Faculty Leadership Development Programs Announced

The Office of the Provost will offer new programs to support academic leaders at GW.

March 25, 2019

George statue on Kogan Plaza

Two new programs from the Office of the Provost will seek to grow academic leaders across the George Washington University: a leadership academy and a seminar lunch series addressing leadership topics, Provost Forrest Maltzman announced Monday.

The GW Academic Leadership Academy is a yearlong, cohort-based program that will help participants develop the skills of effective academic leaders.

“A cadre of talented academic leaders is critical to the smooth functioning and operation of the university,” Dr. Maltzman said. “The simple fact of the matter is that organizations with strong academic leaders who have the trust of their communities and deep understanding of the challenges thrive, while those that don’t struggle. We need to help our leaders be successful.”

The academy focuses on imparting institutional knowledge, self-development, skill-building, networking and coaching. It is based on benchmarking from peer institutions, best practices and a similar program offered within GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The nomination process to be part of the inaugural academy cohort is now open. Information on eligibility requirements and the program is available in the Academic Leaders Portal. Those selected will begin the academy in June. The fellows will meet seven times and work on a project of their choice throughout the year.

“Leadership succession is a priority,” said Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Christopher Bracey, who will manage the program. “The new academy will help us identify a pool of trained and motivated faculty candidates for future leadership positions.”

GW will also track the effectiveness of the program by examining fellows’ career progression over time, Dr. Bracey added.

Meanwhile, the Academic Leaders Learning Lunch seminar series also will launch in June. The series will feature a variety of topics, to be announced soon and include academy fellows and leaders at all levels throughout GW’s schools and academic units as well as a free lunch.

“We hope that bringing the entire academic leadership community, including chairs, associate deans, vice provosts and others, together to discuss best practices will reinforce just how important we believe their roles are to our success,” Dr. Maltzman said.

Registration for the first lunch event will open in April. Academic leaders will receive more information by email from the Office of Faculty Affairs.