Lifelong Learning Exploration Presentations
LIVE PRESENTATIONS
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
From Stressed to Your Best: Managing College Pressures
This session will help students understand the sources and impact of stress in college life. It teaches practical, evidence-based strategies—like mindfulness, reframing, and self-compassion—to manage pressure in healthy ways. The presentation empowers students to view stress as a normal part of growth and to develop stress management strategies through balance, awareness, and support.
Presenter: Melissa McHenry
Location: PAC 222
Text Me When You're Emotionally Available
College can throw your relationships into chaos—in the best and worst ways. Whether you're dodging drama, defining your dealbreakers, or just trying to figure out how to say what you actually feel, this session is for you. We’ll break down what healthy relationships really look like—romantic, platonic, family, or somewhere in between (hello, situationships). This session will offer honest conversations, relatable advice, and tools you can use to communicate better, set boundaries, and show up for the people who matter.
Presenter: Dr. Sara Frank
Location: PAC 220
Pause, Listen, Respond: Negotiation & Problem-Solving for Real Life
Negotiation and problem-solving are not just boardroom skills—they are everyday life skills. Whether navigating a roommate conflict, coordinating a group project, or leading a campus initiative, this interactive session explores how to “pause, listen, and respond” to turn tough conversations into collaboration.
Presenter: Calvin Wertman, Lisa Storey
Location: PAC 218
Emotional Intelligence: What Can You Do With It and Why It Matter
Emotional intelligence awareness can increase academic performance, provide stress management, and manage social well-being to navigate challenges during the transitions of college life. This session will help you better understand your own emotional intelligence and how to use it to build stronger relationships, make clearer decisions, and stay grounded—both in and out of the classroom.
Presenters: Angie Gilbreth, DNP, RN, CLS, EBP-C
Location: PAC 216
Career Kickoff: Step Into Success
Transitioning from student life to workplace life Is a challenging yet exciting time. This session addresses topics such as workplace etiquette, seeking out a mentor, navigating workplace dynamics effectively, challenges new employees face and how to overcome them, and more.
Presenters: Jennifer Pickerell
Location: PAC 214
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
From Jersey to Journey: Life After McKendree Athletics
This session explores the transition from life as a McKendree student-athlete to life as an alum, focusing on how to carry the skills, discipline, and teamwork you built in athletics into your personal and professional future. Learn how to stay connected, find new ways to compete and grow, and write the next chapter of your Bearcat story.
Presenters: Tanner Wolk '10, MBA '11
Location: PAC 222
The Art of the Comeback: Crisis Communication for Everyone
You’re cooked! You just hit “send” on that angry late-night text, you said something snarky you instantly regret, or you got caught up in drama you were not ready for. When celebrities or big companies mess up, they’ve got teams of PR pros and lawyers to clean things up. The rest of us? Not so much. This session gives you insider tools from the world of public relations to handle your own everyday communication crises. Learn how to respond with calmness, clarity, and credibility — and maybe even turn your hot mess into your comeback story.
Presenters: Dr. Rich Murphy
Location: PAC 220
If There's Just One Finance Concept You Know
Everybody makes choices about how they allocate their money over time. Over the course of your life, you will be a saver and a borrower. In either case, there is one concept you should understand and if there’s just one finance concept you know, this should be it.
Presenters: Dr. Tyson Thomas
Location: PAC 218
Becoming Your Best Advocates
Teaching students how to identify their needs, communicate effectively, and use campus resources to solve problems and succeed academically, socially, and personally.
Presenters: Karyn Wilson, Allie Stevens
Location: PAC 216
Bend So You Don't Break: The Power of Resilience and Grit
This session will explore how individuals can adapt to pressure without losing their core strength. Through real-life stories and psychological insights, it highlights the traits that enable people to persevere through adversity and emerge stronger. Participants are provided with practical strategies to develop mental toughness, embrace challenges, and transform setbacks into opportunities for growth.
Presenters: Donna Matanane, Dr. Jean Sampson, Melissa McHenry
Location: PAC 214
11:30 AM - NOON
What to Expect on Your Path to Graduate Studies in a Health Profession
Presenters: Division of Health Professions
Location: PAC 222
Thinking About Law School
Four recent McKendree alumni who have completed law school will talk about their law school experiences via Zoom. Current McKendree students can ask questions about life in law school.
Presenters: Dr. Brian Frederking, Brian Ahle, Taylor Ganz, Caden Owens, Isabella Strimling
Location: PAC 220
From Push ups to Purpose: The Evolution of Fitness
Presenters: Scott Neill
Location: PAC 218
Will the Rise of Travel Sports Bring an End to High School Sports?
The 2018-2019 academic year saw the first drop in participation numbers in high school sports in 30 years. How can that be with the popularity of big-time college and professional sports continuing to rise? Come discuss and learn about my theory and research on one of the root causes, the professionalization of youth sports.
Presenters: Dr. Rob Itri
Location: PAC 216
The Knockout Guide to Beating Burnout
This session explores the prevalence, symptoms, and impact of burnout while offering practical recovery tools and preventative strategies. Participants will learn how to recognize early warning signs, build resilience, and sustain energy throughout their careers. Walk away with strategies to beat burnout to the punch and stay in the ring for the long run.
Presenters: Dr. Niki Owens
Location: PAC 214
NOON - 1:30 PM
Lunch available in Ames or 1828
