Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education’s new leadership institute for underrepresented minority faculty graduated its inaugural cohort last week during a council meeting at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.
The purpose of the Academic Leadership Development Institute (ALDI) is to develop more campus leaders among early career, underrepresented minority faculty who aspire to leadership positions.
The cohort consisted of 19 faculty representing all eight of the state universities and seven colleges of Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
Morehead State University was represented by Tamera Izlar, assistant professor of theatre.
“We are building a cadre of great higher education leaders who can take us well in the 21st century,” said Aaron Thompson, CPE executive vice president and chief academic officer.
Campus provosts nominated candidates for the yearlong initiative based on the following criteria: fewer than seven years’ experience in the profession, demonstrated leadership ability, interest in advancement and dedication to their teaching craft.
Thompson said that institutions benefit from developing their own leaders because of their familiarity with the campus climate and knowledge of the institutional mission and strategic plan.
In addition, the program supports campus diversity plans that call for increasing underrepresented minorities in management occupations.
The program, created and facilitated by Dr. Caroline Atkins, a senior associate at the Council, was an eight-month program. During this time, participants acquired a more comprehensive view of postsecondary education from both national and statewide perspectives.
Other graduates and their institutions were:
Bluegrass Community and Technical College: LaVetta Reliford
Eastern Kentucky University: Dr. Socorro Zaragoza
Henderson Community and Technical College: Michelle Chappell
Jefferson Community and Technical College: Leonard Thomas
Kentucky State University: Dr. Donavan Ramon
Madisonville Community College: Dr. Aseem Talukdar
Murray State University: Dr. Mi-Hwa Park
Northern Kentucky University: Dr. Francoise Knox Kazimierczuk
Somerset Community College: Dr. Amanda Waterstrat
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College: Victoria Cloud
University of Kentucky: Dr. Julie Plasencia, Dr. Jacqueline Couti and Dr. Gabriel Dadi
University of Louisville: Dr. Delaina Amos, Dr. Dewey Clayton, Dr. Baron Kelly and Dr. Sheri Wallace
Western Kentucky University: Dr. Kimberly Green
