Call for Aurora Programme Participants for 2016/17
LFHE Aurora Leadership & Management Programme for Women
Female Academic Staff at the Level of Lecturer, Senior Lecturerand Postdoctoral Researchers
Research shows that female academics’ skills are often ‘mis-recognised’, by themselves as well as by others, and that many women deselect themselves from applications for internal leadership positions. Many academic women do not imagine themselves in leadership positions, or assume that they should not apply for leadership training unless they have immediate plans to become a Vice-Chancellor or Dean.The Aurora Leadershipprogramme isan opportunity tothink creatively about different management styles and opportunities and to take time to reflect on career development and promotion.
The University of Kent has now supported in excess of 35 female members of staff as participants on the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE) Aurora Leadership and Management Programme, which was piloted in 2013/14. After another successful programme last year, which again saw the involvement of 2 Professional Services staff members and a number of Postdoctoral research staff, in addition to the Academic cohort, we are pleased to announce that the University will once again be offering the opportunity for women academic staff at the level of Senior Lecturer or below,Postdoctoral research staff and a number of women who work in the professional services, focusing on areas where women are in the minority, to apply for places on the programme.
Yvonne Sherwood, Professor of Religious Studies is our new Aurora Champion and will lead the application process,which will also include the three Faculty Deans and the Interim Head of Organisational Development.
The programme itself launches on 4October 2016 in CentralLondon(see timetable information for dates).
Please submit the applicationform at the end of this document, incorporating responses to the points below by email toNaomi Dumbrell,Learning & Development Co-ordinator, at no later than5pmonMonday 01 August 2016.
Participant Selection Process
Participants will need to demonstrate the following:
- Support from their Line Manager & Heads of Department to participate in the programme, including attendance at all five sessions, ideally in London
- Commitment to the full Aurora process, attending all five delivery days (including the action learning set day) and willingness to undertake some self-directed study
- Commitment to work formally with a mentor
- Readiness to embrace the mentoring relationship(determining mentors will entail a collaborative selection process immediately following participant selection) and actively work with their mentors to address their personal development needs and build their self-reliance
- Commitment to a career in higher education and to devoting some time to thinking about and planning their career
- Willingness to host an action learning set day at their institution(with the support of Kent)
- Willingness to embrace the extensive networking opportunities offered by Aurora
- Willingness to undertake projects or assignments for Kent in order to build on their developing leadership skills including engaging in opportunities to share experiences and learning here at Kent
- Willingness to participate in a LFHE-led longitudinal study to gauge the effectiveness of Aurora
- Willingness to act as mentors or role models to future participants
- An underlying enthusiasm for the Aurora programme and consideration of the potential benefits to be gained as an individual
In addition to considering responses to the points above, the Committee will be looking for diversity across lecturer and senior lecturer level as well as considering the range of previous leadership and management development and experiencethat applicants have had and how more experienced participants might assist less experienced participants throughout the programme.
Next Steps
Further details related to identifying mentors and role models will be forthcoming once the participants have been identified.If you have any questions, please get in touch with any of the following:
Yvonne Sherwood, Aurora Champion (ext. 4005),
Jo Tremain, Interim Learning & Development Manager (ext. 7897)
Alison Whelan, Aurora Co-ordinator (ext. 3395) Thur – Fri
Naomi Dumbrell, Learning & Development Co-ordinator (ext. 3487) Mon -Wed
Aurora Programme Background
The Aurora programme aims to enable a wider range of women to think of themselves as future leaders, to develop the skills they will need, and to help their institutions to maximise the use of the skills they acquire. The focus will be on women up to and including Senior Lecturer/grade 9 level. This initiative is a response toLFHE researchwhich shows there are fewer women in the most senior positions in higher education than ten years ago and identifies features that could be addressed to change this. Many influential stakeholders including vice-chancellors, HEFCE and the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) have agreed the situation calls for action and the feedback from the sector has supported encouraging more women to plan and prepare better for leadership roles at an early point in their careers. Further Aurora programme details, including Frequently Asked Questions are available at:
Format
- Conference style with 100 – 150 participants at each session
- All sessions (except the action learning set day) will be professionally facilitated with tables of 8-10 hosted by role models (see below) to lead small group discussions
Content
- Day 1: Identity, Impact and Voice:Participants will investigate the nature of leadership and what it means to them, look at leadership theory and learn about the importance of visibility and ‘voice’. Issues around values, authenticity and style will be addressed along with what the participant wants and can offer within a leadership role.
- Day 2: Power and Politics:Under this heading the cultures and politics of organisations will be investigated along with individual responses to them and ways of working within them. Participants will be encouraged to think about building coalitions, develop networks and make lasting mutually supportive connections.
