BETHANY COLLEGE FACULTY COMPLETE YEAR-LONG LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
July 29, 2019
LINDSBORG, KAN., July 29, 2019- Bethany College faculty, Eleanor Heimbaugh and Gretchen Norland, completed the 2nd Aspiring Campus Leaders Academy, a year-long program of the Kansas Independent College Association designed to strengthen future leaders of academic departments. Dr. Norland is an Associate Professor of Education and the current chair of the education department. Eleanor Heimbaugh, is an Assistant Professor of Ceramics and Sculpture and the Director of Swedish Crafts. Dr. Duke Rogers, Associate Professor of Business and Economics represented Bethany College the first year of the academy.
The Aspiring Campus Leaders Academy is the result of discussions among the presidents and provosts of small private colleges about the need for an affordable high-quality campus leader training. Moreover, while there were multiple programs for those interested in becoming provosts and/or presidents, there were few programs focused on the department heads and deans.
The academy focuses on developing four core capacities for future leaders, the four “Cs”: context, competence, confidence, and connectedness. In summary, the four capacities focus on the challenge and environments of small non-private colleges, identify the skills necessary for leaders to act immediately and continually, build confidence and recognition of the integral role as part of a campus team and develop relationships for external support among KICA campuses. KICA again partnered with Credo to develop and deliver a significant portion of the content for the Academy. KICA’s work is now a model for several other states.
Each KICA campus was permitted to nominate up to three (3) individuals. Participants were expected to attend four separate in-person workshops, three webinars, and engage in one hour of mentoring each month. In addition, participants were to interview a campus leader in a different functional area and complete two campus tours (one of their own campus and one of another KICA campus).
Dr. Mauch described the academy as a “fantastic opportunity for junior and senior faculty to focus on leadership and looks forward to watching participants blossom.”
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to educate, develop, and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service. Bethany connects its past, present, and future with distinctive initiatives like Swedes to Sweden, a free service-learning trip for the sophomore class to Sweden, and the Good Life Scholarship, presenting all local high school graduates with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the college. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu and is located in Lindsborg, Kansas, the fine arts and crafts capital of the state.
The Aspiring Campus Leaders Academy is the result of discussions among the presidents and provosts of small private colleges about the need for an affordable high-quality campus leader training. Moreover, while there were multiple programs for those interested in becoming provosts and/or presidents, there were few programs focused on the department heads and deans.
The academy focuses on developing four core capacities for future leaders, the four “Cs”: context, competence, confidence, and connectedness. In summary, the four capacities focus on the challenge and environments of small non-private colleges, identify the skills necessary for leaders to act immediately and continually, build confidence and recognition of the integral role as part of a campus team and develop relationships for external support among KICA campuses. KICA again partnered with Credo to develop and deliver a significant portion of the content for the Academy. KICA’s work is now a model for several other states.
Each KICA campus was permitted to nominate up to three (3) individuals. Participants were expected to attend four separate in-person workshops, three webinars, and engage in one hour of mentoring each month. In addition, participants were to interview a campus leader in a different functional area and complete two campus tours (one of their own campus and one of another KICA campus).
Dr. Mauch described the academy as a “fantastic opportunity for junior and senior faculty to focus on leadership and looks forward to watching participants blossom.”
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to educate, develop, and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service. Bethany connects its past, present, and future with distinctive initiatives like Swedes to Sweden, a free service-learning trip for the sophomore class to Sweden, and the Good Life Scholarship, presenting all local high school graduates with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the college. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu and is located in Lindsborg, Kansas, the fine arts and crafts capital of the state.
Dr. Chienyn Chi, Assistant Professor of English at Bethany College (bethanylb.edu), was invited to speak at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan about her book. The event highlighted interdisciplinary scholarship and global academic collaboration which Dr. Chi is integrating into her teaching at Bethany.
Bethany College today announced the establishment of the Dean Coughenour Endowed Scholarship in Business. The scholarship will be awarded annually to returning Bethany College business majors to support their continued studies and internship opportunities.
Bethany College (bethanylb.edu) is proud to highlight the pivotal role its faculty play in sustaining and developing local education programs. Through direct involvement in teacher preparation and community partnerships, Bethany College faculty are shaping the future of education in Kansas.
