Engineering leadership for the College

The assignment was easier to describe than it was to execute: create a program that empowers and celebrates success of the College of Engineering faculty throughout all phases of their careers.

Since relaunching the Center for Faculty Success last August, Faculty Director Reeja Jayan and Managing Director Katie Walsh have been doing just that. They developed programs for new faculty, for those who are actively building their careers, and for faculty celebrating major milestones in their careers.

Their recent announcement of the inaugural cohort of the new Engineering Leadership Fellows Program, means that in less than one year, they have created substantial opportunities for all faculty in the College of Engineering to participate in meaningful professional development.

“This new program is a cross-cutting effort that will empower our faculty with skills that not only will help them become stronger leaders but will also help them to be better teachers and researchers,” said Jayan.

Nine faculty members are slated to participate in the Engineering Leadership Fellows program, which will begin with a full-day kickoff event in early September. Throughout the next academic year, the fellows will convene once a month in sessions that will include reviews of assigned reading materials, group discussions and activities, and an impressive lineup of guest speakers from Carnegie Mellon and other prestigious institutions.

Adam Goodman, who directs Northwestern University's Center for Leadership and is a faculty member in the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science there, is working closely with Jayan and Walsh to craft a custom curriculum for the program that addresses the specific needs that a small, elite, private engineering college encounters.

This new program is a cross-cutting effort that will empower our faculty with skills that not only will help them become stronger leaders but will also help them to be better teachers and researcher.

Reeja Jayan, Faculty Director, Center for Faculty Success

Jayan is especially pleased to be working with Goodman, who brings a tremendous amount of experience in leadership training to the program. He is co-founder of Catapult, a university spin-off based on his research building a data-intensive enterprise-wide web portal for leadership, coaching, and teamwork assessment, which he will employ in the multiple sessions he moderates throughout the year.

As a new program, particularly one in which both the college and the participants are making a significant investment, there will be a strong emphasis on assessment.

“Our intention is to continually develop and grow this program beyond year one, so we will pay careful attention to feedback and outcomes,” said Jayan.

She says that developing strong leaders can have a powerful impact on the college by enhancing student experience and performance, inspiring and developing faculty and staff, strengthening academic programs, building a strong institutional reputation, and managing through difficult times.

She added, “Given some of the unprecedented challenges that higher education is facing, this really is a great time for us to embark on this endeavor.”

The inaugural cohort of Engineering Leadership Fellows includes: Lujo Bauer, Steve Chase, Tzahi Cohen-Karni, Swarun Kumar, Deanna Matthews, Albert Presto, Costa Samaras, Ryan Sullivan, and Katie Whitehead.