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Show , Fall/Winter 2002 page 15 new opportunities that were not available to them before." The U offers many classes and positions throughout the year, and most of them are open to all students attending the U. Students may enroll in courses dedicated to developing leadership skills such ________________ as, "Foundations in Leadership," "Programming and Leadership," and "Leadership Development in Higher Education," to name a few. These courses are great ways for students, both women and men, to develop new leadership skills. The University also holds seminar classes for women, with the goal of educating participants about leadership. Snyder makes it clear that a lot of times, the consensus is to hire a woman for a particular job, simply to hire a woman. "There is a fine line of distinction, and we at the U want to ensure we hire the right person for the job-not because she is a woman," she said. "Right now there is a bit of a glass "[University of Utah] President Machen has made a commitment to create a climate for women to exercise their leadership skills." ceiling for leadership for women, and President Machen has made a commitment to create a climate for women to exercise their leadership skills." Both Snyder and Lighty expressed that if women, or ____________ anyone for that matter, want to gain important leadership skills, one should look for a mentor in a leadership position. "It doesn't matter if the mentor is male or female, as long as they can teach you valuable skills," Lighty said. "Look for opportunities and don't limit yourself because you are a woman," Snyder adds. "Get your name out there." Overall, it seems that the U is gaining ground on giving women opportunities to develop their leadership skills, but more effort must continue in order to make a lasting impression for women. "In general, we've made huge strides in this area; however, some areas can do better," Snyder said. "There needs to be more of an effort to equip women better." Leadership Training Opportunities on Campus There are many ways to receive leadership training on our campus. Studs nts can choose from i 1-15 academic courses per semester, (raw the 2000 to 7000 level, oul oi many academic departments Both the International Center .vnj the University College offer lead* r^hip retreat- for stnde.nl leaders at reduced or no cost. Faculty and staff cart choose from "J04 Human Resource offerings (5-2300). ranging from financial advisement to customer service, including such divergent topics as Surviving Divorce, Assessing Substance V-~Hise, Developing Memory Power, and Effective Delegation. Faculty can. choose from three different leadership seminar series. l'v\ i arc invitational and restricted in their enrollment, while one open series through Academic Oimvacb and Continuing Education (AOCIZ), highiightfd in thm issue of lesson?, is offered lo all faculty. A limited content analysis of the leadership development on campus reveals three categories of training. The most common type involves information generally applicable across departments or nnils about organizational structure and function, change processes, group behavior, federal and state labor taws, styles of leadership, and communication principles, information about certain management skills is also offered, including negotiation arts, conflict resolution, and budget management. Information, is made accessible and applicable through the use of examples and cases. Guest speakers are often invited lo describe how they apply theoretical information. There is no consensus regarding what information is absolutely necessary, and the informational content of courses ami seminars varies. The second type of leadership training includes need-to-know information critical to the job description, and often is specific to the department or unit. Need-to-know management information on this campus includes, for example, how the phone system works, how one gets approval for a campus-wide e-mailing, merit review-processes, and the difference between accounts payable, payroll, and the budget office. Other need-to-know information includes hiring and firing processes, how a title affects power and accessibility, and documentation conventions. Need-to-know information is only presented to very homogenous audiences in certain courses; most is left for the new leader to learn on-the-job. Mentors and administrative assistants, and orientation sessions, can often provide need to-know information. The third and most ran- type of leadership training is the ex iminati in of the leader s relationship to core concepts, variable for each individual, and affecting leadership acts on a daily basis. These concepts in< lude power, control, i harm, honesty, \a\lurv, change, servant leadership and hierarchy. Some concepts are more gi-nru-me to certain disciplines; for example, code-pendency and the helping professions, and physical force and naval science. I he leader's relationship to these concepts is always affecied by one's level of personal development. There is no consensus on which core concepts are critical for leadership. 1 invite comments on the relative placement of the lypis of leadership training in our courses and seminars, and ideas about where and when training of the third typo is best situated. fitcplicmic.richanlsorii'yriurs.uUih edit |
