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OVERVIEW

The New Leadership Academy (NLA) Fellowship Program changes the expectations that surround leaders, leadership, and leadership development across higher education. The learning strategies informing the fellowship experience are premised on a recognition that the demographic, democratic, and discursive foundations on which modern higher education has been built are changing. Through several integrated programs and activities, which will include participation in a four-day institute held in Ann Arbor, the yearlong NLA Fellowship experience will focus attention on what leaders do when they are in positions to influence events inside and surrounding their institutions.

The NLA Fellowship, our most comprehensive program, challenges fellows to accept greater accountability for their own leadership choices, the influence they have on those they lead, the success of their institutions, and the integrity of the system of higher education. Upon completion of the yearlong experience, the NLA Fellows will acquire the following capacities:

A new and clearer understanding of current challenges surrounding postsecondary institutions and the educational system in the United States.
Sophistication in re-envisioning values and institutional imperatives that translate into dynamic, focus-driven organizations.
Proficiency at managing change and effecting mobilization within and outside institutions.
Acquisition of specialized knowledge and tools necessary to provide highly effective leadership within complex institutional settings.
Recognition of the challenges inherent in meeting the responsibilities associated with equity, diversity, and inclusion as overarching concerns in U.S. colleges and universities.
High level of commitment to the shared goals of the profession.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The NLA curriculum and learning strategies draw upon traditional leadership theory and recent scholarship that investigates the roles of leaders under highly contested and complex conditions. This pedagogical approach will empower institutional leaders with the knowledge, tools, and courage needed to lead effectively on their campuses and across the system of higher education.

The yearlong NLA Fellows experience is organized around a series of core competencies. Fellows should be prepared to view themselves as co-constructors of their own learning as it will be the experiences, perspectives, and insights of the fellows that ultimately inform and enhance the overall experience. The three major convenings—the Orientation Retreat in March 2016; the Mid-Year Retreat in June 2016; and the Closing Retreat in March 2017—will mark milestones in the yearlong experience. Each session will:

Offer new evidence drawn from contemporary issues and provide opportunities for candid discussions among the fellows, advisors, and scholars; and
Introduce the cohort of fellows to successful leaders who can share lessons from their own experiences in dramatically changing their organizations.

Between retreats, the NLA Fellows will work in teams addressing a multifaceted case study that examines a contemporary issue in higher education. The case study, managed through a series of online interactions, is enhanced with interviews, background exhibits, and proprietary information that fellows alone will see. Each team will be expected to construct assessments informed by the activities and learning strategies provided throughout the fellowship. Both the residential sessions and the online collaborations have been tested with a range of previous participants achieving high receptivity and significant learning outcomes.