Miami University

John Glenn inaugurates new style of leadership institute at Miami

03/29/2004

Former U.S. Senator John Glenn will be at Miami University Wednesday, March 31, to help inaugurate the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute, a program designed to ensure that Miami students graduate with the highest ethical standards, ready to serve their communities, nation and their world.

At 8 p.m. in Hall Auditorium Glenn will give a public lecture, “Ethical Leadership for a Global Future.” The lecture is free but tickets are required.*

UPDATE: All tickets have been distributed, but it is possible to be seated if some ticket holders do not arrive by 7:55.

Earlier in the day he will talk with student leaders.

The Leadership Institute was created with a $5 million gift to Miami by Harry T. Wilks, a Hamilton entrepreneur and retired attorney, as a response to his concerns for erosion of public trust and confidence in leaders as well as a lack of role models for young people.

The Institute seeks to foster leadership among all students on campus, drawing on the strengths of classroom and co-curricular life and encouraging students to experiment with leadership in practice.

Elements of the institute include:

• Academic coursework - to prepare students for effective, ethical leadership

• Speaker series - with leaders in diverse fields of expertise

• National scholarly symposium on leadership teaching - biennially

• Leadership entrepreneurial fund - faculty and students can apply

• Youth leadership development - Miami will serve as a regional resource

• International student support - a global student leadership award will be established to encourage international students to study at Miami

• Universitywide culture of leadership - supports the existing Miami Leadership Commitment of primarily co-curricular programs

Glenn was selected as the inaugural speaker for the Leadership Institute because of his life’s contributions to society. A decorated war veteran, Glenn flew 59 combat missions during World War II and in Korea flew 90 missions.

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross six times, holds the Air Medal with 18 Clusters for his combined war service and has earned many other medals for service.

With NASA, Glenn has logged more than 218 hours in space. In 1962, he piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 “Friendship 7” spacecraft as the first American in orbit. In 1998, at age 77, Glenn was part of a 9-day space shuttle mission to support research including investigations on space flight and the aging process.

Glenn represented Ohio as a U. S. Senator from 1975 to 1999.

For more information about the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute, contact Emily Langdon, interim coordinator, (513) 529-9295 or langdoea@muohio.edu.

* Tickets are available to individuals with a Miami ID (two tickets per ID) at the box office in Shriver Center after 8 a.m. Friday, March 26. On Tuesday, March 30, any remaining tickets will be available to the public. The box office is at 529-3200.

Ticket holders not seated by 7:55 p.m. may forfeit their right to a seat.