Leadership Shadowing Program

The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, in collaboration with the Commission on the Status of Women, announces a new pilot program for the 2026/2027 academic year: a Leadership Shadowing Program. UM faculty and staff interested in leadership opportunities can learn from university leaders in existing roles, to get a feel for the responsibilities of the position. This will improve the pipeline for leadership and let participants gain experience and learn about the responsibilities of particular positions. Participants will be paired with a mentor and spend up to 4 hours a week during the fall or spring semester “shadowing” the mentor: attending meetings, planning events, and experiencing the many responsibilities of the leadership position.  The mentor and mentee will meet to discuss the mentee’s goals for the program, specifically what they would most like to learn and whether there is a specific project or program they would like to co-plan and implement.

        

Details of the program:

  • Candidate will spend up to 4 hours a week with mentor during fall or spring semester: this includes joining meetings, planning sessions, and other responsibilities related to the position

  • Mentor provides an overview of the responsibilities of the position. Mentor and mentee discuss participants' goals for the program and adjust projects/meetings accordingly.

  • Candidate chooses a project to focus on during the length of the residency

  • The cohort of candidates (ideally, 5 faculty and 5 staff) meets once at the end of the semester to share their experiences and give suggestions for future improvements

  • The cohort participates in a weeklong leadership seminar in the summer of 2027

Selected Mentors

GST-Related Graduate Classes

  • Topics in the history of gender identity in Latin America.

  • The course will survey cross-cultural training programs designed to introduce people from one cultural background to ways of interacting effectively in a culture other than their own.

  • Examines the social and cultural construction of gender differences in contemporary U.S. society, focusing on the social history of gender roles and gender inequality in current cultural and institutional practices.