with others, and meeting Baseline expectations means incorporating service. Learn more about the benefits and value to your organization and its members by incorporating service opportunities for you to be “in service to others.” It’s easy to get started, and can a fun bonding experience for your Club, as well as beneficial to the community.
Rose Walton (she/her), Assistant Director for New Student Programs
ENGAGEXU: BEST PRACTICES & ATTENDANCE TRACKING
12:30 PM - 12:55 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
EngageXU has a lot of features, and it’s important to know how to use them! Come learn how to get the most out of your EngageXU experience, and understand OSI expectations when it comes to logging attendance data.
Dustin Lewis (he/him), Senior Associate Director for Student Involvement
FOSTERING IGNATIAN BELONGING (1:00 PM - 1:55 PM)
ACCESSIBLE SPACE USAGE & BOOKING
1:00 PM - 1:55 PM | Conference Room 3
Join Alex, the GSC Manager, as they walk you through how to reserve spaces quickly and efficiently, as well as choosing the right space to make your gatherings as accessible as possible. Come learn how space works (and books) on campus!
Alex Collins (they/them), Gallagher Student Center Manager
USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO TELL YOUR STORY
1:00 PM - 1:25 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Social media is bigger than just scrolling on TikTok for hours. It’s a way to communicate who you are, what you’re all about, and have a voice to a larger audience on and off campus. But as an organization, you have to work to find your voice and tell your story. Learn how in this session!
Grace Monroe (she/her), Social Media Intern for OSI
SURVEYING & INCORPORATING MEMBER FEEDBACK
1:00 PM - 1:25 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
After you’re finished with an event, do you ever evaluate the program? It can be incredibly valuable to discuss what went well and what you’d change if you did it again. How do you engage your general body in decision-making as an officer? Alecia will beg this question and more in this session.
Alecia Conway (she/her), Assistant Director for Student Activities
COLLABORATING PURPOSEFULLY AMONG ORGS
1:00 PM - 1:25 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Collaboration is more than just asking another group or an office for money. Authentic collaboration is when groups build a partnership with equitable interests and responsibilities toward the event or program. Learn more about how you can be a better collaborator with others in this session.
Dr. Leah Busam Klenowski (she/her), Assistant Vice President for Leadership and Engagement
WHY CLUBS MATTER
1:30 PM - 1:55 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Student Organizations are a vital part of our campus and help many students create community and find their home at Xavier. Learn more about how your organization contributes directly to student success so you can motivate your members and positively give back to the community.
Blake Girdler (he/him), Student Involvement Coordinator
RECRUITING & RETAINING MEMBERS
1:30 PM - 1:55 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
Membership recruitment and retention are vital to sustaining and growing your organization. It’s more than just tabling at Club Day or waiting for new members to magically join on EngageXU. Learn how you can successfully and actively recruit and retain members in this session.
Rose Walton (she/her), Assistant Director for New Student Programs
BASELINE BASICS: EQUITABLE ACCOUNTABILITY ENFORCED
1:30 PM - 1:55 PM | Banquet Hall 2
The Baseline program is designed to track Clubs as they progress throughout the year with a variety of benchmarks. Come learn about the newly refined Baseline program, and gain recommendations of best practices when it comes to planning ahead and meeting the targets.
Ray Flannery (he/him), Assistant Director for Student Organizations
LEVERAGING YOUR LEADERSHIP (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT LEADERSHIP
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Emotional intelligence is a quality that can be found in leaders that are both aware of their own emotions and are in tune with the emotions of those around them. They exhibit characteristics of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and also social skills. Learn more about your emotional intelligence and how being an emotionally intelligent leader can benefit you as a student leader and beyond.
Sophie Roepke (she/her), Associate Director, Leadership & Transition Programs
GETTING AROUND CINCY WITH METRO
2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
Maximize your funding by taking advantage of free bus transit all fall semester! Come plan your routes with Tony, and learn the must-see sights in the city, and beyond. Got questions about Metro and using the Transit app? This session is for you!
Tony Russo (he/him), Community Engagement Coordinator for Metro
MANAGING RISK
2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Conference Room 3
Every event has a certain amount of risk involved and an emergency could happen any time. Learn more about how to manage your risks and also about emergency response best practices in this session. Plus, get your questions answered about travel paperwork, waivers, certificates of insurance, and so much more!
Mary-Kate Carpenter (she/her), Insurance Coordinator
FUNDRAISING 101
2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Not enough in your fund to make all the ideas happen this year? Learn more about how fundraising works and also hear some helpful ideas on how your organization can increase your funds to meet your goals.
Dustin Lewis (he/him), Senior Associate Director for Student Involvement
EFFECTIVE DELEGATION
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Conference Room 3
Learn best practices on how you can better delegate tasks to others. You don’t have to do everything by yourself all the time. Don’t stress yourself out, learn how to coach and delegate so that you create other competent leaders that are capable of helping throughout the year.
Dr. Erika Jay (she/her), Assistant Director for Commuter and Off-Campus Living
SORF: SIMPLIFIED
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Hoping to pitch a new idea for a trip or program? Come learn about the purpose and eligibility for the Student Organization Resource Fund (SORF), a set pool of money used to subsidize great ideas by and for students. This is your chance to hear firsthand what SORF is (and what SORF is not).
Ray Flannery (he/him), Assistant Director for Student Organizations
WELLBEING AS AN ORG LEADER
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
Being a Student Organization officer can be exhausting! Learn how to focus on your own self-care and wellbeing so that you’re mentally, physically, and emotionally ready to support your club and its members. Hear from student peer educators who can help you balance Xavier’s Eight Dimensions of Wellbeing.
Elizabeth Fitzgerald (she/her), Student Wellness Advocacy Group (SWAG) Intern
Emma Mayers (she/her), Student Wellness Advocacy Group (SWAG) Intern