Advocate Online

On the Road
with Valerie Wilk

In Denver, this past summer, NEA convened its first-ever Higher Education Emerging Leader Academy. The participants—38 faculty, academic professionals, and education support professionals from colleges and universities across the nation— gathered for an intensive three-and-a-half day program of leadership development, communications, problem solving, organizing, and long-range planning. The NEA Higher Education training cadre developed and conducted the training.

Participants started with exercises to identify their own leadership and communication styles and then explored ways to use those strengths and incorporate the strengths of others with complementary styles to build their locals.

NEA Executive Committee member Becky Pringle explained the NEA structure and talked about leadership at the national level. In addition, the group received a tool kit of NEA Higher Education resources.

In the final session, the emerging leaders discussed their goals for the coming months, such as developing a membership team, organizing adjunct faculty and part-timers, conducting resource training for the negotiations team, and networking with state Association leaders.

The Emerging Leader Academy is designed for newly elected officers, those in their first year in office, or members who are becoming active in their Associations but haven’t yet held office. Participants are nominated by their state Association.

These emerging leaders will reconvene for training in November and will graduate from the academy in February at the NEA 2003 Higher Education Conference.

— Valerie Wilk coordinates NEA higher Ed activities.