Ciao, Class of 2029!
Developing Global Leaders
The MSC Conway-Fitzhugh International Honors Leadership Seminar was established in 1992 by Thomas Fitzhugh III ’71 in honor of his father, Champe Fitzhugh, Jr. Tom was a National Merit Scholar, served as MSC Council President, and had a passion for international travel and history. His academic success and interests helped him achieve professional and personal success, and his experiences in the MSC Council and at Texas A&M instilled in him a desire to offer other students opportunities for their own personal and academic growth. In 2019, Dr. Patrick Conway, who attended the first trip in 1992, decided to further support the program that impacted him so much as a college student and beyond. He was also involved in the MSC Council as a student leader.
Maximizing Your Leadership Potential
The program prepares incoming freshmen to maximize their educational and leadership opportunities while at Texas A&M University and serves as an introduction to how international experiences impact leadership.
Leadership Learning Abroad
The MSC Conway-Fitzhugh International Honors Leadership Seminar, through a competitive process, selects up to 30 incoming nationally-recruited TAMU freshmen to take part in an international, two week, personal and academic development program the summer before their first college semester. The seminar takes place in various locations during travel throughout Italy. Application to the program is by invitation only, and participating students will register for a non-credit bearing course taught by a Texas A&M faculty member (in-country) as part of the experience.
Through the Conway-Fitzhugh program, seminar participants attend sessions focused on helping them to:
- Maximizing their success in college
- Learning about the University’s student success services and resources
- Developing their leadership skills and philosophies
- Securing involvement and leadership positions at TAMU
- Exploring avenues for pursuing Education Abroad experiences in the future
Leadership and life lessons taught on this trip will allow students to:
- Identify and reflect on how differences in experiences, culture and history affect expectations, reactions, and leadership approaches;
- Understand where to obtain campus resources that support student success, academic involvement, education abroad, and leadership opportunities;
- Apply principles of student and academic success as they begin their first two weeks of school;
- Understand how personal strengths (CliftonStrengths®), values, and philosophies influence co-curricular and student leadership interests;
- Practice reflective writing about their experience through blog and journal entries; and
- Build a network and community of support with their new peers.