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December 01, 2022
L.E.A.D. nominations being accepted
Nominations are underway for the university’s second cohort of the L.E.A.D. SIU Carbondale initiative.
L.E.A.D. stands for Leading, Empowering, Advocating and Developing talent for the university. The initiative identifies, engages and mentors a select group of faculty and staff interested in learning more about higher education leadership and the complexities of operating a public university in today’s world.
The goal is to provide professional development opportunities to current employees in a way that fosters the retention of a strong, effective work force while nurturing opportunities for professional growth and leadership within the university for the years ahead.
The initiative requires a nine-month commitment from faculty and staff who are chosen for the cohort. Selections will be made based on nominations from an employee’s supervisor or a faculty member’s director or dean.
Varied topics presented
The cohort of 10 members will meet monthly with Chancellor Lane for roundtable discussions on higher education topics that impact SIU. These meetings may be virtual or in-person over the lunch hour. There will be required reading assignments outside of the monthly gatherings. Participants will be invited to attend one professional development conference as a group with Chancellor Austin Lane during the year.
The initial L.E.A.D. cohort in fall 2021 comprised 18 members who had many accomplishments. Among them were Elizabeth Cheek, who took a position as administrative assistant to the director of SIU’s Undergraduate Admissions; Michelle Kibby, the newly hired faculty ombudsperson at SIU, and Markida Roper, assistant director of SIU’s Project Upward Bound program.
Topics in the monthly meetings could include:
- Budgeting.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Organizational structures.
- Career ladders.
- Governance and the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
- Fundraising and development.
- Marketing and branding.
- Athletics.
- Institutional assessment and research (Power BI dashboards).
Nomination guidelines
Nominations are due no later than Feb. 1, 2023, with selections by March 1. The selections will be announced to campus in mid-March with a reception and cohort gathering. There will be monthly cohort meetings in April and May, and then in August through January 2024. There will be no meetings in June or July.
Send nominations via email with supporting documentation, such as a resume or CV to chancellor@siu.edu and copy Matt Baughman, chief of staff, at baughman@siu.edu.