LATROBE, PA – Dr. Michael Urick, C’04, dean of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government at Saint Vincent College, delivered a presentation earlier this month in Pittsburgh at The Global Impact Forum (TGIF).
The event, held Nov. 3-5 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, is presented by Penn State University. This year’s theme was “Workforce Readiness in the Age of AI and Automation.” Urick’s presentation was titled “Taylor Swift and Luke Skywalker: Leadership Perspectives in the Age of AI.”
“There is a lot that we can learn about leadership through popular culture,” Urick said, “including through ‘Star Wars,’ Taylor Swift and superheroes.”
“Most of these examples,” he added, “and other areas of popular culture, share one commonality as they relate to leadership: they all emphasize the human elements necessary for influencing others and making decisions. An emphasis on human aspects of leadership is crucial in today's industries that are edging toward adopting AI for increasing uses.”
The McKenna dean’s Nov. 4 session explored academic and professional leadership theories, provided examples through popular culture and encouraged TGIF participants to consider how these examples relate to their own experiences.
Keynote speakers during the three-day event included Jerome Bettis, Roberto Clemente Jr. and Mark Cuban. TGIF is aimed at fostering economic development, social mobility and positive impact through education and innovation. More information on TGIF can be found online.
