About the Academic Leadership Program
The Academic Leadership Program provides education, support, mentorship, and networking opportunities for faculty members in leadership roles at the University of Waterloo.
Run by a tenured faculty member with extensive administrative experience, the program aims to facilitate the development of knowledge, skills, and relationships that contribute to effective academic leadership at Waterloo.
Martin Cooke
Martin Cooke, Assistant Vice-President, Academic – Leadership and Strategic Initiatives
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Three Pillars of the Academic Leadership Program
Administrative Knowledge
Knowledge of Waterloo-specific contextual factors that affect our work as academic leaders, including:
- Leadership roles and authority across the University
- Legislative and regulatory context
- Policies and procedures and how to apply them effectively
- Units that support academic leaders
Leadership Competencies
Effective leadership requires specific skills distinct from administrative knowledge. The program aims to help academic leaders understand and develop leadership skills in the following domains:
- Effective decision-making
- Leadership communication
- Planning and change management
- Mentorship and team development
Networking and Mentorship
The Academic Leadership Program is an opportunity for academic leaders to meet others at Waterloo who can support them in their work, including the following:
- Peers in similar roles from across the university
- More experienced leaders
- Potential leadership mentors
Events
Online Lunch and Learn: Your Support Systems at UWaterloo
Join us for an online Microsoft Teams session that will introduce academic leaders to some of the offices that can support your work at UW.
Breakfast chat: Indigenous Initiatives at UWaterloo
As part of the Academic Leadership Program, we invite you to join Jean Becker, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations and Dr. John Lewis, Director, Indigenous Faculty Relations, for a breakfast chat about Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Waterloo.
Online Lunch and Learn: Helping Leaders Prevent Burnout with Doug Heidebrecht
Most people are facing higher volumes of work and, unsurprisingly, burnout levels are on the rise. Recognizing that resilience strategies on their own aren’t enough, session also includes content that addresses the root cause of burnout – workload volume – and provides busy leaders with practical tactics to help them diplomatically negotiate some priorities, reduce the load a little bit and increase productivity for themselves and their teams. Doug Heidebrecht (managingme.com) will help with some practical strategies for building resilience and reducing burnout.
Receiving Complaints: Policies, Practices and People who can Help
Receiving a complaint about a faculty colleague can be a very challenging situation for a chair. In this session, you will be provided tools and approaches to help chairs and directors feel more confident when dealing with these situations. Panel members from Legal and Immigration Services, the Sexual Violence and Response Office, Conflict Management and Human Rights, FAUW and the AVP Faculty Relations office will address dealing with issues that might involve Policy 33, Policy 42 and/or the MoA, in a workshop using cases and examples.
Faculty Performance Reviews: Chairs’ and Directors’ Support Group
Among other things, December is the month that chairs’ and directors’ minds turn to the faculty performance review process. Join us for breakfast with supportive colleagues and a Q&A with experienced chairs/directors and FAUW. Topics will include writing effective comments, supporting pre-tenure and teaching stream faculty members, and recognizing service contributions.