Nearly 70 faculty and administrators from the 14 institutions of the Southeastern Conference will gather at UGA this month for a three-day workshop that aims to develop the next generation of academic leaders.
The workshop is part of the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program, which began in 2008 and has two components: a university-level program designed by each institution for its own participants and two, three-day, SEC-wide workshops held on specified campuses for all program participants. The workshop at UGA will be held Oct. 14-16, and the spring workshop will be held at the University of South Carolina.
“Hosting the fall 2013 workshop provides the university with an outstanding opportunity to showcase our beautiful campus and our remarkable people and programs,” said Libby V. Morris, interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “I am especially appreciative of the staff who helped organize this event and the many administrators and faculty who will be sharing their expertise during presentations and panel discussions.”
The four UGA faculty members who are participating in the workshop as SEC Academic Leadership Development Fellows are: Julian Cook, the J. Alton Hosch Professor in the School of Law; Tracie Costantino, an associate professor in the Lamar Dodd School of Art; Sarah Covert, professor and associate dean of academic affairs in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; and Tom Reichert, an Athletic Association Professor and head of the advertising and public relations department in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Based on their area of interest, the fellows will work with select senior administrators at UGA.
“As a department head, I’m really interested in learning more about development and fundraising so that I can better support my faculty and students,” said Reichert, who will be working with the Office of the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations. He will be writing a series of first-person accounts on his experiences for Columns.
Presentations at the October workshop include “The Land-Grant Mission in the 21st Century,” “Budget and Finance,” “Dialogues on Diversity,” “First 90 Days and Leadership into the Future,” “Focus on College Completion and Financial Aid” and “Enhancing the Student Experience.”
The workshop also includes a reception and dinner with UGA President Jere W. Morehead, a campus tour led by students from the UGA Visitors Center and a tour and dinner at the Georgia Museum of Art.
In addition to lectures, panel discussions and other events, the workshop will include several opportunities for the UGA fellows to interact with their counterparts from other SEC institutions.
“I’ve spent my entire academic career at UGA, so the opportunity to learn about higher education administration at other universities really appealed to me,” Covert said. “I’d like to be able to take what I learn about other universities and apply that to become a better administrator here at UGA.”
The workshop is open to SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows, and information on applying for the 2014-2015 fellowship is available at http://t.uga.edu/aC.
For more information on the fall workshop at UGA, see http://provost.uga.edu/secu/.