President's Fellows Program

  About
  Objectives
  Program Details
  Meet the Fellows
  Meet the Mentors
  Application Process
  Questions

About

The 51ԹϺ President’s Fellows Program is a leadership development initiative designed to create a new pathway for faculty members to partner with the President’s office and acquire high-level administrative experience while working on strategic initiatives of interest to the central university leadership.

A key goal of the initiative is to provide leadership development opportunities to faculty members who show promise for institutional leadership but may have limited prior experience in administrative roles.  The program is intended to continually bring diverse voices into the administration’s decision-making and improve shared governance by allowing more people to be involved in university administration.

“When we provide and support leadership skills training on a campus, we let people know that such skills are valued for everyone, not just a select few.”
— President Keith E. Whitfield, Ph.D.

Objectives

  • Provide emerging leaders at 51ԹϺ the opportunity to gain senior-level administrative experience to prepare them for leadership roles
  • Increase the diversity of perspectives and ideas within the university administration
  • Advance critical university initiatives through sustained administrative support from program participants

Program Details

The first component of the program consists of formal leadership training, including seminars, workshops, and discussion groups. The second component involves hands-on, experiential training through the completion of a special project (e.g., program implementation, policy writing, and data analysis) to advance an important university initiative or strategic goal.  Each Fellow will be assigned to an administrative unit, where they will be integrated into the unit’s operations and will be mentored by a senior leader.

The program begins in late August and concludes in mid-May each year, concurrent with the academic schedule.

Participants are expected to attend all leadership training events organized for their cohort.  Additional time will be required for work on the special project and meetings within the assigned unit. The overall estimated time commitment for the program is five hours each week.

Participants are also responsible for submitting a culminating report that summarizes their experience in the program, including a description of their special project and its outcomes.  This report (limited to 3 pages) is due by the end of the spring semester.

Fellows will retain their full salary and benefits and will also earn a stipend.

Meet the Fellows

President’s Fellows come from diverse backgrounds and represent a variety of units across the 51ԹϺ campus. The 2024-2025 cohort will be announced soon.

The program was paused during the 2023-2024 academic year.

  • Elizabeth Barrie, Ph.D.
    Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning Innovation
  • Jacimaria Batista, Ph.D., P.E.
    Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction, College of Engineering
  • Jenna Heath, '16 M.Ed.
    Director of Student & Community Engagement, College of Liberal Arts
  • Scott Hoffman, MS
    Assistant Director for Care Management/Chair, 51ԹϺ Support Team, Office of Student Conduct, Division of Student Affairs
  • Kevin McVay
    Assistant Director, College of Sciences
  • Lisa Menegatos, Ph.D.
    Dean, Honors College
  • Monika Neda
    Professor & Associate Dean for Research, College of Science
  • Eduardo Robleto
    Professor, School of Life Sciences, College of Sciences
  • Alison Sloat
    Professor in Residence, College of Sciences
  • Jacob Thompson, Ph.D.
    Professor in Residence, Undergraduate Coordinator, and Director of the 51ԹϺ Debate Team
  • A. B. Wilkinson
    Associate Professor, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts

Meet the Mentors

An essential component of the President's Fellows Program is the completion of a special project under the mentorship of a senior university administrator. Click on the names below to learn more about the mentors.

Application Process

Applications for the President’s Fellows Program are accepted in spring for the following academic year. When the application period is open, announcements will be made on this webpage and through other campus communication channels.

The program is open to full-time, regular academic and administrative faculty members at the university. At the time of application, individuals must have achieved at least five years of full-time work as a faculty member and also successfully completed both the Management Training Academy and the 51ԹϺ Leadership Experience programs.

The ability of a department or unit to maintain operations with the loss of a portion of an applicant’s time will be considered. Thus, individuals must consult with and receive approval from their supervisor prior to application.  

Preference will be given to applicants whose curriculum vitae or resume and statement of interest reflects strong interest in and potential for higher-level university leadership

Applicants must submit the following (combined into a single PDF file, in the order specified below):

  • Cover sheet with full name, job title, department/unit, college/division, email address, and phone number
  • Current curriculum vitae or resume
  • Letter of support from supervisor (one page maximum)
  • Statement of interest (two page maximum)
  • Letter of reference (one page maximum)

Complete applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm on Friday, April 12, 2024. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of the President, Provost, and other senior administrators. Applicants will be notified of the decision via email by early May.

Questions

  • Fred Tredup, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
  • Tondra De, Chief of Staff, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost