PEORIA, Ill. -- For the eighth time in its nine-year history Bradley University is represented at the annual NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference, being held May 29 through June 2 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., as senior volleyball player Ashley Vance was one of the nearly 325 student-athletes taking part in the event.

Described as one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes, this is the ninth leadership conference that the NCAA has hosted for student-athletes who compete in fall, winter and spring sports in Divisions I, II and III. The conference was designed as a forum for student-athletes to discuss key issues collectively, and to provide them with an opportunity to enhance skills, which will enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to their campuses. The conference also provides student-athletes with exercises to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and to improve planning and priority management.

During the five-day leadership conference, student-athletes will discuss a variety of topics such as sportsmanship; public perceptions of student-athletes; conflict resolution; student-athlete mental health; and social responsibilities. They also will discuss division-specific issues and create dialogue surrounding possible solutions to those particular issues.

The student-athletes selected to participate are asked to share their experiences and topic discussions with their campus student-athlete advisory committees, as well as other campus leaders. The participants were also asked to develop a strategic plan that will address or solve an issue on their campus or in their community, and implement the plan when they return to their campuses.

The leadership conference participants were selected from a total of 1,166 nomination forms that were submitted by colleges and universities that participate in the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program. Bradley's program is known as BU B.L.A.S.T. (Building Leadership and Supporting Teams) and is directed by Senior Associate Athletic Director Virnette House-Browning. In order to be eligible for the conference, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year. After inviting as many as four applications from each school, final selections were made by a committee comprised of CHAMPS/Life Skills coordinators from NCAA member institutions and student-athletes charged with identifying an outstanding group of leaders.

Student-athletes attending the leadership conference are representing 20 NCAA sports from Divisions I, II and III. Vance is the 10th Bradley participant in the annual event following baseball player Miguel Osorio and softball player Dana Liberton (1998), women's tennis player Ali Kail and men's basketball player Matthew Lee (1999), men's golfer Dan Bradley (2000), baseball player Todd Spicer (2001), men's basketball player James Gillingham (2002), men's cross country runner Eric Michel (2003) and women's golfer Carly Sobel (2004)

For more information on the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference and the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program, log on to the NCAA web site at http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/ed_outreach/champs-life_skills/foundation_leadership_conf/index.html