Developing Academic Leadership Capacity

We begin the academic year welcoming new members to our leadership team. I am pleased to begin working with Edward Olivos, new Department Head of Education Studies, and Laura Lee McIntyre, the new Department Head of Special Education and Clinical Sciences. We also have Leslie Leve beginning her term as Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development. Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann will direct our college-wide strategic planning efforts next year, and the list goes on.

We have a reputation in academia for not taking leadership development seriously. New department heads/chairs, associate deans, vice presidents, deans, academic program coordinators, and other administrators are often left to learn on the job, with few formal training opportunities provided to them. While most academic administrators perform admirably, their successes could be hastened, and stress reduced, if they came to the post equipped with foundational knowledge about effective academic leadership strategies and skills.

I am committed to our college doing better. Laura Lee and Dianna received administrative training sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education in Portland last month, and Lauren Lindstrom launched an inaugural orientation for new faculty for the first time last year (which we will offer again this year).

We can also foster leadership capacity in our college by inviting more individuals to participate in academic leadership roles, for either short or multiple year appointments. Broad-based participation in leadership produces long-term gains for our institution because leadership roles provide faculty and staff with new knowledge, skills, and perspectives to bring to their work. In this way, leadership participation is not unlike a “life changing” study abroad experience. We often hear that study abroad experiences are high impact, provide us with new insights, and make us “better individuals.” Similarly, I am convinced that participation in leadership experiences makes us better faculty and staff members.