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The Department Head Development Fellows program is aligned with Faculty Affairs goals of supporting academic department head success, especially with respect to engaging faculty and the academic enterprise. Fellows, therefore, must be willing to dedicate the time necessary to accomplish the activities involved.

  • Individually or in pairs, design programming to address issues relevant to Texas A&M Department Heads (e.g. lunch workshops and/or longer form workshop experiences).
  • As a cohort, serve as both a focus group and as contributors to a project to redesign guidance materials and our website experience for Department Heads.
  • Participate with fellows from other initiatives in the Academic Leadership Academy hosted by Faculty Affairs. Applicants must be available to meet 12-2 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month during the fall and spring semesters. Leadership learning community involves monthly sessions wherein current and aspiring leaders examine their strengths, discuss timely challenges, explore leadership approaches, and expand their networks. Members of the learning community, from this and other fellowship programs hosted in Faculty Affairs are invited to a Leadership Fellows dinner September 26, 2024.

All resulting program projects (short or long-form workshops or experiences) will be supported administratively and financially by our office. Fellows will receive a $5,000 professional development bursary for each year they serve. Further, as interested, faculty affairs will support access to executive coaching during the fellowship period.

The Department Head Development Fellows Application

The following application materials are necessary to apply:

1. Cover letter containing a brief Challenge Statement and Personal Narrative: In one page or less:

  • provide a rationale for your interest in participating in a leadership learning community experience
  • describe an important challenge you expect many department heads face for which you would like to assist in the design of programming or resources
2. Curriculum Vitae

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email Dr. Heather Wilkinson directly at h-wilkinson@tamu.edu.

2023-2024 Department Head Development Fellows Cohort