KU faculty members selected for 2020-2021 Class of Senior Administrative Fellows

LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas program with a commitment to developing potential in faculty has announced its newest cohort. The Senior Administrative Fellows Program, which began in 1993, cultivates the leadership skills and organizational know-how of tenured faculty through a yearlong exploration and mentoring curriculum.

Twelve KU faculty members have been selected to take part in the SAF Program for the 2020-2021 academic year.

“The Senior Administrative Fellows Program provides an opportunity to interact with others from across campus who want to explore their interest in leadership and learn more about how a large public research university works," said J. Christopher Brown, vice provost for faculty development and a past senior administrative fellow. “The fellows get the opportunity to meet and interact with administrative leaders, gaining a unique perspective on how they came to take on leadership roles and what they see as the opportunities and challenges facing higher education in the years to come."

The program is led by Brown with the assistance of Jenny Mehmedovic, associate director of the Center for Faculty Development & Mentoring. The class of fellows is selected from applications solicited in the spring semester of the previous academic year.

“This year’s cohort of fellows is engaging in this work at a time when all the existing challenges in higher education are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They will have an excellent opportunity to learn how their own interest in leadership can be channeled to serve KU in the most effective way possible, no matter their future role in the university,” Brown said.

This year’s participants:

Jordan Bass, associate professor and associate chair in the Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences, director of the Sport Management Program

Veronica Garibotto, associate professor in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese

Ayesha Hardison, associate professor in the Department of English and the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Keith Jones, Deloitte Professor and area director of accounting in the School of Business

Corey Maley, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Philosophy

Jason Matejkowski, associate professor and associate dean for academic programs in the School of Social Welfare

Brittany Melton, associate professor of pharmacy practice in the School of Pharmacy

Tim Pleskac, professor in the Department of Psychology

Colin Roust, associate professor of musicology and director of graduate studies in the School of Music

Matthew Smith, associate professor and associate director of bands in the School of Music, director of the Marching Jayhawks

Sean Smith, professor in the Department of Special Education

Carolyn Watson, associate professor and director of orchestral activities in the School of Music.

More information on this year’s participants is available online.

The Senior Administrative Fellows Program has an established record of success. Many participants have gone on to lead programs at KU and elsewhere.

Past participants include Kim Wilcox, chancellor at the University of California-Riverside; Ann Cudd, provost at the University of Pittsburgh; Christopher Morphew, dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education; Paul Atchley, senior associate vice president and dean of undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida; and Sara Rosen, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Georgia State University. Several current and former vice provosts, associate deans, interim deans and directors at KU have also participated in the program.