UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — TV personality and relationship expert Calvin Roberson will headline the virtual Penn State World Campus Student Leadership Conference on Oct. 26.
Roberson, the host of "Married at First Sight" on the Lifetime network, will be the keynote speaker of the Penn State World Campus Student Leadership Conference, which is organized around the theme of leading through changing times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference will begin with welcoming remarks at 7 p.m. (ET) on Monday, Oct. 26. Roberson’s keynote will follow at 7:30 p.m. The conference will continue with sessions from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The event, which is being held virtually because of the pandemic, is free and registration is open. All Penn State World Campus students are eligible to attend.
“With everything that we’ve faced in 2020, we know that change is inevitable and comes at you very quickly,” said Ashley Adams, the senior director of Penn State World Campus’s Student Affairs office, which is hosting the event. “Many industries have had to adapt throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and through that, businesses and organizations can grow and thrive with leaders who are able to adapt in difficult and unpredictable times.”
On the show "Married at First Sight," Roberson is known for his straightforward, unapologetic style that he blends with compassion and understanding. In his keynote at the conference, Roberson will talk about how to respond to and rise above a situation when something unexpected happens.
The schedule on Oct. 27 will consist of breakout sessions with three tracks: student leadership, leadership in the workplace, and leadership in the community. Several Penn State World Campus alumni will participate in a panel discussion to share their experiences with leadership.
The closing keynote speech, “Navigating Change,” will be given by Susan Cromwell, the director of organizational change management for Penn State’s finance and business division.
The 2020 conference is the first virtual version of the event, and it follows the 2018 and 2019 conferences held at the University Park campus.
Julie Fitzgerald, co-curricular program coordinator and an organizer of the conference, said World Campus is pleased to be able to host the event virtually. She said she hopes the virtual event will allow more students to attend and learn from the experience.
“Our students are facing challenges they might not have been facing a year ago,” Fitzgerald said, referring to shifts in their work, children’s learning, or family situations. “We are eager for our students to have the opportunity to continue developing their leadership skills at an unprecedented time in their lives.”
Visit the Student Leadership Conference website for more information about the event.