Abstract:
Since 1992, the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture has held a one-day fall leadership conference to provide leadership development opportunities. Students participating in the conference were nearly all undergraduates majoring in agriculture. More than half of the participants commuted more than 10 km and four out of five were employed at least part time. This study was undertaken to determine if conference participants who worked or commuted to college had different needs and expectations for student leadership organizations than their non-working, on-campus peers. Travel distance and employment status did not show any correlation to the number of offices held or organizational affiliations. Students who worked full time traveled significantly farther and attended significantly fewer days on campus. Students working part time had the shortest commuting distance, highest attendance rate, and most interest in recreational events associated with their organizational experience. Students who worked full time and commuted moderate distances (10-40 km) had preferences for involvement in student leadership organizations that sometimes conflicted with those of on-campus students working part time or less. Students working full time and commuting moderate distances also expressed lower self-confidence in their leadership skills and lower perceptions of the importance of leadership skills in employment.
Keywords:
leadership, organizations, commuting, students, working
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