OXFORD, Miss. – About 40 academic leaders from across the Southeastern
Conference have converged at the University of Mississippi this week
for help with developing their management and organization skills.
The two-day Leading for Excellence workshop, which began Tuesday (Oct.
6), is conducted by the SEC Academic Consortium. The group’s Academic
Leadership Development Program seminars focus on a variety of topics,
including budgeting and finance, diversity issues, trends in higher
education and leadership strategies. The goal is to identify, develop,
prepare and advance faculty as academic leaders in and for SEC
universities.
“It’s a tremendous honor and privilege to have
these individuals here,” said UM pharmacy Dean Barbara G. Wells. “They
are incredibly bright and their potential is phenomenal.”
A seminar presenter, Wells addressed the group on the importance
of listening and communication. “Strong communicating skills probably
represent the most important skills that a leader can have.”
Wells said she hopes participants leave the conference with a better
understanding of their abilities and the process they can follow to
realize their potential as creative leaders to take their institutions
to the next level.
SECAC was established in 2007 to advance academic successes
throughout the conference by pooling resources and creating new ideas
through a collaborative approach. SECAC director Julie Goldman said the
organization encourages academic collaboration across all 12 SEC
universities.
“We recognize that the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts,” Goldman said. “We’re looking for ways to combine our
efficiencies, highlight our expertise and to stretch our academic
pursuits across the universities.”
Johnny Lott, director of UM’s Center for Excellence in Teaching
and Learning and the university’s representative to SECAC, said having
representatives from SEC schools exchange ideas is key to each
institution’s future success.
“These are future deans and provosts for the SEC,” Lott said.
“This leadership development is a valuable experience for all of them.”
Each SEC university is allowed four academic fellows. UM has two
fellows: Angela Rutherford, coordinator for the Center for Excellence
in Literacy Instruction, and Donald Dyer, chair of the Department of
Modern Languages.
For more information on SECAC, go to http://www.secac.net/.