Faculty leadership development is crucial to building the bench of future leaders at our institutions of higher learning. In many ways, our regular practice of promoting faculty into leadership roles according to their abilities to be successful teachers and scholars is at odds with the work our leaders will have to do managing people, budgets, and student needs. Offices like mine work to build leadership development opportunities for existing leaders, like department chairs and program directors, as well as support formal programs for emerging leaders.
Reciprocity over Hierarchy: Designing and Implementing a Student-Led Reverse Mentoring Program
Many academic leaders, including administrators and faculty members, participate in traditional mentoring programs that prioritize hierarchy. But these programs typically don’t foster engagement and connection between students and faculty or
Marquita Lyons-Smith and Keva Suitte
October 19, 2026
