Passing On The Legacy

Higher Education Speaker Series

The Higher Education Speaker Series is designed to give entry-level to mid-level professionals an opportunity to gain a greater insight into leadership at the executive level.  Senior Management Professionals will present on their journey in Higher Education and the lessons learned through their career.

All of the workshops will occur from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm every other Tuesday beginning February 5 in BMU 210.

February 19
Drew Calandrella:  The Road to Executive Leadership

The road to executive leadership can be long and hard, but it teaches you the characteristics of leadership that are necessary to being influential.  This session is about my journey to my role as the Vice President of Student Affairs at California State University, Chico.  The preparation and different leadership roles have shaped the way I am able to make an impact on the lives of those both working at the University and on the lives of students.

March 5
Chela Mendoza Patterson:  Leading With Passion

In many years of working with leaders at a variety of levels, I have come to the conclusion that the talents we think of as peculiar to the leader exist in all of us.  It's what we do with those talents and how we share our love that determines our success.  Leadership is an affair of the heart, not the head. This session will explore how to lead with passion, how to stay in love with the students we serve, and how to ignite in each other the fire needed to accomplish the mission of higher education.

April 2
Pedro Douglas:  How to Manage Your Career When You Have Absolutely No Idea

Navigating your career can be an arduous process.  Additionally, many new professionals in higher education don't have a clear understanding of what it is they wish to do nor do they have a clear path on how to achieve their respective goals.  Individuals attending this workshop will have a better understanding of the following:  choosing a mentor that has your best interest in mind, networking the flexibility, and understanding/appreciating what is needed for your current and future positions, institutional culture and the role it plays in your career success.  While you are all products of your past, you are also the architects of your future.  So be strategic in your design.

April 16
Maurice Bryan:  7 Strategies to Impactful Leadership

Leadership is reshaped and redefined constantly in your professional career.  With the various experiences, professional positions, and different educational institutions, I have learned 7 strategies that enable me to define and demonstrate impactful leadership.

April 30
Robert "Bob" Sprague:  Leading Without Authority

Have you ever seen someone take the opportunity to influence others beyond their "pay grade"?  You see these people speak up in meetings, questioned for their insight, or in conversations that become opportunities to influence far beyond their job description.  Harvard leadership scholar Ron Heifetz called this, "leading without authority."  How does one lead a vital cause that exceeds a job description, a budget, and even one's expertise?  All of us work in complex organizational systems.  Leading without authority may be necessary in these complex systems to accomplish the most important tasks on campus.