Hello everyone, and welcome to our brand new blog!! This first post will be a little longer than normal, but I have a lot to cover heading out of the gate, so I apologize for the length.

Well, here we are. Our website has been slowly developing since its inception back in 2004. Now we have our J.L. Bedsole Leadership Blog. We will use this blog to update you on matters of leadership, community service, important Bedsole happenings and whatever else we feel that would be interesting or important for you to know. We also invite you to comment on any material we post. We will update this blog as often as possible, at least once a week.

As you know by now, The J.L. Bedsole Scholars Program seeks to actively train the next generation of Alabama leaders. In fact, you have been chosen based upon your leadership potential. We identify leadership potential in several ways. We look at your community and high school involvements; we have consulted with your guidance counselor; we have read the letters of recommendation written on your behalf, and our Selection Committee has interviewed you and judged your merits carefully. Now, since you have made it into our Program, we wish to cultivate your leadership potential and help you in every way possible to become a community servant leader once you graduate. It’s stated in our mission statement, which is:

“The mission of The J.L. Bedsole Scholars Program is to enable high school graduates from Southwest Alabama with leadership ability, academic commitment and financial need to attend the Alabama College of their choice in pursuit of a Baccalaureate degree. Their college experience will be enhanced by providing opportunities for leadership development, career guidance, interaction with business and community leaders and networking opportunities. Community service involvement on the part of each Bedsole Scholar will enable them to become a community servant leader.”

In that mission, we have instituted community service requirements (found here) for the Class of 2008 and beyond, and we are currently developing our Leadership Training Seminars for Bedsole Scholars. The seminars will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2008. There are two seminars, the first is based upon the theme of Leading Self, and it is intended for rising sophomores, and the second seminar is based upon the theme of Leading Others, and it is intended for rising seniors.

If you haven’t RSVP’d for the Leadership Training Seminars, please do so ASAP!!

But, our leadership training does not end there. In fact, we are restructuring our summer programs in order to provide you with the most exposure to leadership development and career related networking. We ask that you give us one Saturday every summer! Here’s how this works:

·        Rising sophomores will attend Leadership Training Seminar One

·        Rising juniors will attend Leadership Convocation

·        Rising Seniors will attend Leadership Training Seminar Two

·        Graduating seniors will attend a dinner to meet members of The J.L. Bedsole Alumni Association and be initiated into the alumni program

All of the events listed above will occur on a Saturday, and they will be mandatory for all Bedsole Scholars.

Optional programs include the Career Prep internship program and Alumni mentoring (still in development). These programs are beneficial to Bedsole Scholars in that they heighten awareness of community issues (Convocation and community service), they allow networking opportunities for Bedsole Scholars (Convocation Awards Banquet, Career Prep internships) and they offer Bedsole Scholars an opportunity to meet each other and develop lasting friendships.

Now, since we’ve discussed leadership development, let’s talk about positive reinforcement for Bedsole Scholars. We try to offer opportunities to keep our Scholars invigorated and excited about their participation in our Program. For instance, we have our annual campus visits where Bedsole Scholars can share a meal with members of the college staff, get to know one another and visit with the Bedsole leadership. We will begin offering awards at the Convocation banquet for outstanding academics, leadership/community service excellence and outstanding professional achievements for alumni. We have a Facebook Page, found here, that will allow Bedsole Scholars a chance to meet other scholars and alumni. We also have the newsletter that highlights the accomplishments and goings-on of Bedsole Scholars and Alumni.

There is a lot going on within the Bedsole community, and we want your participation! We have Convocation coming up as well as the Leadership Training Seminars. Please RSVP your intention if you have not already done so. This is all for you, and your involvement is important!

See you soon right here on the blog!