Four UGA faculty members—Karen Cornell, Marsha Davis, Jeffrey Dean and Susan Thomas—will gain expertise in academic leadership as Administrative Fellows for 2012-2013.
The Administrative Fellows program is part of a broader Academic Leadership Development Program of SECU, the academic initiative of the Southeastern Conference. The program seeks to identify and develop faculty as academic leaders for the 14 SEC universities.
The Administrative Fellows will work with Libby Morris, vice provost for academic affairs who is overseeing the Administrative Fellows program, and meet periodically during the academic year to discuss readings on leadership. Each fellow also will develop a project and share those results. The fellowship includes two, three-day SEC-wide workshops in which participants interact with fellows from other SEC schools. The first workshop was held earlier this month at the University of Tennessee, and the next workshop is scheduled for February at the University of Florida.
Cornell is a professor and assistant head of the department of small animal medicine and surgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a two-time recipient of the Carl Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teaching Award and in 2011 was named a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, the highest award for teaching at UGA. Her current scholarly interest is communication training for medical professionals.
Davis is an associate professor in the department of health promotion and behavior and assistant dean of outreach and engagement in the College of Public Health. She will be working on plans to establish a new Office of Community Outreach and Engagement in the College of Public Health that will focus on continuing education and professional development, as well as bridging public health practice and academia.
Dean is the associate director of the Institute of Bioinformatics as well as a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and a professor in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. Dean will study the structure and development of university budgets and the decision-making processes that are used to direct financial resources to university activities, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary programs.
Thomas is an associate professor of musicology and women’s studies in Franklin College. She serves as the director of graduate studies for UGA’s Institute for Women’s Studies and as the graduate adviser for musicology. She has been involved in university governance in a variety of capacities, including University Council and the President’s Advisory Committee. In addition, she has served on the curriculum committee of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute since 2007.
Senior administrators and deans of all schools and colleges can nominate one individual for an Administrative Fellowship. Nominees must be tenured faculty members or have a standing appointment as service or administrative faculty. Nominees are expected to possess strong leadership experience, as well as outstanding records of achievement and a sincere interest in administrative service.