WWU leadership institute plans faculty development workshop for September; applications due June 30

The Karen W. Morse Institute for Leadership at Western Washington University has planned a Scholarship of Leadership Faculty Development Workshop for three days in early September, 2010.

The leadership workshop will be a multi-day seminar designed to give interested faculty members the conceptual tools needed to integrate leadership research and theory into their research and creative activities, teaching and in developing their own interests in professional leadership service.

The concept of leadership is important in just about every discipline, said Joseph Garcia, director of the Karen W. Morse Institute for Leadership at WWU.

"If you're in Fine Arts, for example, leadership is useful in directing, conducting and development of a school of thought around artistic development," Garcia said. "It's not typical for people in many disciplines to look at things from a leadership perspective, but development of a leadership lens can be beneficial in those disciplines."

Leadership skills also are invaluable in one's own scholarship and in faculty members' interactions with others through their work, Garcia said.

"Faculty members here at Western are very good, and we have many opportunities to participate in our disciplines in leadership roles," he said.

The seminar will provide faculty members an opportunity to share ideas with interested colleagues from throughout the university. It is anticipated that approximately 12 members of the faculty will participate in the seminar.

The seminar consists of a dozen hours spread across three days on the Western campus. Half-day discussions in the first two days will focus on foundational research and theory on leadership processes and leadership ethics based on philosophical thought and social science research. After these two days, participants will gather for a full day to share ideas for applying a leadership lens to their scholarship, teaching or professional leadership service based on their own interests and needs. The seminar will be an exciting chance to discuss this important topic from a scholarly framework.

As part of the seminar, a follow-up session to be scheduled in spring 2011 will bring participants together to share stories on how the seminar led to new learning, research, teaching and professional development.

Dates:

  • Thursday, Sept. 9, 9 a.m. to noon
  • Friday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m. to noon
  • Monday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Facilitators:

  • Joseph E. Garcia, director of the Karen W. Morse Institute for Leadership
  • Roger Gilman, dean of Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies

All full-time faculty at WWU are eligible to apply. Participants will receive a $250 honorarium. Applications should include a one-page explanation of why you are interested in the seminar and how it relates to your development as a scholar, a brief biographical statement and a one-page curriculum vitae. Applications should be sent by June 30 to wendy.knight@wwu.edu.

For more information, contact Joe Garcia at (360) 650-3916 or Wendy Knight at (360) 650-2292.