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
All sessions are 8:30am – 9:30am and In-Person unless otherwise noted
September 11, 2024: A Deeper Dive into Preparing P&T Dossiers for New EOs
This is a follow-up to the “Tips and Strategies on Preparing P&T Dossiers” session to provide new EOs additional opportunities to learn more about their specific roles, responsibilities, and expectations when putting together promotion and tenure dossiers.
Panelists:
- Kim Graber, Professor and Head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology, College of Applied Health Sciences
- Andrew Suarez, Professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior and Acting Director of the School of Integrative Biology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Location: Swanlund Administration Building, Room 500 (601 E. John Street, Champaign)
November 20, 2024: Where and How to Get Your Unit’s Data and Use it for Reporting and Planning
This highly interactive session focuses on how and where to access campus data to find answers to questions EOs have about their unit (Bring your laptop!).
Panelists:
- Staci Provezis, Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment, Office of the Provost
- Amy Edwards, Associate Provost and Director of the Division of Management Information, Office of the Provost
- Heidi Johnson, Director, Affirmative Action Analytics and Planning Division, Office for Access and Equity, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Location: Swanlund Administration Building, Room 500 (601 E. John Street, Champaign)
December 11, 2024: Planning Your Unit’s Budget and Resource Allocation
Planning for next academic year’s budget is underway and in this introductory session panelists will provide guidance for EOs to enable them to strategize and allocate their unit’s budget and resources.
Panelists:
- Paul Redman, Executive Associate Provost for Budget and Resource Planning, Office of the Provost
- Jamie Hackett, Assistant Provost and Director of Budget Operations, Office of the Provost
Location: Zoom
January 22, 2025: All About Undergraduate Student Affairs
Knowing about campuswide programs and resources for undergraduate students is necessary for EOs to be equipped with the strategies and means to support students in their units and address contemporary issues and concerns students face on campus and beyond.
Panelists:
- Stephen Bryan, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Support and Advocacy and Dean of Students, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
- Jim Hintz, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Inclusion, and Belonging, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
- Lowa Mwilambwe, Associate Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary, Health, and Well-Being, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Location: Zoom
February 26, 2025: Fostering Effective Working Relationships with Administrative Assistants: A Primer for New EOs
Whether or not one has worked with an administrative assistant before, this session can be helpful to EOs to gather new insights into ways they can foster a strong working relationship that maximizes the strengths of their administrative assistants. Discussions will include best practices for communication, delegation, and leveraging unique skills of administrative assistants to achieve the unit’s overall goals.
Location: Zoom
March 26, 2025: Rethinking Business as Usual: What Changes in HR and IT Mean for Unit EOs
Campus has been on a journey of transforming the way it delivers administrative services at all levels. In this session, panelists will share how Operational Excellence is helping streamline, innovate, and improve IT and HR services for campus and what those changes mean for unit EOs. Bring your questions and learn how transformations within IT and HR can help EOs better support their units.
Panelists:
- Shari Mickey-Boggs, Senior Associate Chancellor for Human Resources, Illinois Human Resources
- Mairéad Martin, Chief Information Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer
- Joe Bohn, Executive Director of Human Resources, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
Location: Swanlund Administration Building, Room 500 (601 E. John Street, Champaign)
April 23, 2025: How to Share Good News and Manage “Not-So-Good” News
Sharing good news or managing a crisis requires an effective communication strategy. Learn from our resident campus expert on the who, how, when, and why of having and socializing a communication strategy for your unit.
Speaker:
- Robin Kaler, Associate Chancellor for Strategic Communications and Marketing
Location: Swanlund Administration Building, Room 500 (601 E. John Street, Champaign)
May 6, 2025: Conversation with the Provost
A conversation with Provost John Coleman on campus priorities, evolving roles of leaders, and other big issues in higher education.
Speaker:
- John Coleman, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Location: Swanlund Administration Building, Room 500 (601 E. John Street, Champaign)
Monthly Sessions for Veteran and New Leaders
All sessions are 8:30am – 9:30am with exception to the Oct. 1 session which ends at 10:00am
September 4, 2024: Tips & Strategies for Preparing P&T Dossiers – Hybrid
An interactive session with key campus, college, and department leaders to discuss strategies and share resources to help unit EOs compile strong, compelling promotion and tenure dossiers.