- Day 3: Action Learning Set (groups of 6-8 to be hosted at individual Universities):this day of the programme is set aside for a full-day action learning set. The participants of each set will be seated at the same table at the power and politics day (see above).
- Day 4: Core Leadership Skills:This day will introduce the key skills needed by all leaders and managers and consider whether there are any ‘female’ ways of leading. Communication, influencing, team building and team working, building a vision and developing strategy will be considered
- Day 5: Adaptive Leadership Skills:During this development day participants will be introduced to the main principles of adaptive leadership and how these are relevant to women. Participants will also be encouraged to consider how to adopt an experimental mind-set and how to identify leadership archetypes. How to have courageous conversations, regulate distress and identify the barriers to leadership will also be considered. The day is about using adaptive leadership to enhance performance and success.
Timetable Information
- Delivery will take place in Greater London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Cardiff and Leeds
- Kent has targeted Greater London as the preferred location to allow same day travel for participants. A travel budget for the Greater London location has been set and will be available to participants if travel funding is not available from their School.
- We have a limited number of places on the London 2 cohort with the majority booked for London 1
Location / Identity, Impact and Voice / Power and Politics / Action Learning Sets* / Core Leadership Skills / Adaptive Leadership Skills
London 1 / Tuesday 4 October 2016 / Tuesday 8 November 2016 / Tuesday 6 December 2016 / Tuesday 10 January 2017 / Tuesday 14 February 2017
Edinburgh / Tuesday 1 November 2016 / Tuesday 29 November 2016 / Thursday 12 January 2017 / Thursday 9 February 2017 / Thursday 16 March 2017
Dublin / Wednesday 7 December 2016 / Wednesday 18 January 2017 / Wednesday 1 March 2017 / Tuesday 21 March 2017 / Wednesday 3 May 2017
Cardiff / Friday 13 January 2017 / Friday 17 February 2017 / Friday 17 March 2017 / Friday 7 April 2017 / Friday 19 May 2017
Leeds / Thursday 2 February 2017 / Thursday 2 March 2017 / Thursday 30 March 2017 / Thursday 11 May 2017 / Thursday 8 June 2017
London 2 / Wednesday 8 March 2017 / Wednesday 29 March 2017 / Wednesday 26 April 2017 / Thursday 24 May 2017 / Wednesday 28 June 2017
- Note: Participants who must miss a date in their usual location (in Kent’s case Greater London) can substitute a day from another location (however, Days 2 and 3 must be attended in the same location) following discussion with the project team. There is an administration charge of £100 levied by the LFHE to transfer a participant to a workshop in an alternative location and transfers of this kind will only be supported centrally in exceptional circumstances.
Application Form starts below…………………….
2016/17 Aurora Programme Participant Application
Name of Applicant:Department:
Current Role(s):
Number of Years/Months in Current Role:
Previous Role(s) if applicable:
Number of Years/Months working in Higher Education:
Line Manager :
Head of Department:
Head of School/DepartmentSupport Comments(including acknowledgment ofcommitment to supportattendance at all five sessions):
Please comment on items that follow, using no more than 4 sides of A4 to respond.
Please submit your application via email to Naomi Dumbrell,Learning & Development Co-ordinator, at no later than5pm Monday 01 August 2016.
- Please can you confirm that you can commit to the full Aurora process, attending all five delivery days including the action learning set day.
Note: there are only limited places available on London 2
I can/cannot attend London 1 I can/cannot attend London 2 dates
- Participation in the Aurora Programme will require you to undertake some self-directed study to get the most out of the course. Please summarise how you would fulfil this requirement whilst balancing other commitments and goals (e.g. allocating time at work or home, using resources/technology).
- The Aurora project requires a commitment to having a formal mentor. Please outlinewhat benefits you feel having a dedicated mentor would provide and how you would use this opportunity to build your self-reliance and develop yourself within your role
- Considering the commitments above, please outline any factors which you anticipate may cause issues preventing you fromfulfilling the programme successfully and suggest any ways to overcome these.
- Please tell us about your commitment to a career in higher education and preparedness to devote time to thinking about and planning your career
- Please outline how you think you could best make use of the extensive networking opportunities offered by Aurora both during the programme and ongoing in your future career
- Describe any previous leadership/management development you have undertaken at Kent or elsewhereand outline how you feel you could build on this through attending the Aurora programme.
- Describe any previous leadership management experience you have had at Kent or elsewhere and outline how you feel attending the Aurora programme could develop that further.
- Please outline how you feel the Aurora programme would positively benefit you at this stage in your personal development and career planning
- If selected, what could you personally bring to the Aurora programme and cohort?
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