Training the next generation of faculty leaders
Michael
Hagearty
Institute Communications and Public Affairs
A pilot
program aimed at developing current and emerging academic
leaders is being strongly supported by Georgia
Tech’s provost as an important tool for institutional
stability.
| |
2005-06 University Leadership Program Fellows
Jane Ammons associate
dean, College of Engineering Nelson
Baker associate vice provost, Distance
Learning and Professional Education
Gisele
Bennett senior research engineer,
Georgia Tech Research
Institute
Mei-Yin
Chou chair, School of Physics
Diana
Hicks chair, School of Public Policy
Joe
Hughes chair, School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering
Sabir
Khan associate dean, College of Architecture
John
McDonald chair, School of Biology
Chuck
Parsons professor, College of
Management
François
Sainfort associate dean, College of Engineering |
A class of 10 faculty members met last month
to begin an eight-month program of activities that
will hone key
leadership qualities and give participants a
richer understanding of Tech’s strategic vision.
Provost Jean-Lou Chameau
said the main objective was to improve the quality of leadership within Georgia
Tech by building a strong network of colleagues.
“To ensure the effectiveness of Georgia Tech’s
leadership, it is imperative we have a program in place
that fosters the leadership skills of our
emerging and new leaders,” he said.
Created
by the Office of Organizational Development at Chameau’s request,
the new University Leadership Program is designed to provide a measure
of continuity within the upper echelons of Tech’s administration.
In
developing the program, Hal Irvin and James Nelson of the Office of
Organizational Development initiated a benchmarking
study and interviewed
more than two
dozen campus faculty leaders. A variety of issues — faculty recruitment,
faculty development, financial management, people management, alumni
and donor relations — surfaced
as topics of interest. In the coming months, program fellows will participate
in numerous seminars and workshops that will help deepen their understanding
of these institutional functions.
“All of the participants in our program are
skilled in these areas, but all are committed to developing
their skills further through our topical
seminars,” Hal
Irvin said. “They are an outstanding group and we are delighted
with their involvement.”
In the program’s second year,
to begin next fall, a new group of faculty that “show promise
for a future leadership role” will be tapped for
similar training.
Chameau emphasized the importance of succession
planning and knowledge transfer, particularly as some of its
senior faculty leaders move
toward retirement
or pursue other options.
“We must engage the next generation of leadership talent so that the Institute
can sustain its standing among the nation’s premier research universities,” he
said. | 
