The first “Men of Vision: Northwestern University Minority Male Leadership Conference” was held this weekend because a group of students felt a lack of male involvement on NU’s campus.

The goals of the conference, held Saturday in Norris University Center’s Louis Room, included addressing issues of self-identity, homophobia, professional development, social and political action and volunteerism, said committee member Benjamin Hernandez.

Other objectives of the conference were initiating dialogue about self-esteem, social support and well-being among males and helping students develop leadership skills, according to the group’s Web site.

More than 75 students, staff, faculty and alumni participated, Hernandez said.

“We had a lot of positive feedback,” the McCormick senior said.

Two keynote speakers addressed the participants. Entrepreneur, venture capitalist and consultant Verinder K. Syal opened the conference with welcome address. He talked about “philosophical aspects of leadership,” Hernandez said.

Chief Information Officer and Kellogg alumnus William McKnight Farrow III spoke toward the end of the conference. Hernandez said Farrow “took a more personal approach to leadership.”

Participants said the speakers were engaging.

McCormick freshman Ken Cebrian said he was able to relate to Farrow because he discussed his leadership experiences while in college.

“I really appreciated that he took his audience into consideration,” he said.

McCormick freshman Carlos Rodriguez said Syal used interesting quotes in his speech and related them to different aspects of leadership.

Three workshop sessions addressed issues including sexual misconceptions, navigating a multicultural world, political action and other issues, according to the conference’s Web site. Each session was centered around a theme such as “Focus on the Self,” “Focus on the Campus” and “Focus on the Community.”

Business and political leaders addressed participants in the workshops. Dean Martinez, Secretary of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, spoke at the political action conference, stressing why it’s critical to become politically involved.

Hernandez hopes that future conferences will be larger in scope and will include participants from other colleges and high schools across Chicago and the Midwest. He said the group wants to showcase NU as a “premier institution for minority male leadership development.”

“We’re hoping this conference can grow exponentially,” he said.

Reach Christina Amoroso at [email protected].