Second Annual Junior Faculty Leadership Workshop

Junior Faculty Leadership Training 2010

Seventeen faculty members, graduate students, and post docs from eight different institutions spent three days in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains at this year’s Faculty Leadership Institute. The Santa Fe Institute hosted the event that provided participants with skills to better communicate their research, write successful research grants, manage research projects, and promote diversity. The 2010 Faculty Leadership Institute incorporated evaluation data from last year’s Institute to create an interactive structure that included lectures, small group discussions, role-playing, and informal networking opportunities.

Highlights of the 2010 Institute include:

  • Sandra Blakeslee, former science reporter for the New York Times presented tips for communicating effectively with the media. Participants then engaged in mock interviews with invited newspaper and television reporters using information about their research they had provided to Ms. Blakeslee. The interviews were observed and discussed by the entire group.
  • Carl Moore, from The Community Store, modeled several effective facilitation strategies and processes while providing a context for participants to think carefully about their own leadership styles, priorities, and professional goals. The session provided hands-on experience with each of the facilitation tools presented by Dr. Moore.
  • Bill Michener, NM EPSCoR Project Director, shared productivity tools and strategies and a logic model for organizing an effective proposal.
  • In small groups, participants used the ideas presented by Robert Gropp, Director of Public Policy at the American Institute of Biological Sciences, to develop a brief “pitch” to a legislator about the importance of funding basic scientific research. Participants demonstrated flexibility as they responded to the “legislator”—whether he was supportive or not.
  • Participants also appreciated hearing Scott Collins, Director of the Sevilleta LTER Program at UNM and former NSF Program Officer, provide insights into successful proposal writing.
  • Engaging undergraduates and graduate students from diverse backgrounds was the focus of Laura Crossey’s presentation. A member of UNM’s Earth & Planetary Sciences Department, Dr. Crossey shared her perspective on integrating research, teaching, and outreach to increase participation of underrepresented minority students in science.
Presentations and Agenda

New Mexico: Making a World of Difference! Integrating Research, Education and Outreach

Time Management, Proposal Development, and Project Management Tools

The Future of Science and Engineering in New Mexico and the Nation

New Mexico Faculty Leadership Program – 2010 Agenda

Photo of Faculty at Workshop Photo of Faculty at Workshop Photo of Faculty at Workshop Photo of Faculty at Workshop

Registration for the 2011 Faculty Leadership Institute will begin in October 2010.

For more information about the Faculty Leadership Institute, contact William Michener wmichene@unm.edu