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It’s a conundrum that would have baffled Peter Drucker: When five dozen emerging leaders meet at a restaurant, who orders first?

President Rebecca Chopp greets Arpitha Peteru ’10 at the Emerging Leaders Dinner on Monday evening. (Photo by Tom Brown)

The question loomed large last Monday night as 65 first- and second-year students gathered around tables at the Edge Café for the inaugural Emerging Leaders Dinner, sponsored by the Center for Leadership and Student Involvement and its new director, Greg Victory.

The evening’s guest list was based on nominations received from members of the Dean of the College staff as well as prominent juniors and seniors who identified younger classmates most likely to succeed them as heads of student government, Greek life, and other campus organizations.

Over salad and entrée, students introduced themselves and chatted about everything from communications and public relations to the finer points of sailing. With dessert came speeches delivered by Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Tim Mansfield, Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Scott Brown, and President Rebecca Chopp.

Mansfield brought an invitation to the university’s Robert A. Fox ’59 Institute for Leadership, a three-day leadership workshop and brainstorming session that teaches essential skills while allowing students to wrestle with some of the university’s most pressing issues.

Brown offered the audience three gifts: clarity, confidence, and connection. Clarity, he explained, allows leaders to define success in their own terms, and confidence allows them to realize how much they bring to the table personally, academically, socially. Connection — an asset for alumni and students alike — promotes success by bringing the ������Ƶ community’s extensive human and technical resources to bear in any given situation.

But it was Chopp, in her keynote, who defined the recurring word of the evening. “Being a leader in the 21st century,” she said, “means stepping forward and leaving a footprint.”

Those who step forward, take responsibility, and do so with enthusiasm reshape the university experience and enhance the common good. They also attract others to the cause by drawing classmates out of dorm rooms and Greek houses.

While it’s important to find your passion, said dinner attendee Jason Kammerdiener ’10, it also helps if you’re “finding people you can relate to — people who are passionate about the same things.”

Hearing these comments, seeing the number of high caliber students who packed the Edge that night, wise management gurus might be inclined to change the question from “Who orders first?” to “How does ������Ƶ attract so many leaders of the first order?”