Two leaders who have made their mark in federal government and higher education have been tapped to speak at West Virginia Universitys West Virginia Student Leadership Symposium Saturday, April 18, at the Evansdale Residential Complex.

As former Federal Communications Commission chair, Michael Powell led the FCC at a time of great change in technology and communications. He is set to give the keynote address at 2 p.m.

Interim WVU President C. Peter Magrath, former president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (now known as the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities), will offer opening remarks at 10 a.m.

While at WVU , Magrath is on leave from the College Board, where he has been senior presidential adviser since January 2006. (For a full bio, visit http://president.wvu.edu/ .)

This is the second annual West Virginia Student Leadership Symposium, which centers on the theme ofLeading in a Troubled Era,said Larry Cote, who is helping to coordinate the event.

Cote, an Extension professor and director of WVU s Leadership Studies Program in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, said he is eager for students to hear what Powell, the son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, has to say about leadership.

During his tenure as FCC chairfrom 2001 to 2005Michael Powell focused on initiatives that encouraged market-driven solutions that promoted consumer interests and drove innovative approaches to getting broadband technology out to peoplesuch as broadband over power lines, Wi-Fi hotspots, cable broadband and DSL .

Powell also campaigned for peoples right to keep their phone numbers when switching wireless carriers, fought to block unwanted telemarketing calls with a Do Not Call list, pushed for increased fines for obscenity on the nations airwaves and backed a change in media ownership rules.

While most people are familiar with Powells work with the FCC , many do not know that as an officer in the Army, he was seriously injured during a training accident, forcing him into a grueling, yearlong rehabilitation, Cote said.

Powell has served as the chief of staff of the antitrust division in the Department of Justice and was an associate in the law firm of OMelveny&Myers. Before starting his legal career, he was a policy adviser on Japan to the secretary of defense.

Powell graduated in 1985 from the College of William and Mary with a degree in government. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

He is currently a senior adviser of Providence Equity Partners and a board member of Cisco, ObjectVideo, the Rand Corp. and the Aspen Institute. Powell is also working to raise resources to build the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The second annual West Virginia Student Leadership Symposium is organized by the WVU Leadership Studies Program, Milan Puskar Leadership Scholars, Student Government Association and Leadership Studies Student Association. Registration begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in Lyon Tower.

I am very happy that SGA , LSSA and the Puskar Scholars have been able to work together again to produce our second annual Student Leadership Symposium,said Whitney Rae Peters, SGA vice president.The conference will be a great opportunity for students to interact with one another and learn about leadership and service. I hope every student will participate and come out to hear the speakers and participate in the events.

From 10:45-11:45 a.m. and noon-1 p.m., WVU and community leaders will lead concurrent workshops on topics ranging from leading in tough economic times to the importance of community service.

Speakers and topics include Kimberly Colebank, director of the WVU Center for Civic Engagement,Community and Self: How to Enhance Both; Ron Justice, Morgantown Mayor,Morgantown: A Successful National Small City Model Mid-recessionWhy?; and Daniel Leidl, Meno Consulting,Building to Brace for a Troubled Economy.

For information about the Leadership Studies Program, go to http://leadershipstudies.wvu.edu/ .

SGA on the Net: http://sga.wvu.edu/