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.

Understanding the Latest Campus Budget: Insights for Unit EOs – Hybrid

February 6, 2026
1:30pm-2:45pm
507 E. Green St, room 411 (4th Floor)

Join us for an overview of the 2025-2026 campus budget and its implications for academic and administrative units. In this session, unit leaders will gain essential context and guidance to support informed decision-making for their departments.

Speakers:

• Jamie Hackett, Assistant Provost and Director of Budget Operations
• Paul Redman, Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Associate Provost for Budget and Resource Planning

Teaching Excellence at Illinois: Updates and Resources for EOs – Hybrid

February 27, 2026
8:45am-10:00am
Swanlund Administration Building, Conference Room 500

Join us for an update on our campus’ Teaching Feedback and Evaluation framework and FLEX, our newly implemented student feedback survey on teaching. Our panel will highlight new resources, share what’s ahead, and offer practical insights for executive officers. This will also be an opportunity to share your voice and experience to help shape a more supportive and effective teaching environment at Illinois.

Speaker:

• Geoffrey Lindsay Herman, Provost Fellow for Teaching Evaluation and Severns Teaching Professor in Computer Science, Grainger College of Engineering

Empowered to Lead: Making the Most of the Institutional Data You Already Have – In-Person Only

March 12, 2026
8:45am-10:00am
Swanlund Administration Building, Conference Room 500

Academic leaders navigate complex decisions every day that shape the experiences of students, faculty, and staff. Bring your laptop and work directly with data for your own department during this hands-on workshop that is designed to empower you with the data resources already available on campus, allowing you to learn how to answer key questions, guide planning, and support the success of your unit. This session is for new EOs and those seeking a refresher!  

Panelists:

• Amy Edwards, Associate Provost and Director of the Division of Management Information, Office of the Provost
• Staci Provezis, Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment, Office of the Provost

When the Unexpected Happens: Navigating Crises in Your Unit – In-Person Only

April 1, 2026
8:45am-10:00am
Swanlund Administration Building, Conference Room 500

In this session, Associate Chancellor for Strategic Communication and Marketing, Robin Kaler, will offer practical tools and insights for navigating unexpected challenges in academic units, with real-life scenarios and shared strategies for responding to crises with clarity and confidence. This session is for new EOs and those seeking a refresher!  

Speaker:

• Robin Kaler, Associate Chancellor for Strategic Communication and Marketing, Office of the Chancellor

Previous Sessions

Crafting Compelling P&T Dossiers: Tips and Strategies for Unit EOs – Hybrid

September 9, 2025
8:45am-10:00am
OVCDEI, Room 3070 and Zoom

Join us for a focused session designed to provide unit executive officers with practical guidance on assembling clear, compelling promotion and tenure dossiers.

Panelists:

• Ana Barros, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Donald Biggar Willett Chair of Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering
• Curtis Perry, Chair of the Campus P&T Committee and Clayton and Thelma Kirkpatrick Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
• Shaowen Wang, Associate Dean for Life and Physical Sciences and Professor of Geography and Geographic Information Science, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

P&T Deep Dive for New Unit Executive Officers – In-Person Only

October 14, 2025
8:45am-10:00am
Swanlund Administration Building, Conference Room 500

This session builds on September’s “Crafting Compelling P&T Dossiers” session and offers additional tips, addresses common challenges, and provides space for questions. It’s designed to help new EOs—or those seeking a refresher—better understand their roles in organizing internal/external reviews, composing EO statements, and supporting strong dossiers. This session is for new EOs and those seeking a refresher!

Panelists:

• Stephanie Craft, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Journalism, College of Media
• Michael Spinella, Member of the Campus P&T Committee and Professor of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine

Adapting, Pivoting, Reframing, Reorienting: Facilitating Faculty Conversations to Address Current Challenges – In-Person ONLY

November 12, 2025
8:45am-10:00am
Swanlund Admin Building, Conference Room 500
601 E. John St, Champaign

Join us for an interactive session aimed at equipping unit EOs with tools to lead thoughtful, adaptive conversations with faculty members as they navigate shifting priorities and the emotional strain that can accompany today’s evolving academic challenges.

This session will take place in person only and will not be recorded, to support open and candid dialogue among participants.

Panelists:

• Rodney Johnson, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
• Chrystalla Mouza, Dean and Gutgsell Professor, College of Education
• Eva Pomerantz, Director of the Center for Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Archived Series

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