The ASU Faculty Women’s Association (FWA) is dedicated to the leadership development of faculty and academic women. The FWA not only supports university initiatives for the leadership development of women, but over the years FWA has also produced programming to help prepare women faculty interested in leadership positions.

Most recently, the FWA ran a pilot program entitled the Women’s Leadership Project. More details about the program are featured below.

To learn more about upcoming FWA leadership opportunities, watch the FWA Web site for updates.

FWA Women’s Leadership Project and Pilot Program

Spring and Fall 2008

Designed by FWA leaders Prof. Stanlie James (director of African and African American Studies) and Prof. Mary Margaret Fonow (director of Women and Gender Studies), the purpose of the FWA Women’s Leadership Project was to develop and train faculty women for possible future leadership roles at ASU, with the hope of increasing the number of women in leadership positions at the university.

In fall of 2007, the FWA secured support to run a pilot of the Women’s Leadership Project from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences administration, the Office of the President and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University. It was agreed that the leadership program would be piloted through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Accordingly, nominations for potential candidates were solicited from college chairs and directors. FWA received 21 nominations. From the nominations, 18 faculty members were selected as participants for the pilot program, with 13 comprising the final training group.

Financial support for the program was secured through an institutional grant from the Center for Academic Institutional and Cultural Change (AICC). The grant covered the cost of the spring 2008 programming, including a stipend for each of the project participants.

The programming for the Women’s Leadership Project was comprised of seminars and brown bag sessions, which provided participants the opportunity to learn from current university administrators. Some of the workshop topics included:

• Understanding the Institution: Organizational Culture, Mission and Vision.
• Leadership and Strategic Decision Making.
• Facilitating a Vision: Day to Day Realities of Administrative Leadership.
• Building Diversity.
• Negotiation Skills.
• Leading Change.

The program concluded in May 2008.  The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has agreed to institutionalize a faculty leadership program, based on the FWA Pilot Program.  The leadership program will be developed and directed through the Office for the Development of Transformational Leaders. 

The FWA will continue to monitor the development and institutionalization of the program.