Interactive Workshops
Reframe your approach to leadership through dialogue, learning strategies and networking with diverse leaders in academia.
Identity and Leadership Program
Preparing diverse faculty for academic leadership
About the I-LEAD Program
The Identity and Leadership (I-LEAD) program is designed to prepare faculty for academic leadership by holding space to reflect on their intersectional identities and experiences, consider the broader institutional systems and structures that may influence access to leadership opportunities and perceptions of their leadership effectiveness, and develop the skills necessary to lead in academia.
All full-time faculty who have worked at Rutgers University at least 3 years AND are aspiring or current academic leaders are encouraged to apply to the Spring 2025 cohort.
Applications will open in October 2024 for an anticipated program start in January/February 2025. Please email facultydiversitycollaborative@oq.rutgers.edu with any questions.
What makes this leadership program different?
Once accepted into the program, faculty will have the opportunity to:
- Reflect on their identity, positionality, and leadership journey.
- Create strategies to address the unique challenges they may face on the path to academic leadership.
In addition, faculty build leadership capacity for:
- Engaging across differences and increasing confidence in their leadership.
- Promoting inclusion in leadership through a deeper understanding of how bias along visible and invisible identities may impact this journey.
Program Components
The I-LEAD pilot program consists of:
3
interactive workshops
(2 in-person, 1 virtual)
2
success circles
(peer mentorship)
1
leadership coaching session
Peer Mentoring
Share experiences, give and receive constructive feedback and support in a safe group environment.
Leadership Coaching
Gain individualized support to strengthen leadership skills, discover growth areas, set goals, and change behavior.
Coaching can be especially helpful as you transition into new roles, face challenges or prepare to take on more responsibility.
Required Workshops
April 4: Program Orientation, Identity and Leadership (In-Person Workshop)
Prepare to meet on April 4 from 9 am to 3 pm in Hageman Hall at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary Building (35 Seminary Pl, New Brunswick, NJ 08901).
April 26: Power, Privilege and Positionality in Academic Leadership (Virtual)
Participate in this virtual workshop on April 26 from 9 am to 3 pm.
May 16: Building Leadership Capacity for Future Success (In-Person Workshop)
Attend on May 16 from 9 am to 3 pm in Trayes Hall at the Douglass Campus Center (125 George St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901).
Learning Outcomes
As a result of participating in the I-LEAD program, faculty will:
Develop a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which identity and leadership intersect on the path to academic leadership.
Consider strategies and share best practices for combating challenges often faced by diverse faculty on the path to academic leadership.
Assess their behaviors, motivations and stressors, increasing leadership acumen and social influence.
Generate a leadership identity that is grounded in intersectional life experiences and effective leadership practices.
Expand networks to reduce isolation, build community and increase access to leadership development
and advancement opportunities.
Let's keep the conversation going.
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