Latest SEC Leadership Development Cohort to be Recognized at UM

Ole Miss session wraps up work for eighth group of fellows

ALDP meeting to take place on the Ole Miss campus

ALDP cohort to be recognized in Oxford on Feb. 24-26

OXFORD, Miss. – The 2015-16 cohort of the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program will be recognized Feb. 24-26 at the University of Mississippi for completing the program. The spring workshop is the final meeting of all participants from Southeastern Conference universities for this year.

In its eighth year, the SEC ALDP is a professional development program that seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC universities and beyond. Aside from the two SEC-wide workshops, which last three days apiece, participants also go through university-focused exercises on their respective campuses.

“After hearing some of the experiences and accomplishments of my colleagues in this group, I was very humbled to be selected to represent my university at the workshops,” said David Puleo, associate dean for research and graduate studies in the University of Kentucky College of Engineering.

The 2015-16 cohort first met as a group at the University of Arkansas in October. A highlight of the event was a panel presentation that featured Dan Ferritor and Dave Gearhart, both former UA chancellors. The two had an open dialogue with participants on leadership, the relationship between the university and its numerous constituents, and the ever-changing landscape of higher education.

The upcoming workshop at Ole Miss will include sessions on budget and finance, leveraging social media and emergency communications, and in-basket group exercises. The schedule also includes a provosts panel featuring Karan Watson of Texas A&M University, Joe Glover of the University of Florida and Joan Gabel of the University of South Carolina.

The SEC ALDP cohort will be recognized on the final day of the workshop. To date, more than 250 academic administrators have completed the program.

The SEC ALDP is part of SECU, the academic initiative of the Southeastern Conference. SECU serves as the primary mechanism through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of SEC universities are promoted and advanced.