Alliant International University and the Alliant vision came to life in 2001. A lot was happening that year across the United States and around the world as the events of 9-11 and their aftermath unfolded.

For Alliant students the merging of CSPP and USIU against a backdrop of national and international questioning and wondering meant a lot of change happening at every level of campus activity. But something magical also happened that year...two graduate students got together with the Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA) and initiated what would become the annual Leadership Conference.

Like a phoenix a new opportunity was born, an event by students, for students, to give voice to students’ ideas, scholarship interests, and professional passions, working alone or with other students or with faculty or other professionals to present these ideas and passions in a format similar to a professional conference. Nine years later, this Leadership Conference is still a part of Alliant in San Diego, and we are here to take it to the next level, with your help. Globalization has conjured a frenzy of feelings and ideas over the last few years, from confusion and even chaos to bold new ways of solving economic, managerial, and educational challenges. Globalization has also helped to shrink the world community, but as this has happened, values, cultures, and beliefs have come into conflict. At the same time that all of these changes have been occurring globally, the role that women play in organizations, governments, and professions has also been evolving at a dizzying pace. We want to focus this year’s Leadership Conference on some of these more global and women’s issues.

The 2010 Global Women and Leadership Conference at Alliant San Diego will provide opportunities for discussions about issues as disparate as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, how immigration and language legislation are affecting business and science, the impact on women and men of health care advances, and more. This Conference will take another important step by focusing on the role of men with respect to women in leadership; as women shatter the glass ceiling, what happens to men as partners, bosses, subordinates, etc.

This conference will approach these issues and others that you think are important to the theme of global women in leadership through panel discussions, workshops, presentations, and question and answer sessions at least, but other formats are welcome. Stay tuned for the call for proposals, and be thinking about how you want to contribute. We are open to your ideas, and we want Alliant’s talent to play a role in shaping the future, in San Diego, in the US, and beyond.