March 23, 2023

SEC ALDP Virtual Forum Lets Alumni Focus on Leadership Journey

By: SEC Staff
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

Birmingham, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program held its annual Spring Virtual Forum on Tuesday, as it focused on career progression and upper administration job searches.

Welcoming SEC ALDP alumni from the program’s 13 cohorts, the event presented an interactive panel of senior leaders from around the Conference along with search firm executives to prepare former fellows for their next steps in academic leadership.

Organized by Mississippi State University, panelists included Dr. Jerome A. Gilbert, executive search consultant with AGB Search and former president of Marshall University; Dr. Sharon Oswald, dean of Mississippi State’s College of Business; Dr. Jim Sirianni, managing director of Storbeck Search; and Abby Kallin, associate with Storbeck Search.

The panel discussed, among other topics, job roles and characteristics of successful presidents, chancellors and deans; preparing materials and research for interviews; as well as details about working with a search consultant.

“Honesty and communication is key for a good candidate throughout the process,” Kallin said during the event. “It’s helpful to know if you’re involved with other searches, your timeline, salary and other compensations, among other things because we don’t want to be caught off-guard if the search committee wants to move forward and to make sure your priorities are in line with what the institution can offer.

“This helps for us to be your advocate in what you are looking for and how the institution can get there.”

The SEC Academic Leadership Development Program seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond. It has multiple components that includes a university-level development program designed by each institution for its own fellows; two SEC-wide workshops held on specified campuses for all program participants; a competitive fellowship designed to provide administrative growth opportunities for former fellows; and a virtual continuing education forum.

A new cohort of fellows is set to begin this fall that will include an in-person workshop at Texas A&M University.