Former Attorney General Ashcroft speaks to Evangel graduate students
Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft spoke to graduate students at Evangel University on January 5, 2010. See more photos of the event at our Photo Blog.
January 07, 2010
Contact: Paul K. Logsdon, Director of Public Relations and Publications (417) 865-2815, ext. 7292
Springfield, Mo — Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft was a guest speaker at Evangel University, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010.
Hosted by the Graduate and Professional Studies staff and faculty, more than 200 people gathered in the Barnett Recital Hall to hear Ashcroft’s “Perspectives on Leadership.” Although the evening was planned for Evangel’s students in the Master of Organizational Leadership program, several community leaders also attended.
According to Ashcroft, leadership is conduct oriented. You ascertain noble ideals or objectives and then inspire others to achieve their best.
Ashcroft also addressed the differences between governance and leadership by saying, “Governance operates on mandates and the imposition of rules — finds the lowest and least. Leadership is not enforcing an agenda — it’s inspiring others to achieve their highest and best.”
When asked if he had mentors, Ashcroft responded that his father was the most important mentor in his life. “He taught me that there were more important things in life than me,” Ashcroft said. He also considered his mother an important mentor. “She was like Mother Teresa,” he said. “Through the years, she hosted hundreds of people in our home who were in need or were sick.” His father, Dr. J. Robert Ashcroft, served as the second president of Evangel, 1958-1974.
Ashcroft was asked how to choose the best people for a job. His advice was to choose people of high character and to remember that there are no unflawed people. Good leaders are sharers. Leadership is not about riding along, but in sharing, pulling and pushing someone to their very best.
Evangel University offers eight master’s programs. The Master of Organizational Leadership online hybrid program was launched July 22. The MOL is the first to offer an online hybrid format, where the students travel to campus four times during the two-year program.
The curriculum for the traditional seated and online hybrid programs is the same, but the delivery method is different. The cohorts begin in July, at which time the hybrid group has its first on-campus experience. Students are introduced to the program, meet their teachers and fellow classmates, and participate in 18 hours of classroom interaction with the instructor and fellow students. They return to campus for their second residential experience in January.
For additional information, contact Dr. Jeff Fulks at 417-865-2815 ext. 8260