Leadership Workshop Series
Upcoming Workshops
Past Workshops
Dealing with Difficult Conversations
Facilitated by Dr. Steve Graham
Senior Consultant, Triangle Associates
Presented on Wednesday November 20th, 2024 at 1 p.m.
This workshop will equip leaders with tools to effectively handle challenging conversations within their departments. Rooted in insights from Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, the session will introduce frameworks for navigating discussions that may involve conflict, emotions, or sensitive issues related to identity. Using case studies and discussion, chairs will learn techniques to disentangle intent from impact, manage emotional responses, and transform conversations into collaborative learning experiences. This workshop will provide a structured approach to handle high-stakes interactions, fostering a department culture that values open communication, empathy, and effective conflict resolution.
Dr. Steve Graham is a Senior Consultant for Triangle Associates. He served as Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Missouri System from 2002 to 2021, providing leadership for academic and faculty affairs issues across the multi-campus UMSystem. He is a Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri (MU) with over 30 years of experience in higher education as an administrator, professor, and consultant. His current research efforts focus on the dramatic changes occurring in higher education and their impact on traditional public universities. His two most recent books are Volatility in Higher Education: An Anthropological Perspective (2018) and Paths to the Future of Higher Education (2021), both coedited with Brian Foster and Joe Donaldson.
Making Workload Fair: What Academic Leaders Can Do
Facilitated by Dr. Dawn Culpepper
Director, University of Maryland ADVANCE Program
Presented on Wednesday October 23rd, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Nearly 30 years of social science research shows that the way faculty workloads are taken up, assigned, and rewarded are unfair. Yet, academic leaders are often hesitant to address workload inequities because they fear "opening a can of worms". In this workshop, Dr. Culpepper explores the strategies academic leaders can use to make workloads more equitable, including offering concrete and evidence-based workload policies and practices and discussing strategies for generating buy-in for change.
Dr. Dawn K. Culpepper (she/hers) is a higher education researcher and practitioner focused on creating academic work environments where faculty members thrive. She focuses on identifying organizational practices and policies that disrupt bias; enhance inclusion, equity, and representation; and foster conditions where faculty members are fully recognized and rewarded for their work. Dr. Culpepper is the Director of the University of Maryland ADVANCE Program for Inclusive Excellence. Her work as examined faculty hiring, workload, tenure and promotion, postdoctoral training programs, work-life integration, graduate education, and faculty-related COVID-19 policies. Her work has been published in top education and diversity-related journals. She has worked on multiple National Science Foundation- funded projects.
Beyond the Dyad: Implementing Meaningful and Sustainable Faculty Mentoring Programs
Facilitated by Dr. Stephanie Goodwin
President, Incluxion Works
Presented on Thursday September 12th, 2024 at 2 p.m.
This workshop is designed to support academic leaders seeking to develop or enhance departmental mentoring practices and plans to support faculty success. Topics will include: models for faculty mentoring programs; factors to consider when developing mentoring plans/programs; and leader and institutional roles in supporting a culture of effective and inclusive faculty mentoring. Supplementary materials and resources will be provided.
Dr. Goodwin facilitates customized interactive workshops on a range of leadership, faculty development, and diversity issues, including equitable and inclusive mentoring programs, equitable evaluations, and inclusive leadership practices. Her workshops have been offered at more than 35 universities and professional societies. A former NSF ADVANCE program director, she continues to consult for ADVANCE programs across the country. A fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Dr. Goodwin has 25+ years of experience as a diversity and inclusion scholar, educator, and academic leader with expertise in faculty development and academic affairs.
Running an Effective Department Retreat
Facilitated by Dr. Alice Hall
Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Presented on Tuesday May 7th 2024 at 12 p.m.
This workshop is focused on helping department chairs successfully organize and facilitate effective departmental retreats. Nearly all departments have fall retreats, usually in August, and although they vary widely in length and scope, they are all meant to help departments come together to get important work done. This workshop will be led by Dr. Alice Hall, the associate provost for faculty affairs at UMSL, a co-PI on UMSL’s ADVANCE grant, former chair of UMSL’s Faculty Senate, and a former department chair. She has had considerable experience not just leading retreats, but also facilitating conversations about department climate. Dr. Hall will provide practical tips for chairs as well as time for conversations about what has worked well in the past, what challenges come with leading department retreats, and strategies for overcoming those challenges.
