Sarah Palin Heads Roster at Leadership Forum at Southeastern University

Published: Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 11:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 11:30 p.m.

LAKELAND | Southeastern University is gearing up for its annual fundraising leadership event next week, featuring former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as star attraction.

Palin, 49, the 2008 Republican candidate for vice president, will be at the 2013 National Leadership Forum along with a list of other speakers. She will talk about leadership.

Brian Carroll, vice president for university advancement, said ticket sales are going well, but there still are some available. The forum has changed over the years, he said, and has become an event that is talked about in the university network.

Word has gotten out about the event, he said, and other schools have approached SEU administrators to learn more about the model.

"We are in our seventh year doing this," he said. "It's become, well, not routine, but we have a pattern. We've made a lot of course corrections over the years."

The forum is geared toward leaders in the business, professional and church communities.

"The main purpose of it is the heart of our culture," Carroll said. "It is a culture to serve, and that extends from our students out into the community. In the past year, we had 33,000 service hours in the community. That is unbelievable."

Ticket information is online at seuleadershipforum.com. Forum tickets cover both days of the event and are sold in four categories: $450 for non-reserved tickets; $650 for a reserved ticket; $1,000 for a VIP ticket and $1,500 for an executive ticket.

Other speakers on the agenda are:

Phil Cooke, a writer and speaker who has produced media programming in more than 40 countries.

Jon Gordon, an author and speaker.

AmyK Hutchens, a business strategist and speaker.

Dave Martin, the founder and president of Dave Martin International. He is an inspirational speaker and author.

John Maxwell, an internati! onally renowned leadership expert, coach and author.

John Ortberg, an author, speaker and pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.

Nancy Ortberg, a teaching pastor, author and founding partner of Teamworx2.

Mark Sanborn, an author and president of Sanborn & Associates Inc., a leadership development idea studio.

Pat Williams, senior vice president of the NBA's Orlando Magic.

The highest-priced ticket buys premier seating, a private evening reception with Palin on Friday and the amenities included with the VIP tickets.

Maxwell will be the keynote speaker at a scholarship gala on Thursday night.

While the two-day event provides a great chance for attendants to network and for students to learn, it has another strong benefit as well, Carroll said. "It's also an opportunity for us to help raise significant dollars," he said.

Sponsorships finance the speakers and provide scholarships. All net proceeds from the event directly benefit the Southeastern University Scholarship Fund. More than 90 percent of the university's students receive financial aid, officials said. In 2011-12, more than $7 million was awarded to students.

For more information about the conference, call the university at 863-667-5455 or 877-367-8620.

[ Mary Toothman can be reached at 863-802-7512. ]