Apurba Dutta, Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, named one of 13 KU Senior Administrative Fellows for 2019-2020
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas program with a commitment to developing potential in faculty has announced its newest cohort. The Senior Administrative Fellows Program, which began in 1993, cultivates the leadership skills and organizational know-how of tenured faculty through a yearlong exploration and mentoring curriculum.
Thirteen KU faculty members have been selected to take part in the SAF Program for the 2019-2020 academic year.
“The Senior Administrative Fellows Program provides an opportunity to learn from and pose questions to those currently serving in leadership roles at KU and elsewhere in higher education,” said J. Christopher Brown, vice provost for faculty development and a past senior administrative fellow. “We hope to provide the tools, training and mentoring that can help future leaders transition from an outstanding professor to a leader of people and programs who can help others reach their full potential.”
The Senior Administrative Fellows Program offers tenured faculty interested in leadership roles the opportunity to see the nuts and bolts of administrative activities and responsibilities. The program is led by Brown with the assistance of Jenny Mehmedovic, associate director of the Center for Faculty Development & Mentoring. In addition to learning more about major units of the university, fellows meet with KU’s senior leadership and take part in discussions surrounding academic leadership, public policy and the future of higher education.
The class of fellows is selected from applications solicited in the spring semester of the previous academic year.
“This year’s cohort of fellows is very engaged and is already asking meaningful questions about what it means to be a leader in today’s higher education environment, and how to create space for everyone to succeed,” Brown said.
This year’s participants:
Paulyn Cartwright, professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Clint Chadwick, professor and area director of management & entrepreneurship in the School of Business
Katie Conrad, associate professor and chair of the Department of English
Apurba Dutta, associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the School of Pharmacy
Ada Emmett, librarian, director of Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright for KU Libraries, and faculty ombuds
Ken Fischer, professor of mechanical engineering
Ani Kokobobo, associate professor and chair of the Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures
David Mechem, professor and acting chair of the Department of Geography & Atmospheric Science
Renee Perelmutter, associate professor and director of Jewish studies
Betsaida Reyes, associate librarian at KU Libraries, librarian for Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American and Caribbean studies
David Slusky, associate professor, associate chair, and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Economics
Nick Syrett, professor and chair of the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Richard Yi, professor of psychology and director of the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment
The Senior Administrative Fellows Program has an established record of success. Many participants have gone on to lead programs at KU and elsewhere.
Past participants include Kim Wilcox, chancellor at the University of California, Riverside; Ann Cudd, provost at the University of Pittsburgh; Christopher Morphew, dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education; Paul Atchley, senior associate vice president and dean of undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida; and Sara Rosen, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Georgia State University. Several current and former vice provosts, associate deans, interim deans and directors at KU have also participated in the program.