UA Women’s Leadership Institute Made Possible By Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Ten University of Alabama faculty and professional staff women will have an opportunity to participate in a two-year Women’s Leadership Institute, thanks to a fellowship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the ingenuity of Capstone College of Nursing Dean Sara Barger.

Barger was awarded a prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellowship last year. The award included $45,000, some $30,000 of which will be used to fund the institute, along with matching funds from UA.

While the fellowship is primarily designed as a leadership development program for nurses, Barger’s project is aimed at building the leadership capacity of The University of Alabama through an interdisciplinary model that develops leadership competencies in women. All UA tenured faculty and professional staff women with at least seven years’ professional experience are eligible to apply for the program.

Barger won approval from the RWJ Foundation to expand the program to include all University women, rather than limit it to nurses. “One of the problems with the nursing profession is that we tend to stay in our own little box. I felt that we would be much better off doing the program with exposure to a broader group of women. I felt passionately about that and I was able to obtain approval for the project,” Barger said.

“Too often women who aspire to high-level administrative positions have no background in leadership or management — the skills it takes to be successful in those positions. The Women’s Leadership Institute will help women gain the knowledge they need to move up or to do their jobs more effectively,” she said.

The Women’s Leadership Institute will involve monthly seminars and workshops for two years. In addition, participants will mentor a female student during the second year. The institute will utilize the expertise of a resource team of key women leaders at UA.

In addition to Barger, the team includes Elva Bradley, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning; Cheree Causey, assistant dean of students; Priscilla Hancock, associate vice president for information services; Charlotte Harris, associate vice president for human resources; Marsha Houston, professor and chair of the department of communication studies; Diane Johnson, assistant professor of management and marketing; Pam Parsons, assistant vice president for development; Cathy Randall, director of the University Honors Program, and Jane Stanfield, executive director of the Capstone International Center.

Barger is one of 15 nursing administrators and executives nationwide named as RWJ Executive Nurse Fellows for 2000. The Fellows program provides three-year fellowships for nurses in executive roles in health services, public health and nursing education. Major components of the program include the completion of a core leadership curriculum, seminar and workshop sessions, pursuit of an individual learning plan, completion of an individual project, and a significant experience with a senior executive mentor. Fellows are required to undertake a comprehensive leadership project at their home institution.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grant-making in three goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to basic health care at reasonable cost; to improve care and support for people with chronic health conditions; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse.

Contact

Cathy Andreen, Director of Media Relations, 205/348-8322

Source

Dr. Sara Barger, dean, Capstone College of Nursing, 205/348-1040