Program Goals and Outcomes
To promote competencies and confidence to embrace leadership opportunities. To empower women faculty to create a better future for themselves, their colleagues, their scholarly communities, their students, and the whole of Penn State.

Changing the Future (CTF) for Women Faculty at Penn State:
An Empowerment and Leadership Program

Informational Webinar

Overarching Program Goals

The goals of CTF are to promote leadership competencies and confidence to embrace leadership opportunities, both in formal and informal ways, within Penn State and beyond. 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.

The aim of the program is to empower women faculty at PSU to create a better future for themselves, their colleagues, their scholarly communities, their students and the whole of Penn State. Participants will learn about leadership, reflect on their own leadership philosophy, and practice effective leadership competencies. Participants will also create empowering peer networks to support their successes and help them navigate challenges. Participants will define their own goals and strategically pursue them via peer support and coaching. The proposed leadership training and the engagement in empowering peer support communities will enhance success  and promote commitment of  faculty to scholarly and campus leadership.

Outcomes for Participants

  • Establish/ expand a supportive and inclusive personal network
  • Establish/ expand campus-wide professional networks
  • Enhanced confidence for leadership presence and effectiveness
  • Improved advancement to tenure and promotion for a diverse pool of faculty
  • Increased attainment of professional goals
  • Increased personal satisfaction with professional achievement
  • Improved perceptions of campus climate
  • Preparedness to use leadership skills to drive change in all Foundations and each Thematic Priority in Penn State’s Strategic Plan

Outcomes for Penn State

  • Development of a pool of creative, passionate, and motivated leaders at Penn State
  • Increased involvement of a more diverse faculty pool in formal academic and administrative leadership
  • Increased / improved retention, maximizing University investment in faculty
  • More extensive professional networks promoting cross-college and inter-campus collaborative efforts and spread of best practices in teaching, scholarship, and service
  • Advancement toward gender parity in leadership, which is highly correlated with positive changes in equity and gender diversity at academic institutions.1
  • Benefits of greater gender equity at the highest professorial ranks and in visible campus leadership positions, including:
    • Increased success of other women on the tenure track
    • Increased recruitment and retention of female students in disciplines with historically lower levels of representation
    • Evolution of student attitudes in regards to gender and leadership relationships1.

We welcome applications from anyone interested in the program outcomes and priorities and do not limit access based on race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

In partnership with:

Next Level Leadership www.the-next-level.com

A small, women-owned company with a 30yr tenure advancing women leaders across industry and academia.