Willis Walker, interim vice president for human resources, is encouraging all supervisors to carefully consider supporting a faculty or staff member through Kent State University's nationally recognized and award-winning leadership development initiative, the Institute for Excellence (I4E).
The mission of the Institute for Excellence is to develop and promote a culture of excellence for faculty and staff that aligns with the university’s strategic roadmap. Course curriculum will reflect the effective leadership competencies developed by the Center for Creative Leadership, and competencies are compatible with the university’s mission and vision. Some interpersonal qualities include self-awareness, emotional intelligence, resiliency and creating a culture of trust, among others. Institute for Excellence strives to create an environment that “incites epic thinking,” resulting in improved performance for the individual, their work unit and the university.
Institute for Excellence begins in September 2016 with the Administrator and Individual Contributor tracks meeting monthly for a full- or half-day session. The Administrator track is for faculty or staff who manage or chair a department/unit or supervise others. The Individual Contributor track is for employees not currently in a supervisory role. Both tracks are for high performers who display leadership now and want to improve their ability to lead change for Kent State.
Focus for the Administrator and Individual Contributor sessions differs even though they are designed to facilitate development around many of the same qualities associated with excellence, such as collaboration, execution, agility, strategic thinking, foresight and communication.
Eligibility requirements must be met, and the application process completed for each Institute for Excellence track. All participants must be employed full-time by the university for a minimum of one year and must have received a rating of “Meets Expectations” or higher on their most recent performance evaluation. The Institute for Excellence website includes a complete list of criteria and other important information.
Interested faculty and staff should read the online application worksheet and complete the online application form. Applicants selected for Institute for Excellence will be notified by the Training and Development Office in early July.
For more information, contact Renee Romine at 330-672-0894 or mromine@kent.edu.
