The Southeastern Conference has selected 48 faculty members from its universities, including four professors from Texas A&M, to take part in its Academic Leadership Development Program.
A&M will send veterinary pathobiology professor David Threadgill, psychology department head Douglas Woods, associate professor of performance studies Kirsten Pullen and health and kinesiology department head Richard Kreider to leadership workshops at the University of Missouri from Oct. 13 to 15 and later to workshops at Texas A&M University from Feb. 18 to 20, 2015.
David Threadgill, veterinary pathobiology professor, said it is an honor to be selected to participate in the program, considering the number of outstanding faculty members at Texas A&M. Threadgill said he hopes the program will enhance the leadership qualities of the participants.
Woods said he is looking forward to the opportunity to be able to converse with academic leaders from several universities and learn about trends and skills for better performance in academia.
Threadgill said formerly he was a department head at another university before coming back to his alma mater, Texas A&M, in 2013. Threadgill said he looks at this program as a way to improve his abilities in his research field.
“I am looking forward to the SEC leadership program enhancing my abilities to bring groups together to pursue collaborative research and teaching programs in the area of genomics,” Threadgill said. “The program should provide the insights and training that would normally take years to acquire through trial and error.”
Since 2008, the SEC’s program has seen more than 230 participating academic administrators become deans and provosts around the country.