Call for ALP Fellows
Applications are due March 12, 2026 by 11:59 p.m.
Application Process
The Office of the Provost will provide funding for five individuals to participate in the Academic Leadership Program. MSU has two methods of selection to create a cross-institutional cohort of Fellows.
Tenure System, NSCL/FRIB, Health Programs Faculty, and Librarians
Four applicants will be selected through an application and interview process. Applicants should:
- be appointed in the tenure system, NSCL/FRIB, Library, or Health Programs faculty appointment systems
- have a strong faculty background and commitment to administration
- have a minimum of five years of professional experience in a university setting
Other MSU Faculty and Staff
The Provost will select one additional member of the cohort in consultation with senior MSU leaders, from among the rest of the MSU faculty, academic staff, and support staff.
If your MSU appointment is not as a faculty member in the tenure system, NSCL, Library, or Health Programs system, and you wish to pursue the ALP, please contact your dean, vice president, or other senior administrator who can indicate their support for your participation. Please have them send a letter addressing why you would be a good candidate for the program (no longer than one page) to Cindi Leverich at youngcin@msu.edu once the process opens in late fall. Applicants in this category do not need to fill out the application.
Application Submission
Required elements include:
- Biographical statement (one-page limit briefly describing their career trajectory and experience most relevant to the program)
- CV (please limit to six pages)
- Letter of recommendation (two-page limit) from the applicant’s direct supervisor (dean or department chair/school director)
- Letter from the applicant clarifying why they want to participate in the ALP (two-page limit). This letter should include a brief synopsis of the applicant’s leadership trajectory (where they have been and where they want to go), an overview of the issues they see as critical for higher education leaders, an overview of their dedication to and involvement in access, opportunity, and excellence, and a statement about their commitment to MSU.
A screening committee of administrators and past ALP Fellows appointed by the Office of the Provost will review the materials as a basis for selecting individuals to interview.
- The screening committee is expected to interview selected candidates virtually in late March/early April.
Criteria for Selection
- Evidence of dedication to academic administration, leadership issues, and/or challenges in higher education (e.g., academic governance or significant leadership positions in public, private, or volunteer agencies or programs outside of higher education). Having a formal leadership role is not a criterion for selection but will strengthen the application.
- Ability to present a coherent statement that relates the personal and professional benefits of the Fellowship to the needs of the University and the mission and goals of the academic unit.
- Willingness to commit the time needed to benefit from the Fellowship year.
- Evidence of endorsement from appropriate department/school or college level administrator (applicant’s direct supervisor).
Applications are due March 12, 2026 by 11:59 p.m.