“It’s been a long year.” How many times have we said this to ourselves, to our colleagues, to our students, to our families…? There’s no denying it! And yet, as the academic year draws to a close, as graduations are upon us, and as spring is taking hold, we can also pause for a moment, […]
It is so wonderful to see the sun shining and the weather turning to spring, even if we know that, living in Michigan, winter is likely not fully behind us. But, since we did not have spring break this year, anything that signals we’re past the term’s halfway mark is motivating. Throughout the year, we […]
The common themes that emerge regarding Dr. Alan Smith’s leadership are his vision, humility, the way he treats others with dignity, respect, and compassion, and how much he cares about the success and growth of others. Other remarkable qualities are Dr. Smith’s attention to detail, inclusion, openness, honesty, and transparency in decision making and his […]
By Ellie Louson My favorite description of mentoring comes from Dr. Beronda Montgomery, eminent MSU plant scientist and writer, who has written widely on mentoring and calls it “an opportunity to connect meaningfully with individuals in service to their pursuit of personally-defined goals or aspirations.” As someone new to a formal mentorship role, I’ve tried to […]
By Marilyn Amey As we continue walking through the pandemic, as well as the strategic planning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion planning efforts during the next several months, it seems important first to take a step back, breathe, and realize that our work in its many forms – even if disrupted during this time – […]
Assessment workshops are being offered: Assessment Options Beyond the Exam and Exam Design. These workshops previously ran through July and August and will be running again on December 9th. Our Assessment Options Beyond the Exam workshop will focus on formative assessments and alternatives to exams such as projects, infographics, and debates. Examples include ideas for classes with […]
Every university has a visible structure that identifies administrative positions by title and reporting lines and in many ways, represents authority and decision-making purview. Persons on the organizational chart certainly are ones to whom we look when in need of guidance and support but it is also not true that only these people are leaders […]
Each year, the Leadership Institute series offers academic administrators the opportunity to interact with their peers around key topics. This series of 90-minute sessions are designed to expand upon themes introduced at New Administrator Orientation. These sessions are required for department chairpersons, school directors, and associate deans of non-departmentally organized colleges within the first two […]
Beronda Montgomery, Ph.D. has recently been appointed as interim vice president in the Office of Research & Innovation at MSU and has also received a seat on the Science Gallery International board. Beronda Montgomery is a MSU Foundation Professor working in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, holding appointments in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular […]
In the first two newsletters of this year, you see a theme of connecting and building your network; the October issue continues this trend. We in AAN and those units with whom we collaborate start from the premise that one way to thrive as an academic is figuring out with which activities, groups, associations, and […]
