Director of USM’s Faculty Development Institute Selected for AASCU’s Emerging Leaders Program
Tue, 06/14/2022 - 09:00am | By: Ivonne Kawas
Kelly Lester, director of the Center for Faculty Development and professor of dance
at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), among 36 higher education professionals
from around the nation selected for the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities’ (AASCU) 2022 Emerging Leaders Program (ELP).
Created in 2015, ELP is a premier leadership development program that aims to prepare early to mid-career academic and administrative emerging leaders who aspire to advance to administrative roles with greater responsibility and oversight. This year’s ELP cohort will meet in Washington, DC from June 15-17 for a three-day in-person retreat and will participate in monthly virtual workshops and small-group sessions for reflection and study of promising practices.
“I am looking forward to connecting with acclaimed leaders from institutions across the nation,” said Lester. “I find value in understanding the common challenges faced by leaders at other institutions and then learning about solutions to face those challenges. In addition, the cohort brings a diverse experience in disciplines and roles and many of the cohort members are in the faculty ranks.”
“In my personal realm, I have invested time in leadership development; however, this provides a unique opportunity to explore leadership capacity specifically through the lens of higher education to promote inclusivity, equity, and student success,” Lester added.
With a curriculum designed to develop the skills and competencies necessary for the next generation of higher education leaders, the 2022 ELP cohort will engage with a rich and experienced bench of faculty to cover topics such as equity and social justice leadership, navigating and leading through change, finance and administration, leading as a provost, and more. Additionally, each member of the ELP cohort will demonstrate their leadership skills to their campus community by leading an on-campus project or initiative with the support of their president/chancellor or cabinet-level administrator.
“My project centers on fostering inclusivity in the classroom,” said Lester. “Through the development of a cross-campus committee, we will investigate equity gaps and inclusive teaching practices to build a strategic plan to support inclusivity in the classroom and beyond.”
Executive Vice Provost Dr. Amy L. Chasteen will serve as Lester’s mentor throughout the ELP project work and implementation. “Kelly Lester is a dedicated and enthusiastic leader already,” states Chasteen, “and we are excited for her to have this opportunity to expand her skills further and apply that new knowledge here at Southern Miss. It is a well-deserved honor that will benefit Lester as well as the institution, and we are proud of her accomplishment.”
View the Emerging Leaders Program 2022 Cohort.
About the American Association of State Colleges and Universities
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of nearly 400 public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development. These are institutions Delivering America’s Promise.