University Women’s Leadership Academy for Mid-Career Professionals*
2027 Application Now Open
*open to people of all gender identities
Empowering Courageous Leaders of Change
During the global pandemic, inequalities linked to gender increased and since then, political, educational, and economic uncertainties have intensified the need for university leaders to demonstrate creative solutions to new and evolving problems. It is critical for skilled and knowledgeable women university leaders to be involved in meeting these challenges. The Academy provides a structure for members to understand the challenges.
The UCLA University Women’s Leadership Academy supports members’ efforts to strengthen how they communicate their leadership, shape their careers, and respond to critical issues facing mid-level university leaders. The roots of the issues are deep or are more recent. They include fiscal issues and decreasing student enrollment, questions about the value of a university education and rising tuition, equitable university cultures, and issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence.
The Academy assists members to grow their leadership capacities and to examine their own leadership beliefs and perspectives. Members learn from expert practitioners and peers who have varied professional roles and university experiences. Together, they examine workplace dilemmas. Members engage in career planning and connecting their goals to their workplaces.
Academy participants are directors, assistant deans, faculty or have equivalent positions.
Academic Information
The Academy seeks to re-imagine university leadership to increase the value of women’s contributions. Through exploration of professional challenges and experiences, women leverage their multi-dimensional leadership capacities and knowledge to effect change. Academy members seek to better understand their career trajectories and leadership challenges, abilities, and goals.
Learning
- Learning is social. Participants explore the professional 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, career development, and best practices at universities.
- Learning about the critical challenges facing universities helps participants to meet the challenges.
- Learning is guided by expert university educators. They speak to the varied roles and functions across universities.
- Learning about issues related to navigating personal and professional lives.
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 problems
- Budget and finance
- Navigating the overt and covert university
- Women’s leadership voices
- Women and men: leadership beliefs/stereotypes
Career Shaping
- Readiness for career change
- Branding and Career Planning
- Negotiation after the job offer
- Networking
The application materials:
- A letter of intent that includes: a brief description of your mid-level 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 several topics of interest to you for the Academy. - A current resume.
- This application form.
The application deadline is November 1, 2026 (submit materials to Dr. Linda Rose at lrose@g.ucla.edu).
UCLA University Women’s Leadership Academy 2026 FEES
- Registration fee paid by January 15, 2027: $1,900 (per person)
- Registration fee paid by two or more people from the same college: $1,600 (per person)
- Registration fee paid after January 15, 2027: $2,100 (per person)
UCLA University Women’s Leadership Academy 2027 Hybrid Schedule
- One in-person session at UCLA (first session): Saturday, January 30, 2027, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST
- One Virtual Session (final session): Saturday, June 5, 2027, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST
- Ten virtual Monday evening sessions, 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. PST
- February 1, 8, 22
- March 8, 15, 22, 30
- May 3, 10, 17
