LVAIC Leadership Institute Making Strides for Rising Higher Ed Professionals

September 4, 2017, @ 8:00 AM

On Wednesday, August 16, 2017, LVAIC opened the pilot of a year-long professional development program focused on mid-career faculty and staff with the intention of exploring a long-term career in higher education. The kick-off event took place at Lehigh University, beginning with a welcome from Lehigh University President, John Simon. The goals of this program are to: a.) expand understanding of current challenges faced by academic and administrative leaders in higher education; b.) prepare individuals to make informed career advancement decisions; and c.) foster collaborative relationships across function and campus communities.

The program currently hosts 24 participants (4 individuals from each LVAIC campus). Each participant has been paired with a mentor from a similar career field on a different campus. The mentors will work with participants throughout the academic year. Participants meet for six three-hour sessions throughout the year on a monthly basis and attend two full-day sessions, which will culminate with a graduation ceremony in May 2018, as well as access additional resources between sessions via a learning management system. The kick-off event was the first full-day session. Sessions will rotate locations around the LVAIC campuses and include presentations and panel discussions on varying topics of higher education.

The session topics will include: a.) exploring the emerging issues facing in higher education; b.) academic affairs: faculty governance, shared governance, and tenure; c.) finances in higher education: development, budgeting, and resource allocation; d.) student affairs panel discussion; e.) human resources: hiring, job description writing, performance management, and employment issues; f.) enrollment management from an organizational and student perspective; and g.) assessment and accreditation: Middle States and discipline-specific assessment.

At this kick-off session, participants began the morning with a keynote presentation from Bryon Grigsby, President of Moravian College, on emerging issues in higher education. Grigsby offered an overview on the strengths of higher education in the Lehigh Valley, as well as ways in which the industry must adapt to remain competitive in the future. Participants had an opportunity for a lunch and breakout session with their mentors followed by a session on their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to better understand how their personality profile influences their leadership styles. As the sessions continue, participants will have further opportunities to explore emotional intelligence and leadership competencies.