Credit: Council on Postsecondary Education

The Council on Postsecondary Education’s new leadership institute for underrepresented minority faculty graduated its inaugural cohort during a Council meeting at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. The purpose of the Academic Leadership Development Institute is to develop more campus leaders among early career, underrepresented minority faculty who aspire to leadership positions. The cohort consisted of 19 faculty representing all eight of the state universities and seven colleges of Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Graduates included Tamera Izlar from Morehead State University, Dr. Socorro Zaragova from Eastern Kentucky University, and Doctors Julie Plasencia, Jacqueline Couti, and Gabriel Dadi of the University of Kentucky. Campus provosts nominated candidates for the yearlong initiative based on the criteria of having fewer than seven years’ experience in the profession, demonstrated leadership ability, interest in advancement, and dedication to their teaching craft.