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.

Programs and Resources
Aspiring Leaders Academy
In the Aspiring Leaders Academy, mid-career faculty who are interested in leadership, but have not yet served in a major leadership position, will receive structured counsel from academic leadership experts. Participants will learn about core leadership principles and practices through a structured curriculum. Throughout the experience, participants will interact with leaders from across the UT campus, as well as external experts, to develop their personal leadership style and adopt best practices for building and sustaining successful teams. Participants will also build mentorship relationships among peers in support of their leadership goals.
Eligibility
Professional-track faculty, Tenured associate and Tenured full professors
Important Dates
Applications due 5 p.m. on Monday, May 19.
Timeline
Selection decisions will be announced in late June 2025.
Program Duration:
September 2025 – April 2026 (interested parties should plan to meet on recurring Fridays on the UT Austin campus; selected applicants will be sent the final schedule)
application
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.
Eligibility
Tenured or Professional-track faculty. See program page for more details.
Important Dates
February 26 – Nomination and application portals open
March 7 – Nomination deadline
March 21 – Application deadline
April 25 – Letters of Support due
Registration
Research Leaders Academy
The Research Leaders Academy will be run in partnership with the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors (OVPR). This Academy is designed for established principal investigators, who aspire to lead, or who are already leading, large-scale research initiatives. Participants will learn how to scope a large-scale, shared scholarly vision with interdisciplinary colleagues, how to secure external funding to realize that shared vision, and how to successfully implement and manage their vision.
Eligibility
Tenured or Professional track faculty, or Research Scientists
Important Dates
Applications to open in April 2025
Registration
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.
Eligibility
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
Important Dates
Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on May 12, 2025
Fall workshop: October 12-15, 2025
Spring workshop: February 17-24, 2026
Registration
– Kavita Radhakrishnan, Associate Dean for Research
