Changing the Future For Women Leaders (CTF): An Empowerment and Leadership Program
Cohort 2023 will launch in October 2023
Program Overview:
The goals of CTF are to broaden access to leadership via development of a large pool of passionate and motivated faculty members who will begin to see themselves as leaders. The program also promotes effective leadership competencies to prepare these future leaders for success in contributing innovative and creative new ideas in the pursuit of their professional goals and Penn State’s mission. CTF contributes to the foundational aspiration of Penn State’s Strategic Plan: Advance Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity, by focusing on the development of a diverse university leadership. Moreover, a deep and rich pool of leaders with passion and commitment, as well as effective skills and competencies, is critical to the success of each foundation of our Strategic Plan. Penn State recognizes the need to “recruit, support, and advance a diverse faculty”.
While we see the positive effects of initiatives at Penn State focused on inclusive recruitment practices, there have been fewer formal programs available to specifically support and advance a diverse group of faculty members to the highest levels of achievement and leadership.
In partnership with:
A small, women-owned company with a 30yr tenure advancing women leaders across industry and academia.
What Participants Are Saying:
“Priceless. We are supporting one another, helping one another do a better job, and helping one another stay healthier and saner doing it. This makes the working environment at PSU more harmonious, positive, and collegial for those around us. It also makes us more productive and effective in our teaching, advising, and research. It has multiplied efficacy for each of us by 110%. Thank you for investing in us in this way.”
2020 Participant
“Leadership is an evolution, and while many of us have learned skills along the way, having a concentrated, and dedicated opportunity to reflect and redirect our passions was exceptionally meaningful. Often we are asked at this stage to tell people how to do it, or are held up as examples for others; rarely are we given an opportunity to sit back and take stock, or specifically take the time to create a healthy vision for our future careers (and our future selves).”
2019 Participant
“By the end of the program, my understanding of what it means, and what it takes, to be a leader really did change. And, certainly the conception of my own agency and “leadership” changed. I feel that many of the ideas we practiced can be used to do a better job even in my daily interactions with students and colleagues.”
2019 Participant
“A sub-optimal professional climate for women faculty is a major issue that has made my time at Penn State less than the ideal working environment I would expect. This network of women provides a support system for encouragement and strategic planning that improves my personal feelings about working here.”
2019 Participant
Take a 10,000-foot view of your life and career, decide where you want to go, and plan and take deliberate steps to move in that direction… connect to dozens of other strong and brilliant women who understand the challenges of academic life… enrich and strengthen your support network, allowing you to continue in your current career activities more effectively and confidently, or even to pursue greater challenges in the future if you desire.
2020 Participant
Directors
- Wendy Hanna-Rose, Co-Director
- Zoubeida Ounaies, Co-Director
- Faranak Pahlevani, Assistant Director for Commonwealth Campus Engagement