Panelists:
- Greg Elliott, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Grainger College of Engineering; Chair of Campus Promotion & Tenure Committee (2023-2024)
- Wendy Heller, Professor of Psychology and Executive Associate Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Area Centers, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- Carlos Torelli, Professor of Marketing and Head of the Department of Business Administration, Gies College of Business
Location: ACES FUNK Library, Heritage Room (1101 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana) and Zoom
October 1, 2024: Balancing Academic Freedom and Free Speech at Illinois: A Primer for Unit EOs – Hybrid
Join us for an informative and thought-provoking session that aims to equip unit EOs with the knowledge and tools to navigate the complexities of academic freedom and free speech in today’s climate. (Note: this is an extended session 8:30-10:00 AM)
Panelists:
- Bill Bernhard, Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost
- Robin Kaler, Associate Chancellor, Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing
- Jason Mazzone, Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Professor of Law and Director of the Illinois Program in Constitutional Theory, History, and Law
Location: ACES FUNK Library, Sims Executive Room (1101 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana) and Zoom
October 16, 2024: What EOs Need to Know About this Year’s Campus Budget – Hybrid
An update on the campus budget for Academic Year 2024-2025 and all related financial and resource information.
Panelists:
- Bill Bernhard, Interim Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Budget and Resource Planning, Office of the Provost
- Paul Redman, Executive Associate Provost for Budget & Resource Planning, Office of the Provost
Location: ACES FUNK Library, Sims Executive Room (1101 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana) and Zoom
November 5, 2024: Leading with Confidence Through Uncertainty: Supporting Students in Your Unit – Hybrid
Current political and global events continue to impact our campus life and EOs are responsible for assisting students (and others) navigate these uncertain times. In this session, we feature leaders of our campuswide student-centered programs to help equip EOs with the necessary knowledge and resources to support the students within their unit.
Panelists:
- Danita Brown Young, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Office of Student Affairs
- Reitu Obakeng Mabokela, Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Global Affairs & Strategies, Office of the Provost
- Wojtek Chodzko Zajko, Dean of the Graduate College
Location: ACES FUNK Library, Sims Executive Room (1101 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana) and Zoom
December 3, 2024: Building a Stronger Future Together by Leveraging the Hidden Value of General Education – Zoom Only
Through this interactive session, we will cover key benefits that students gain from the General Education Program and how EOs can best support students, faculty, and staff to achieve those goals.
Panelists:
- Chadly Stern, Provost Fellow, Office of the Provost, and Associate Professor of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Location: Zoom
Register for Building a Stronger Future Together by Leveraging the Hidden Value of General Education.
February 11, 2025: Maximizing the Impact of Teaching Evaluations for Faculty Members: Tools and Resources for Unit EOs – Zoom Only
In this session, we will share additional guidance, processes, and new resources as units design and implement teaching evaluations that align with the campuswide definition of teaching excellence.
Panelists:
- Geoffrey Herman, Provost Fellow, Office of the Provost, and Severns Teaching Professor of Computer Science, Grainger College of Engineering
Location: Zoom
March 11, 2025: When Faculty Members Plan on Taking the Public Engagement Research Option (PERO) – Hybrid
Get an update on the latest guidance and resources for faculty members who are considering taking the Public Engagement Research Option (PERO) towards their promotion and tenure. We will also talk about how EOs can engage in conversations with colleagues to discern the appropriateness of PERO as a pathway for their promotion and tenure.
Panelists:
- Eva Pomerantz, Director of the Center for Social and Behavioral Sciences, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and Professor of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Location: ACES FUNK Library, Sims Executive Room (1101 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana) and Zoom
April 8, 2025: Updates to Provost Communications #25 & #26: What Unit EOs Need to Know – Hybrid
In this session, we will discuss key updates and revised guidelines related to the employment, appointment, and promotion of Specialized Faculty Members at Illinois.
Panelists:
- Mark Peecher, Executive Associate Dean of Faculty and Research and Deloitte Professor of Accountancy, Gies College of Business
- Sharon Reynolds, Associate Provost for Faculty Employment Relations, Office of the Provost
Location: ACES Funk Library, Sims Room (1101 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana) and Zoom
Archived Series
See the Academic Leadership Seminar Series Archive for previous academic years.