Best Practices in Faculty Annual Evaluations and Performance Management
Facilitated by Dr. Clair Kueny
Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychological Science
Presented on Wednesday January 17th 2024 at 1 p.m.
Please join Dr. Clair Kueny for a department chairs' and administrators' workshop on best practices in faculty annual evaluations and performance management. The workshop will include information on best practices as well as discussion and working time to allow chairs to think through action plans about how they could implement best practices in their own departments. Please consider bringing a laptop. Refreshments will be provided. This workshop is sponsored by the 2023-2024 S&T ADVANCE Faculty Fellows Program.
Closing the Deal: The Art of Negotiation in Faculty Hiring
Facilitated by Dr. Jessica Cundiff
Associate Professor of Psychological Science
PI/Director of S&T ADVANCE
Presented on Wednesday November 8th 2023 at 12 p.m.
Closing the Deal: The Art of Negotiation in Faculty Hiring is a panel discussion and information session on the best practices in negotiating faculty hires, sponsored by the S&T ADVANCE Program. Hiring authorities have considerable responsibilities regarding “closing the deal” on faculty hires, but don’t always have a lot of guidance about how to get the job done effectively and inclusively. Cindi Nelson (Chief Human Resources Officer), Lucretia Eaton (Director, Business Managers), Susan Murray (Interim Vice Provost for Online Education), & Dave Bayless (Professor and Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) will share information and guidance on what hiring authorities should do (and not do) upon determining a first-choice candidate for a faculty position. Lunch will be provided.
Inclusive Departments Best Practices
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Joya Misra, PhD
Provost Professor and Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Chair
Department of Sociology & School of Public Policy
Co-PI UMass ADVANCE grant and Director of ADVANCE Programming
President-Elect, American Sociological Association
Presented on Tuesday April 11th 2023 at 2 p.m.
Climate surveys and studies consistently show that faculty of color as well as women in fields dominated by men are less likely to feel included and valued by their departmental colleagues. Yet some departments do engage in practices that mean that diverse faculty feel included; these departments are also more likely to recruit and retain faculty. In this workshop, we will explore some of the fairly simple strategies that departmental leaders and members can adopt to create warmer, more collegial, and more inclusive departments.
Joya Misra is Provost Professor and the Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Chair, as well as a Professor in both Sociology and the School of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She also serves as a Co-PI and Director of UMass ADVANCE Programming, and she is currently President-Elect of the American Sociological Association. Dr. Misra’s research and teaching primarily focus on social inequality, including inequalities by gender and gender identity, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, citizenship, parenthood status, and educational level. She considers how policies may work to both reinforce and lessen inequalities; her aim is to create more equitable societies and workplaces.
Department Equity Profiles: Using metrics to enhance department equity and inclusion
Facilitated by Dr. Jessica Cundiff
Associate Professor of Psychological Science
PI/Director of S&T ADVANCE
Presented on Tuesday March 7th 2023 at 12 p.m.
Prior to the workshop, each department received an Equity Profile containing key metrics of equity and inclusion for their department. During the workshop, we discussed how to interpret results from the Equity Profiles to identify areas of success and areas for improvement. The workshop concluded with an interactive discussion for departments to share what works in their departments and to brainstorm strategies collaboratively.
WAGES: The Academic Career Game
Facilitated by Dr. Jessica Cundiff
Associate Professor of Psychological Science
PI/Director of S&T ADVANCE
Presented on Wednesday February 22nd 2023 at 11:30 a.m.
Climbing the academic career ladder is full of ups and downs – no matter what field you’re in. Advancement to the next level can bring satisfying new responsibilities and opportunities but can also be slowed down by unexpected obstacles along the way. This workshop used the interactive format of a board game to help participants discover and better understand some of the less obvious factors that can influence advancement in academic careers and contribute to chilly climates. Insights discovered by participants through game play, especially those that are gender-relevant, are shared in a post-game discussion.