Proposing a Center for Leadership and Creativity

Leadership and creativity are vital skills for everyone to have in what is now a very competitive and dynamic world. Whether in business or in personal life, these skills can help individuals reach their highest potential. Employers, especially, are finding it increasingly difficult to find employees with these important skills. Academic institutions are simply not preparing students (i.e., future employees) well enough. This is an issue that needs to be remedied as soon as possible. In this project, I am proposing a Center for Leadership and Creativity to be housed on the Western Oregon University campus in Monmouth, Oregon, under the advisement of the future Organizational Leadership Department. This center will address many of these needs for students, faculty, staff, and community members by providing resources, training, and potentially consulting services in leadership and creativity. The goal of this center will be to begin bridging this gap by preparing individuals with the necessary leadership and creativity skills to succeed in their future professional (and personal) endeavors. It is also the goal of this center to become a well-known, well-respected academic and practitioner resource—the first of its kind—in this region of the state of Oregon. The final outcome of this project will be a comprehensive, institution-branded, professional, business-style report to be presented to the Western Oregon University administration and other deciding bodies

Nature Connectedness Moderates the Effect of Nature Exposure on Explicit and Implicit Measures of Emotion

Previous research indicates that both short-term and long-term exposure to natural environments is associated with higher levels of emotional well-being. However, less research has examined whether person-related factors may impact the salutogenic effects of nature. In the current study, we examined whether trait-level nature connectedness moderates the effect of exposure to nature on explicit and implicit measures of affect. Participants (n = 89) completed baseline measurements of trait nature connectedness and affective state. Approximately two weeks later, participants viewed a lab-based immersive simulation of either a natural or built environment and then again completed measures of affective state. Findings indicated that trait nature connectedness moderated the effect of nature on affect, with more positive outcomes of nature exposure observed among those high in nature connectedness. These findings suggest that interacting with nature may be especially beneficial for those who already feel a strong sense of connectedness to the natural environment

Nature Connectedness Moderates the Effect of Nature Exposure on Explicit and Implicit Measures of Emotion

Previous research indicates that both short-term and long-term exposure to natural environments is associated with higher levels of emotional well-being. However, less research has examined whether person-related factors may impact the salutogenic effects of nature. In the current study, we examined whether trait-level nature connectedness moderates the effect of exposure to nature on explicit and implicit measures of affect. Participants (n = 89) completed baseline measurements of trait nature connectedness and affective state. Approximately two weeks later, participants viewed a lab-based immersive simulation of either a natural or built environment and then again completed measures of affective state. Findings indicated that trait nature connectedness moderated the effect of nature on affect, with more positive outcomes of nature exposure observed among those high in nature connectedness. These findings suggest that interacting with nature may be especially beneficial for those who already feel a strong sense of connectedness to the natural environment