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Notre Dame NROTC Hosts 28th Annual Naval Leadership Weekend
By Naval Service Training Command Public Affairs
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (February 4, 2023) – The University of Notre Dame Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) hosted their 28th annual Naval Leadership Weekend (NDLW) seminar in the DeBartolo Preforming Arts Center on campus to promote the development of both their own and visiting midshipmen, Feb. 2-5.
“It is incredibly exciting that we were able to host the premiere NROTC event in-person this year for the first time since 2019 (due to the COVID Pandemic),” said U. S. Navy Capt. Lance Thompson, Professor of Naval Science and commanding officer of the Notre Dame NROTC unit.
“As the Commanding Officer, I am very proud of our Notre Dame Midshipmen and the tireless effort they put in to hosting Naval Leadership Weekend. It was an outstanding success due to the flawless execution.”
More than 225 midshipmen from 37 universities across the nation traveled to Notre Dame this year. The commanding officer called the seminar a great event and highly sought after.
“The breadth of experience and backgrounds from our speakers was magnificent. The Staff and Midshipmen received a once in a lifetime learning opportunity from prestigious enlisted and officer leaders,” said Thompson.
NDLW is unique because it is fully planned and operated by the Notre Dame midshipmen in a manner very similar to the operational planning activities that occur in the fleet. All logistics from lodging to speakers to meals to transportation are coordinated by the unit.
Midshipman 2nd Class Kaylah Staknis, a junior at Notre Dame and one of the main coordinators of the weekend, called the planning a year-long preparation that was a full battalion effort.
“It was inspiring seeing midshipmen from 37 schools across the NROTC enterprise engaging in discussions over the inspiring leadership insights and advice on the relationship between staff NCOs (non-commissioned officers) and officers,” said Staknis.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for our distinguished speakers, my Naval Leadership Weekend squad, Notre Dame active duty staff, and Notre Dame midshipmen that helped make our first in-person Naval Leadership Weekend since 2019 a huge success.”
She added that each speaker shared their military knowledge and experiences of interacting with offices and enlisted members.
“(U. S. Marine Corps) Master Gunnery Sgt. Nicholas Williams and (ret. Marine Corps) Lt. Col. Trent Gibson reminded the audience of the reasons we wear the cloth of our nation and finding our personal meaning of leadership. It was truly special seeing the impact Medal of Honor recipient (retired U. S. Navy) Master Chief Britt Slabinski had on the audience. Our keynote speaker, (U. S. Navy) Vice Admiral William Houston shared vital lessons from our American Navy and Maine Corps history we must heed as we take on leadership in the future. In their leadership talks this weekend, (U. S. Marine Corps) Maj. Thomas Rigby and (retired U. S. Marine Corps) Sgt. Maj. Robin Fortner emphasized the importance of the team and the key role mentors play in being a successful leader,” Staknis said.
Another popular segment at the leadership weekend was Ethical Decision Games. The games presented midshipmen with various dilemmas that challenged their mental and moral fortitude. The midshipmen had to come up with solutions to solve complex problems they may see in the fleet. These were facilitated by Notre Dame Active Duty Staff and Midshipmen.
There were also community breakout rooms where the midshipmen were broken into Surface Warfare, Aviation, Submarine, and Marine Corps groups. Notre Dame Staff, with the assistance of visiting active duty staff, spearheaded a brief outline of their community, their experiences, and answered questions from the midshipmen.
“Running Notre Dame's Naval Leadership Weekend (NLW) with midshipman Staknis was an absolute honor,” said Midshipman 2nd Class Ryan Rybinski.
“NLW could not have happened without my incredible squad of midshipmen who put in long hours behind the scenes to produce a top tier experience for everyone involved. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to interact, listen, and learn from the visiting midshipmen and staff. Having over 225 total people attending with the sole goal of improving and growing their leadership skills defines why Notre Dame’s NLW is the premier leadership conference across the country. I would also like to thank all of the speakers for sharing their knowledge and motivation with the midshipmen. It was truly an honor to have met and worked with them. Each speaker gave insights and valuable lessons that were able to directly improve my leadership. One key takeaway from the weekend was embodied by Master Chief Britt Slabinski, when he said that “Nothing is special about you. What is special is the team that you are on.”
Capping off the weekend, Vice Adm. Houston, the commander of Naval Submarine Forces and commander, Submarine Force, U. S. Atlantic Fleet Commander, and Allied Submarine Command served as the keynote speaker and addressed the midshipmen at the closing dinner in the Corbett Family Hall, Downes Club Ballroom, next to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football stadium.
Vice Adm. Houston is a native of Buffalo, New York and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He was commissioned via the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program. He also holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary’s Mason School of Business.
Houston assumed his current duties in September 2021 as commander, Submarine Forces, he is the undersea domain lead, and is responsible for the submarine force's strategic vision. As commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, he commands all Atlantic-based U.S. submarines, their crews and supporting shore activities. These responsibilities also include duties as commander, Task Force (CTF) 114, CTF 88, and CTF 46. As commander, Allied Submarine Command, he is the principle undersea warfare advisor to all North Atlantic Treaty Organization strategic commanders.
After talking to the midshipmen about his career and thoughts on leadership, Vice Adm. Houston spent more time answering questions from the future naval and Marine Corps leaders.
Throughout the event, midshipmen were encouraged to mingle with each other and the speakers, and have discussions about leadership and discussions about the theme and topics of the weekend.
“This event is of extreme importance for the development of our future leaders. The people-focused leadership theme from our guest speakers resonated immensely with the midshipmen. The focus and captivation experienced by the midshipmen was clear. It was humbling to listen to their questions and interest in learning more,” said Thompson.
The Navy ROTC program develops midshipmen mentally, morally and physically, to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, loyalty and Navy core values. The program provides college graduates an opportunity to commission as naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the naval service, and have potential for future development in mind and character, so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
Rear Adm. Jennifer Couture, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, supports 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy’s Citizenship Development Program.
Couture and her NSTC staff also support Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy’s only boot camp, at Great Lakes; NROTC units at more than 160 colleges and universities across the country; Officer Training Command (OTC) in Newport, R. I.; Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.
For more information about Navy ROTC, visit https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/. For more information about NSTC, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/ or visit the NSTC Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/NavalServiceTraining/.
For more news about NSTC, visit: www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/.
For more U. S. Navy news and information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2023 20:40 |
| Story ID: | 439607 |
| Location: | NOTRE DAME, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 170 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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