| Message from the President
Message from the Director |
 |
Someone once said, If you want
people to work together you have to introduce them to each
other. When the Leadership Institute was created at Towson
University, the importance of this truth was definitely
underestimated. As the leadership programs move into the
sixteenth
year it is evident that many of the over 700 full-time faculty
know few other faculty beyond their college and, at times,
beyond their department. An exception is faculty who have been
members of the fifteen leadership classes. The leadership program
brings faculty, with very diverse interests and areas of
expertise, together and provides opportunities to establish new
interdisciplinary relationships, both personal and professional.
In addition to many new friendships, the program gives
participants improved respect and understanding of interests,
accomplishments and frustrations of colleagues in other colleges
and disciplines.
The Towson University
leadership program is about encouraging faculty to assume
informal leadership roles. There are no attempts to "train"
participants to become administrators or to assume formal
leadership positions, although this can and does happen. The
program encourages faculty to take leadership roles in their
department, college and university-wide. Faculty and department
chairs have a similar, but separate, program. Although the chair
and faculty classes are separate, there is a periodic mixing of
members of the two groups to share ideas and experiences.
The newest Leadership
Institute program is for senior staff, and has been in place for 12 years. As the leadership program
entered the third year, the need for inclusion of staff became
evident. Staff, in addition to their interaction with faculty,
must interact with many other staff in order to fulfill their
departments mission and that of the university. Like faculty,
many staff relationships are formal, rigid and, at times,
faceless. The staff program, which includes members from all
divisions, departments and levels of responsibility, has aided in breaking
down bureaucratic barriers and boundaries. Staff participants
also meet with faculty in joint leadership sessions to help
diminish feelings of we and they.
The program was restructured in 2005 when the Institute became the President's Leadership Institute. This action emphasized Towson's commitment to the program. Each year-long leadership
program for faculty, department chairs and associate deans, and
senior staff, provides a forum that allows participants to learn
more about Towson University and its structure and decision
processes, and to get to know the president, the provost, vice
presidents, deans, and senior campus leaders in a more personal
way. Participants discuss leadership concepts and learn about
leadership styles and experiences of successful leaders. The
leadership programs encourage faculty to be more a part of the
University and not to view Towson as simply a place to go, teach
and conduct research. Staff at all levels are encouraged to see
Towson not only through the eyes of their department, but as a
part of a total with the mission of educating students and
enriching lives.
The leadership program builds
a sense of enthusiasm and belonging. All participants are
encouraged to have a stake not only in their future, but also in
Towson's future and to step forward and take leadership roles
and help define that future. Towson's strategic plan, Towson University 2010: Mapping the future is discussed with all levels of campus leadership. Members of the program help bring many of the goals and action items to
life. To achieve these goals, we are
dedicated to providing opportunities that enable all
participants to define or sharpen their individual leadership
abilities and interests.
Ted Zaleski, Jr.
Chief of Staff
Office of the President
410-704-4344
tzaleski@towson.edu
|
