Academic Leadership Seminar Series

The Academic Leadership Seminar Series is designed for new and experienced campus leaders who wish to engage in dialogue, share best practices, and discuss issues such as leadership, financial and strategic planning, and faculty development.

Monthly Sessions for New Leaders

Nuts and Bolts of P&T at Illinois (Part 1a)

September 20, 2023

A deeper dive following our previous session on the EOs’ role in putting together successful P&T dossiers.

Mariselle Melendez, Director of the School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics
Andy Suarez, Professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior; Entomology


AVSL, NONR, LOA, MYC, Oh my!

October 18, 2023

From learning acronyms to understanding key HR processes, this introductory session is a must for new unit Executive Officers at Illinois.

Jessica Mette, Assistant Provost for Faculty Appointments and Policy Administration
Angela Reggans, Assistant Director for Labor and Employee Relations
Laura Czys, Director, Policy Design and Administration


All About Student Services

November 15, 2023

Panel discussion on campus programs and resources to support students, including strategies EOs can use to address unique concerns students face as we all return to campus for a new academic year.

Stephen Bryan, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Support and Advocacy
James Hintz, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Inclusion, and Belonging
Lowa Mwilambwe, Associate Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary, Health, & Wellbeing


How Legal Counsel, OAE, and Public Safety Offices Support EOs

December 13, 2023

Panel discussion on campus offices and resources that support Executive Officers to address legal and safety concerns and issues for students, staff, and faculty members.

Nizam Arain, Vice Chancellor for Access and Equity
Collin Richmond, Campus Legal Counsel


Budget 101: Planning and Allocating Resources for your Unit

January 24, 2024

An introductory session to assist Executive Officers plan their unit’s resources.

Paul Redman, Executive Associate Provost for Budget and Resource Planning
Jamie Hackett, Assistant Provost and Director of Budget Operations
Micki Ostrosky, Interim Head of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction and Professor of Special Education


Where and How to Get Your Unit’s Data and Use it for Reporting and Planning

February 28, 2024

An interactive session where you can dig into campus data to find answers to questions you have about your unit.

Amy Edwards, Associate Provost and Director of the Division of Management Information
Staci Provezis, Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment
Heidi Johnson, Director for Affirmative Action

Session Resources:


How Public Affairs Office Can Help You Share Good News and Manage “Not-So Good” News

March 20, 2024

Sharing good news or managing a crisis requires a good communication plan. Learn from our resident campus expert on the who, how, when, and why of creating communication plans for your unit.

Robin Kaler, Associate Chancellor for Strategic Communications


Conversation with the Provost

April 17, 2024

A conversation with Provost John Coleman on campus priorities, evolving roles of leaders, and other big issues in higher education.

John Coleman, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost

Monthly Sessions for Veteran and New Leaders

Nuts and Bolts of P&T at Illinois – Part 1

September 5, 2023

Strategies and resources for unit Executive Officers to help them compile strong and compelling Promotion and Tenure dossiers.

Greg Elliott, Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Ramona Oswald, Professor and Head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Curtis Perry, Professor of English


An Update on the Campus Budget

October 3, 2023

An update from the Office of the Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Budget and Resource Planning on the current campus budget, operational excellence, and other financial and resource-related topics.

Bill Bernhard, Interim Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Budget and Resource Planning and Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Andrea Hoey, Associate Provost for Budget and Financial Analysis


Retention Starts at Recruitment

November 7, 2023

Our panel will share strategies, best practices, and campus and community resources to help enhance your unit’s recruitment and retention efforts.

Dana Cohen, Director of Faculty Recruitment
Philippe Geubelle, Executive Associate Dean, Grainger College of Engineering
Kim Graber, Professor and Head of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health

Session Resources:


A Spotlight on Faculty Awards and Distinctions

December 5, 2023

Whatever the size of the unit, academic EOs can support excellence among faculty members via an infrastructure that systematically identifies, selects, and successfully nominates colleagues for department, disciplinary, college, and campus recognitions, national academy memberships, and other highly prestigious awards. We will discuss strategies, best practices, and resources to support units to enhance their capacity to nominate faculty members for awards.

Melissa Chan, Coordinator for Major Awards
Martin H. W. Gruebele, Professor and the James R. Eiszner Endowed Chair in Chemistry
Laura Shackelford, Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Teaching Advancement Board

Session Resources:


Nuts and Bolts of P&T at Illinois – Part 2

January 16, 2024

In this special session, we will discuss do’s and don’ts when processing internal and external evaluations for P&T dossiers, writing the future potential section, and composing the EO Statement.

Mariselle Melendez, Director of the School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics
Carin Vanderpool, Associate Dean for Research, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Session Resources:


A Primer on Collective Bargaining at Illinois

February 13, 2024

In this session, our panelists will provide background information on the university’s relationship with various academic and civil service bargaining units on our campus. The focus will be helping EOs understand their role and responsibilities when working with colleagues represented by these bargaining units.

Robb Craddock, Executive Directors for Labor & Employee Relations
Sharon Reynolds, Associate Provost for Faculty Employee Relations


Student Success: Inclusive Course Redesign Initiative

March 5, 2024

A discussion of the Inclusive Course Redesign Initiative (ICRI), which is one of the efforts on campus to work toward closing the achievement gap for historically marginalized students. ICRI creates a partnership between instructors of courses with larger undergraduate enrollments from different disciplines and course design experts. In this partnership, approaches customized to fit each classroom content are developed with the aim of reducing these persistent disparities.

Kathy Martensen, Associate Provost for Education Programs
Kevin Jackson, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education


When Faculty Members Plan on Taking the Public Engagement Research Option (PERO)

April 2, 2024

In this session, we will provide an update on the latest guidance and resources for academic Executive Officers as they assist faculty members in their units who are considering taking the Public Engagement Research Option (PERO) towards their Promotion and Tenure. We will also talk about how to engage in conversations to discern the appropriateness of PERO with colleagues.

Archived Series

See the Academic Leadership Seminar Series Archive for previous academic years.