University Women’s Leadership Academy for Mid-Career Professionals*
*open to people of all gender identities
Empowering Courageous Leaders of Change
Challenges facing universities are deepening and increasingly critical in many colleges. Some question the value of a university education. Decreasing student enrollment has fiscal implications. Artificial Intelligence has brought benefits and created a variety of issues, some ethical. Recruiting, developing, and sustaining faculty and administrators is more difficult. Another challenge is nurturing and extending diversity, equity, and inclusion. Social and political polarization have troubled campus climates.
These issues as well as others require flexible and knowledgeable mid-level leadership across the university. It is critical for women’s voices to have greater influence on impacting the critical issues in higher education. During the past 20 years, women’s efforts to exert greater leadership have slowed. Research indicates that women continue to face socio-cultural, political, and structural barriers to university leadership.
The University Women’s Leadership Academy is designed for mid-career professionals (faculty and administrators) who seek to extend their leadership and value to their universities. The Academy emphasizes navigating the overt and covert university. Activities and instruction are led by expert practitioners in human resources, academic personnel, finance, student affairs, negotiation, career development, and collaborating for change.
An overarching Academy goal is to help leaders harness their strengths and build university cultures that are inclusive and equitable.
The Academy highlights in-person and virtual learning in small and larger groups. Each participant belongs to a mentor circle that promotes learning and support.
Academic Information
The Academy seeks to re-imagine university leadership to increase the value of women’s many contributions. Through exploration of professional challenges and experiences, women leverage their multi-dimensional leadership capacities to effect change. Leaders are empowered to identify and harness strengths to build university-related cultures that are more inclusive and equitable.
Learning
- Learning is social. Participants explore the experiences of others in Academy discussions and in mentor circles.
- Learning develops through readings, activities and videos related to acting and thinking like a leader, 360° leadership, career development, and best practices at universities.
- Learning about the critical challenges facing universities helps to meet the challenges.
- Learning is guided by expert university educators. They speak to the varied roles and functions across universities.
- Learning how to make university culture more equitable from top-down and bottom-up.
Leadership Knowledge and Capacities Across the University
- Critical challenges facing university mid-level leaders
- Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (Herminia Ibarra)
- Using a consultancy protocol to consider solutions to a problem
- Budget and finance
- Navigating the overt and covert university
- Women’s leadership voices
- Women and men: leadership beliefs/stereotypes
- 360° leadership
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
- Planning for DEI
- Anti-racism processes and strategies
Career Shaping
- Branding and Career Planning
- Negotiation after the job offer
- Networking
- Human Resources / Academic Personnel
The application materials:
- A letter of intent that includes: a brief description of your leadership experience
at a four-year college or university, short-term and long-term goals for doing the
UCLA University Women’s Leadership Academy for Mid-Career Professionals,
and specific topics that are of interest to you. - A current resume.
- This application form.
The application deadline is January 20,, 2025 (submit materials to Dr. Linda Rose at lrose@g.ucla.edu).
UCLA University Women Leadership Academy 2025 FEES
Early Bird Registration paid by March 1, 2025: $1900 per person
Registration fee paid by March 1, 2025 by two or more participants from the same university: $1,700 per person
Registration fee paid by March 15, 2025: $2,100 per person
UCLA participants may pay by departmental re-charge. Payment may be made by check or credit card. UCLA participants may also pay by departmental re-charge.
UCLA University Women’s Leadership Academy 2025 Hybrid Schedule
IN-PERSON AT UCLA, 10 A.M. – 4 P.M. SATURDAY, March 22 and June 21
ZOOM THURSDAY EVENINGS, 6:30 P.M. – 9 P.M.
March 27
April 10, 17, 24
May 1, 8, 15, 22
June 5, 12
