 |
Home
Women Administrators Prepare for Executive Leadership at ACE
Forum
June 20, 2006
Women administrators from colleges and universities
across the country traveled to the offices of the American Council on
Education (ACE) in Washington earlier this month to
attend the Office of Women in Higher Education (OWHE) National
Leadership Forum.
The three-day event, held May 31-June 2, featured a
broad range of speakers addressing topics associated with the
program’s theme, Advancing Women’s Leadership.
Participants also attended interactive sessions and panel
discussions.
 |
| Thomas Botzman
emphasizes the importance of linking strategic plans to
budgets. |
OWHE National Leadership Forums play a critical role in
establishing networks of women and men committed to identifying talented
women administrators and providing the support necessary for their
advancement. Over the course of the three days, forum participants were
introduced to a full spectrum of issues related to executive leadership
in higher education, including managing multiple constituencies, crisis
management, and the president and the board. Participants also gained
experience in the practical side of ascending to executive leadership
positions through sessions and workshops on career mapping, resume
reviews, mock interviews, and the search process.
The forum opened with a session on "Integrating
Strategic Planning, Aligning Resources and Fundraising" presented
by Ann Caldwell, president of MGH Institute of Health Professions, and
Thomas Botzman, former ACE fellow and vice president for business and
finance, St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Caldwell focused on the
nuts and bolts of strategic planning and fundraising, while Botzman
underscored the importance of linking strategic plans to
budgets.
Patricia Cormier, president of Longwood University
(VA), gave a presentation on crisis management during the 2001 fire at
the university. Cormier conveyed the importance of balancing the
emotional reaction to crises with thoughtful and rational responses. She
also stressed the need to recognize the opportunity for growth and
rebirth when tragedy unexpectedly knocks at your door.
 |
| Consultants and participants serve as the search
committee members for the mock interviews. |
Rounding out the forum were presentations by Sharon Hart,
president of North Dakota State College of Science, and Lisa Rossbacher,
president of Southern Polytechnic State University. Hart spoke about the
delicate balancing act often walked by presidents when trying to
separate their personal lives from their
presidential lives. She explained that women, in particular, must be
prepared to consider issues such as marriage, family, and some
prejudices (e.g. being mistaken as the “president’s wife” and salary
inequities) when advancing to the presidency. Rossbacher
provided the group with practical tools on how to become one’s own
public relations director.
For more information on OWHE, see the ACE
web site.
 |
Celeste Rose, senior advisor to the chancellor,
University of California, Davis responds to questions during mock
interview. |
 |
Dr. Elizabeth Davis, vice provost for financial
& academic administration, Baylor University, comments on managing
multiple constituencies during break-out session. |
 |
Debra Buchanan (right), associate vice president,
academic affairs and student life, Jackson State University and Mary
McGee, (left) dean of students and associate dean of faculty, Columbia
University gain insight into strategies and tools needed for executive
leadership advancement. |
| women leadership senior administrators presidents national leadership forum owhe office of women in higher education ace american council on education |
|
|
