New presidential program offers emerging leaders executive perspective


The first cohort of the Presidential Leadership Program met with President Mark B. Rosenberg at the opening reception July 6.

The first cohort of the Presidential Leadership Program met with President Mark B. Rosenberg at the opening reception July 6.

 

During this new academic year, 30 FIU staff and faculty members will have an unprecedented opportunity to assess the challenges and opportunities facing the university in the next few decades.

The group was selected to participate in the inaugural Presidential Leadership Program, a professional development program designed for employees under 50 years of age interested in solidifying a career track in higher education.

“FIU at Fifty has been a monumental year and a great time of reflection about the amazing accomplishments achieved in this short span,” said President Mark B. Rosenberg in an email to the university community calling for applicants. “These achievements have been realized on the backs of committed faculty, staff and administrators who have ‘put their hands to the plow’ to make FIU the great university it is today.

“As we chart the course for our next 50 years and beyond, we are being intentional in identifying leaders for the next chapter of our FIU narrative.”

Across the national and global landscape, organizations are experiencing a minimum of four generations in the workforce. Assistant Vice President of  Human Resources El pagnier Hudson says FIU is no different.

“Through the President’s Leadership Program, we invited faculty and staff who are in varied stages of their higher ed career,” Hudson says. “We will be providing experiential learning from an executive perspective to create the foundation for a successful career in higher education that will benefit FIU in the years to come.”

The first cohort, chosen by committee from a pool of 121 applicants, will attend four sessions moderated by Rosenberg and Breny DaParre Garcia, assistant vice president of Institutional Relations.

Tony Delgado, 41, university ombudsman and assistant dean of students in the Division of Student Affairs, applied to the program because it will provide a structured and supported professional development experience to examine the challenges and trends facing higher education.

“I look forward to forging strong professional relationships with leaders across the university to identify unique opportunities for collaboration that will ultimately impact student success,” Delgado says.

Antoinette Smith, 47, has been at FIU 10 years as an assistant professor in the School of Accounting. Smith is excited about taking her leadership skills to the next level, developing relationships and gaining a broader insight into administration in academia.

“Leadership is a continuous developing process for me, and I have watched the president for a number of years as a leader who is consistent in character. I’ve concluded that he is the perfect person to nurture my leadership skills that I know are within me,” she says.

The program starts July 22. Applications for 2017-2018  will be available early Spring 2017.