Eleven campus leaders have been selected as the 2018-2019 cohort of Leadership U, which began in 2010 as a way to prepare faculty and staff in leadership positions to take on increasing levels of responsibility within their organizations. Now with its six cohort, the program continues to train forward-thinking campus leaders who anticipate future challenges and envision opportunities for success.
The program serves all areas on campus, with this year’s participants coming from Academic Affairs, Advancement, Community Affairs, Financial Affairs, Intercollegiate Athletics and Strategic Communications.
Cohort members selected for 2018-2019 are:
- Carol Agomo, director of community and administrative affairs in the Office of the Vice President for Community Affairs
- W. Edward Back, professor and head of the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering
- Vance Bristow, assistant vice president for Planned Giving
- Martha Crowther, professor in the College of Community Health Sciences and investigator in the Institute for Rural Health Research
- Allison Jeffreys, assistant athletics director of human resources for Intercollegiate Athletics
- Stefan Kim, director of operations applications services, Financial Affairs Information Technology
- Jeannine Lawrence, chair of the department of human nutrition and hospitality management
- Allen McClendon, director for external affairs and development for the College of Engineering
- Courtney Page Miller, director of alumni and corporate relations at the Culverhouse College of Business
- David L. Mothersbaugh, associate dean for undergraduate and international programs at the Culverhouse College of Business
- Zach Riggins, director of photography for the Division of Strategic Communications
In addition to workshops to assess their personal strengths as a leader and develop their leadership skills, the cohort will meet with University leaders throughout the academic year to learn more about the University, its goals and mission and the leadership styles of UA’s top administrators.
The four faculty participants also are part of the Southeastern Conference’s Academic Development Leadership Program. As fellows in that program, they will visit the University of Kentucky this fall and the University of Tennessee this coming spring, where they will join more than 50 fellows from all 14 SEC campuses to learn about university operations, challenges and leadership.
Leadership U, supported by Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Whitaker and administered by Associate Provost Jennifer Greer, reflects the values of the Capstone Competencies. In the spirit of these values, the Leadership U curriculum seeks to do the following:
- Broaden participants’ perspectives on how the vision and mission of the University is realized.
- Enhance participants’ capacity for collaboration and relationship building.
- Strengthen practical skills essential to effective leadership.
- Sensitize participants to the influence of culture in the academic setting.
- Encourage participants to think critically about higher education and UA in a dynamic environment.
