Leadership

The skills that allow you to succeed in a faculty position may not directly translate into a leadership role. As faculty, we are often focused on individual scholarship and teaching while academic leadership requires working on larger strategic objectives. Faculty Development’s leadership programs proactively and practically prepare faculty of all levels to step into future leadership positions through relevant project and team management, training and peer-to-peer learning experiences.

Male faculty member speaking to provost Sharon Wood

Programs and Resources

Aspiring Leaders Academy

Professional-track faculty, Tenured associate and Tenured full professors

Aug 23 – Kickoff Event

Currently closed.


Distinguished Leadership Service Academy (DLSA)

The Provost’s Distinguished Leadership Service Academy (DLSA) provides a formal organization of distinguished senior professional-track and tenured faculty members with extraordinary contributions and accomplishments across their professional portfolios and particularly in terms of their excellence in leadership, mentoring and service to their college or school, the university, the state and the nation.

February 26 – Nomination and application portals open

March 7 – Nomination deadline

March 21 – Application deadline

April 25 – Letters of Support due


Research Leaders Academy

Tenured or Professional track faculty, or Research Scientists

Applications to open in April 2025

Currently closed.


SEC Academic Leadership Development Program

SEC Academic Leadership Development Program fellows engage in discussions and development initiatives designed to deepen their capacity to think and act effectively as future leaders in academia. This program partners with other SEC institutions to prepare faculty and academic leaders to advance their careers in a three-tiered fashion: a university-level development program, two SEC-wide workshops held on alternating campuses, and, lastly, a competitive fellowship designed to provide administrative growth opportunities.

The workshop sessions will include topics central to academic leadership development. Past topics have included strategies for resource management, communication strategies for leaders, navigating government relations, and programming for faculty development. During each session, participants will hear from SEC leaders and engage in discussion with their peers.

Tenured associate and full professors

Professional-track faculty who meet the following criteria:

  • appointed at the university for at least 6 academic years with no gap in service of longer than 3 consecutive academic years;
  • have a benefits-eligible appointment at the university during the 25-26 academic year;
  • greater than or equal to 50% FTE in each of the fall and spring semester of academic year 2025-26

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on May 12, 2025

Fall workshop: October 12-15, 2025

Spring workshop: February 17-24, 2026

Overall, I can’t say enough on how thoughtful, empowering and relevant the topic selection in this academy has been to someone new taking on a leadership role.

– Kavita Radhakrishnan, Associate Dean for Research

Kavita Radhakrishnan, Associate Dean for Research

Faculty Development
utfacultydevelopment@utexas.edu