Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program Fellows announced

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Academic Leadership Program (ALP) in 2023-24 will include six new fellows from Penn State.

The BTAA is the academic consortium of the Big Ten universities and the United States’ pre-eminent model for effective collaboration among research universities.

The ALP focuses on addressing the challenges of academic administration at major research universities. Through the program, participants who have demonstrated exceptional ability and administrative promise can further develop their leadership and managerial skills. Fellows are appointed to one-year terms, and funding is provided by the participating institutions.

Penn State’s participants for the 2023-24 program were selected based on their significant contributions and further potential for University leadership. The participants are:

  • Friederike Baer, division head of Arts and Humanities and associate professor of history, Penn State Abington.
  • Beth Gugino, assistant dean for graduate education and professor of vegetable pathology, College of Agricultural Sciences.
  • Scarlett Miller, professor of engineering design and industrial engineering, College of Engineering.
  • Erin Murphy, professor of English and promotion and tenure coordinator for the vice chancellor for academic affairs, Penn State Altoona.
  • Tahira Reid Smith, professor of mechanical engineering and engineering design, Arthur L. Glenn Professor of Engineering Education, and associate department head for inclusive research and education, College of Engineering. 
  • Josh Wede, teaching professor and associate department head for instruction and director of psychology for World Campus, College of the Liberal Arts.

The fellows will participate in two in-person seminars at Northwestern University and Ohio State University in addition to a virtual seminar scheduled to take place via Zoom in January and February 2024.

For more information about this program, visit the Big Ten Academic Alliance ALP website.