Student Leadership Conference

This annual conference supports learning and skill building for student leaders in Washington State’s community and technical college system. The conference is usually the first week of September and brings together over 400 students.

The 2026 conference will be September 9-11 hosted by Green River College. Below is the information regarding the conference:

Questions about the conference? Email Conference Chair, Vince Ruzicka.

Conference Design and Purpose

The Student Leadership Conference was redesigned in 2021 by a task force of CUSP members with charge of developing a purpose, goals and standard schedule for the conference. The committee presented to CUSP the following and it was approved in 2022.

Purpose Statement: The Student Leadership Conference provides an experiential learning opportunity for new and returning student leaders to discover emergent issues and best practices in the Washington State Community and Technical College system while preparing them to serve their student body at the local and state level.

Short Purpose Statement: The Student Leadership Conference will provide attendees foundational leadership skills that will lead them to be successful CTC student leaders in Washington state.

Learning Outcomes:

Student Empowerment & Advocacy

Ways this may be accomplished include:

  • Leveraging student voice and the power of their voice
  • How student leaders can play a role in the goals of the state system
  • Networking amongst the CTC system
  • Civic engagement

Shared Sense of IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility)

Ways this may be accomplished include:

  • Diversity, equity, and inclusive, anti-racist practices

Transformational Leadership

Ways this may be accomplished include:

  • Leadership theory & Values Clarification
  • Conflict Resolution/ Mediation, Problem-solving
  • Effective communication
  • Intentional design to have educational opportunity for student leaders at different places on the transformational leadership scale
  • Acknowledging Lived Experiences

Organizational Development

Ways this may be accomplished include:

  • Formal Facilitation of meeting – Roberts Rules
  • Non-Robert’s Rules Meetings
  • Student Programming: Basics of planning a great event
  • S&A Fees (universal rules in the state)