New cohort to address aspects of strategic plan

There are several keys to leadership, President Mary Ellen Mazey told the inaugural meeting of the 2017 Bowling Green Leadership Academy (BGLA). The first is “Be focused. Know where you are and where you want to take it.”

Over the next five months, participants in the academy will develop their own leadership skills and apply them to moving forward the University’s strategic plan. Mazey noted that, based on a suggestion that came out of a previous cohort of the BGLA, the University is launching more summer camps related to pre-professional programs, which are important to enrollment and to the long-term success of students.

“They feed our pipeline,” she said, noting that today, undergraduate degrees are no longer enough, and professional master’s degree programs are needed to meet students’ needs.

The president shared her personal experiences in developing as a leader, along with some of the upcoming challenges and recent successes of BGSU. She began her talk with a discussion of the University’s Strategic Plan, a living document which begins with “In the spirit of innovation . . .”

Innovation is most important, she said, as the University must change to meet the needs of its students and its community, and higher education in general is changing at a faster rate than ever before.

“Change is upon us,” she said. “Universities are called upon to be more productive but to do more with fewer resources.”

The president said she follows the philosophy of facilitative leadership, in which it is important to “get the buy-in of those who are going to do the work.” Having a team on board and then working as a team without seeking individual credit is the most productive approach, she said.

“Leaders don’t take the credit but always give it to someone else,” she said. “It’s important to always give recognition and boost morale, but also to be honest and transparent.”