As the keynote speaker of this year’s first Colonel William B. Nolde lecture series, Rao addressed a crowd made up primarily of Army ROTC students to promote leadership opportunities on campus in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium.

Rao spoke about his ideals and qualities he believed essential for strong leadership.

“In practice, it’s important to choose results over status,” Rao said. “We come in at a lower level and work hard to do what it takes to get to the top ... but sometimes we get consumed in that while forgetting the real focus, which is results.”

He also spoke of the importance of being accountable instead of popular and how a leader should be trustworthy and ambitious.

“When you don’t have trust, you can’t hold people accountable,” he said. “Let yourself be wrong from time to time and let others be right. One of the most important things for a leader to do is to take initiative.”

Nathan Westfall, coordinator of student leadership at the Leadership Institute, spoke of programs offered through the program, including the Alpha Leadership Experience, the Leadershape Institute camp and the Connections Leadership Conference on Nov. 10.

Dani Hiar, Leadership Safari coordinator and Mediagraphix graphic design coordinator, spoke about her program and other leadership opportunities at CMU.

“You can be a resident assistant, multicultural adviser, a leadership camp guide, a Safari guide, part of hall council, part of the Residence Hall Assembly, part of On the Fly ... and those are only some of the things Central offers,” Hiar said.

Jennifer Ireland, admissions assistant director, talked about how the Campus Ambassador program can make a difference in students’ lives.

“Being an ambassador helps you develop good public speaking and leadership skills,” Ireland said. “The time commitment is not very large but the impact is huge.

“We attribute enrollment success to this ambassador program — being an ambassador makes a lasting impact on students.”

Michelle Howard, director of academic advising services; Clinton Twp. senior Nicole Wright, Student Government Association president; and Lt. Col. David Manville, ROTC chairman and military science professor, spoke about their respective departments.

“I came because I wanted to hear what they had to say, and I think some of these programs sound interesting, especially the campus ambassadors” said Kent City sophomore Ken Exton, ROTC member.

The next lecture in the series will take place April 1 in Plachta Auditorium.

Nolde was the last official casualty of the Vietnam War and a former assistant professor of military science at CMU. After his death in 1973, his family, former students, cadets and friends established the William B. Nolde Scholarship in his memory.

The lecture series began in 1997 and takes place twice a year, inviting politicians, military officials and professors from around the country to come and speak about the importance of leadership on campus and in the community.