Minnesota Ag Connection - UMD Professor Selected for IAspire Leadership Academy

Minnesota Ag News Headlines

UMD Professor Selected for IAspire Leadership Academy
Minnesota Ag Connection - 12/02/2022

Associate Professor Kathryn Schreiner has been named a fellow in the fourth cohort of the IAspire Leadership Academy.

The program is aimed at helping STEM faculty from underrepresented backgrounds ascend to leadership roles at colleges and universities. The academy is part of the Aspire Alliance's Institutional Change Initiative, led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the University of Georgia.

Schreiner is a faculty member in UMD's Large Lakes Observatory and the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department, as well as the department's Director of Graduate Studies. She is also a Higholt Fellow in UMD's Swenson College of Science & Engineering (SCSE), a three-year appointment dedicated to supporting faculty focused on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. "I'm excited to be joining this group of academic leaders from across the country and honored to be selected for the IAspire Leadership Academy," said Schreiner.

"Having participated in IAspire myself, I'm excited for Dr. Schreiner to get this opportunity," said SCSE Dean Wendy Reed. "She demonstrates leadership, creativity and great passion for improving our college and students' lives. The connections she will make in this program and sharing of ideas will surely benefit her career and our college."

Rochelle Sapp is the IAspire Leadership Academy Director and a Leadership Development Specialist at the University of Georgia. "With each successive cohort, we have seen the benefits of providing these emerging leaders with opportunities to focus on their personal leadership skills, goals, and style," said Sapp. "We also see the power of community among the now 89 total IAspire fellows as they create a foundation of mutual support for each other."

The academy is one diversity and inclusion effort underway through the NSF INCLUDES Aspire Alliance which is working across post-secondary institutions to develop more inclusive institutional cultures. Eighteen faculty and administrators were selected for the leadership academy. They will work in small groups in monthly meetings combined with three week-long immersive sessions.

Other Minnesota Headlines