39 CSU Students Inducted into The National Society of Leadership and Success

Published December 8, 2016

On the evening of Thursday December 8, 39 Clarks Summit University students were inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success. Earlier this fall, CSU launched its own chapter of NSLS on campus, led by senior elementary education major Anthony Vincent. Vincent joined NSLS as an intern, was trained by the organization and recruited an executive team and advisor.

In its first year, NSLS has become the largest student-led organization on campus. With 73 percent of nominees inducted this semester, CSU’s chapter of NSLS has the highest completion rate in the nation, among 545 college and universities.

“When Anthony Vincent came to me with this idea, he had a clear vision and built a strong executive team that has laid out this vision with the help of the NSLS to deliver this elite leadership training to our campus,” explains Fred Defendorf, coordinator of student life.

“When I proposed the idea to school officials, we talked about what it would look like on our campus and how it’s different than what we offer to students already,” says Vincent, who serves as chapter president. “The one thing that stood out about this program was that the material is focused on helping members learn more about themselves and using that to become more effective leaders who have set and achieved goals and have been exposed to other world-changers.”

NSLS is the nation’s largest collegiate leadership program. Founded in 2001 with the purpose of creating lasting positive change, the organization’s core beliefs are that one can achieve their dreams with the proper support and dedicated action, and that people accomplish more together than they would achieve alone. It began with founder Gary Tuerack’s vision of creating a community where like-minded, success-oriented individuals could come together to learn from and support each other.

Students were nominated to become members and were required to complete the program to become an inducted member of the Society. This includes attending an orientation, Leadership Training Day, Success Networking Team Meetings and Speaker Broadcasts. Former speakers include Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, The Today Show host Al Roker and Inc. Magazine’s John C. Maxwell. These steps towards induction take approximately 12 hours over the course of a semester. 68 percent of CSU’s first-ever NSLS nominees were inducted within one semester.

Students who are nominated have the opportunity to be recognized for achievements and receive access to a life-changing leadership program. NSLS members can also apply for member-exclusive scholarships, access the Society’s online job portal and receive discounts on items commonly used by college students.

In addition to developing personal leadership skills, the CSU chapter hopes to grow and partner with local community organizations. Jeremy Yeckley, program advisor, adds, “NSLS will give another opportunity for CSU students to connect and live in community. As the chapter mobilizes and becomes more defined, I believe we will see the group organizing events to give back into their community and provide positive leadership role models for youth in our community.”

2016 National Society of Leadership and Success Inductees from Clarks Summit University

Carl Alfred
Chelsea McKeen
Ryan McKeen
Jake Chabala
Katrina Fountain
Mollie Comstock
Tristan Halliday
Bryana Visneski
Karalyn Foster
David Wyman
Mayling Ijomah
Abigail Singles
Austin Masser
Caroline Farrar
Daniel Kennard
Nathan Bundy
Katelyn Hess
Madelyn Moses
Benjamin Hurlburt
Jesse King
Daniel Lindsey
Michaela Christie
Susanna Ferbrache
Gabriel Macey
Elizabeth Schwalbe
Serena Monaghan
Joanna Reigle
Michelle Sadowitz
Rachel Gendron
Robert Mitchell
Abigail Davey
Carmen Kenney
Gracee Swan
Christian Sylvester
Leah Underwood
Joshua Harvey
Anthony Vincent
Jeremy Yeckley
Fred Defendorf