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Leadership, Management and Organizational Development
Poster Session
Binh Le
Librarian
The Pennsylvania State University
In 2015, this presenter was awarded two highly competitive fellowships by his institution, a large doctoral granting university, to participate in two senior-level academic leadership development programs. The first fellowship, sponsored by his university, enabled him to shadow the second-most senior administrator of the University, full-time for the entire calendar year. In addition, the fellowship also allowed him to participate in a multiplicity of activities, including meeting with the University’s President and other senior administrators (e.g., vice presidents, vice provosts, deans, and coaches, including the University’s Athletic Director); attending the meetings (including the committee meetings) of the Board of Trustees and the University Faculty Senate; participating in the workshops designed for new administrators; and involving in the selection of senior-level administrators. The second was a consortia fellowship, offered by one of country’s premiere academic conferences, which afforded him to participate in a series of high-level academic leadership development seminars. The seminars, conducted by higher education’s senior leaders (e.g., presidents, chancellors, vice presidents, provosts), focused on an array of issues facing higher education (e.g., academic leadership, academic freedom, faculty shared governance, technology, resources, and diversity). The seminars were held at different universities within the consortium during the academic year. Over the years, many of the fellows of these two academic leadership development programs have subsequently become deans (including deans of libraries), provosts, chancellors, vice presidents, and presidents.
In this presentation, the presenter—an Asian American academic librarian, who is among the very first academic librarians of color that have ever been awarded these fellowships since their inceptions a few decades ago, offers a unique perspective on his participation in these two highly competitive and high-level academic leadership development fellowship programs.