Aspiring Leaders Academy
The Aspiring Leaders Academy is designed for mid-career faculty interested in leadership opportunities who have not yet served in a major leadership position. Participants 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.
The objectives of this program are to:
- Create a community in which experts can share their wisdom with aspiring leaders;
- Learn best practices in academic leadership;
- Reflect on how to apply those best practices to current or future leadership endeavors;
- Provide meaningful peer mentorship relationships among members of the aspiring leaders cohort;
- Enhance UT’s reputation as a global research university and a great place to work, grow, and develop.
During the academic year, participants will develop core leadership skills by completing a structured curriculum including the following topics:
- Transformative Academic Leadership
- Balancing Academic Leadership with Faculty Pursuits
- Strategic Planning and Change Management
- Managing Resources and Securing Buy-In for Leadership Endeavors
- Effective Strategies for Time Management
- Building and Maintaining a Productive Team
- Strategies and Tools for Program Management and Evaluation
- Creating a Compelling Leadership Narrative
In addition to the formal curriculum, some Friday sessions will give participants the opportunity to meet and talk informally with existing university leaders to hear about their leadership journeys and experiences.
Applicants must be:
- Tenured associate or full professors, or
- Professional-track faculty who meet the following criteria:
- Appointed at UT for at least six academic years with no gap in service of longer than three consecutive academic years;
- Have a benefits-eligible appointment at UT during the AY 2025-26;
- Greater than or equal to 50% FTE in each of the fall and spring semesters of the AY 2025-26.
Any eligible faculty member may nominate themselves to be considered for selection to the cohort.
Up to 15 faculty will be selected for participation in AY 2025-26.
Participants will be selected by a committee of university leaders based on their ability to demonstrate the following in their application materials:
- Individual has yet to hold a major leadership position
- Individual is a recognized leader in their discipline, with a strong record of publication, creative projects, or teaching innovation (based on the standards for their discipline and faculty appointment)
- Collaborative mindset and ability to work well in a team environment
- An articulated vision for their future leadership goals and impact in the communities with which they affiliate and/or the university at large
- Willingness to commit to in-person participation in the intensive workshop series for the duration of AY 2025-26.
Applications consist of text-box entries and PDF uploads submitted through our application portal. Please submit the following materials via the portal link no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2025:
Please submit the following in the listed order and as a single PDF or Word document:
- A half-page statement summarizing the applicant’s leadership experiences and accomplishments to date.
- A one-page statement describing potential leadership goals. Please describe to what types of academic leadership the applicant aspires. Some leadership areas might be promoting student success, promoting faculty research, scholarship, or creative activities, or pursuing community-engaged leadership projects. The applicant is also welcome to discuss leadership areas beyond these examples. The applicant might also discuss at which level they are most interested in pursuing leadership opportunities, e.g. in their department, in their college, across the university, or in a professional society. Articulating the applicant’s areas of interest will help us understand their overarching goals and how they might be supported and advanced through this program.
- The applicant’s current Curriculum Vitae (no specific format required).