Provost’s Academic Leadership Institute

September 28, 2012

This initiative, launched in the fall of 2012, will develop a set of workshops and other programs to support and strengthen academic leadership at Columbia. These workshops aim to develop and enhance some of the skills needed to lead academic units – such as management, planning, communications, negotiation, administrative and financial skills – in order to advance the research and teaching missions of schools, departments, and institutes.

The workshops will offer a mix of conceptual tools and their practical application to the challenging responsibilities facing faculty leaders, such as managing administrative staff, evaluating and mentoring faculty, developing departmental budgets, and recruiting and retaining scholars. They will provide an introduction for new leaders to useful strategies, and for experienced leaders a deepening of expertise.

Events will be led by senior university leadership and outstanding faulty instructors. Programming is aimed at assisting participants in strengthening their network of peer administrators across campus. Programs will offer insight into the University’s institutional workings, and guidance on how leaders can position their department, school or institute to thrive here at Columbia.

The first event of this initiative is a pilot leadership development workshop for Morningside department chairs, vice deans, division directors, university Institute directors, and heads of other academic units, which will take place on November 1-2, 2012. An overview of the workshop can be found here: Academic Leadership Training Sessions Overview

Future programming will be targeted at academic leadership from all of Columbia’s campuses, as well as at senior administrative leadership within schools.

 

John H. Coatsworth

Provost