February 25, 2015

SEC ALDP Participants Recognized at Texas A&M

AAU President Hunter Rawlings speaks to SEC ALDP attendees during a reception at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

By: Bryant Welbourne
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

Fifty Southeastern Conference faculty and administrators were recognized for completing the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program (SEC ALDP) at the spring workshop at Texas A&M University, Feb. 18-20.

Event participants heard from several local speakers on how to deal with change in the university environment and took part in related situational exercises. Workshop topics included strategic conflict management and dialogue, planning for organizational transformation and managing student success.

“I appreciated the thematic focus with respect to different perspectives to planning, undertaking and sustaining institutional change,” said Dr. William Dunne, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering and Technology at the University of Tennessee. “It was useful to have an array of presentations on the operational approaches Texas A&M took to facilitate changes on campus.”

SEC ALDP attendees were welcomed by Texas A&M University Provost Dr. Karan Watson, who spoke to the group about her leadership approach. The following night, a reception and dinner was held at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Hunter Rawlings, President of the Association of American Universities (AAU), discussed the current state of higher education in the U.S.

“The program cemented that I want to continue in administration despite knowing the challenges,” said Dr. Ana Franco-Watkins, Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Psychology at Auburn University. “The connections I’ve made at Auburn and with other SEC ALDP fellows have provided me with a network and base to continue with my future trajectory.”

The SEC ALDP is a professional development program that seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond. It has two components: a university-level development program designed by each institution for its own participants and two, three-day, SEC-wide workshops held on specified campuses for all program participants. To date, more than 280 individuals have completed the program.

The program is part of SECU, the academic initiative of the SEC. Through SECU, the Southeastern Conference sponsors, supports and promotes collaborative higher education programs and activities involving administrators, faculty and students at its 14 member universities.