Leadership Academy Testimonials
What are some experiences, tools, or lessons you have found valuable from the Leadership Academy?
Carrie Häber, Assistant Dean, Physical and Biological Sciences - 2016
"Learning more about the ways that individuals process change management was one of the most valuable exercises for me. Before that, I wasn't fully equipped to recognize stress in other people if they handled stress by working harder (maybe because that is how I handle stress, too). Seeing that others in our group had their own unique way to handle stress helped me to be a better leader, allowing me to more readily recognize behaviors and then be able to step in to offer support."
Marueen Savage, UCO Technical Laboratory Manager - 2018
"Great information about how to work with others, negotiating and conflict resolution. Gaming activities and time to work on individual leadership challenges. Loved the guests speakers who talked to us about organizational change, inclusion, micro-aggression and what it means to be a first generation college student. I also met some amazing UCSC leaders and students who I can reach out to for advice and council. We've got a leadership book club that continues to meet!"
Emmerson Murray, Director, University Business Services - 2019
"I walked away with some very specific tools regarding defensiveness and improving customer service. I gained a greater understanding and perspective of the campus at large and from a higher level. Best of all, I made connections with staff and faculty from all over campus that I would never encounter in my day to day responsibilities."
Ibukun Bloom, Academic Advancement Manager - 2019
"The activities, particularly the interactive ones, were very applicable to a whole cross-section of campus employees and responsibility sets; learning about one's strengths & weaknesses alongside of elements of how the university works seemed to benefit all of the participants. I particularly appreciated the activities that drew attention to the perceptions of what it meant to be a responsible and effective leader, and the advice for how to begin improving one's own skills towards those ends."
Flora Lu, Professor ENVS and Provost, Colleges Nine and Ten - 2020
"The LPI provided valuable feedback about how others were perceiving and experiencing my leadership, and operationalized different components of my performance that, taken together, inspire and recognize people so that they can feel valued and do their best."
"The experience of attending the Leadership Academy inspired me to really think about the concept of leadership and what is missing in my leadership. The biggest lesson I learned is the importance of having a forward-looking vision and effectively sharing the vision with others, including my colleagues, students, and family members."
Would you recommend the Leadership Academy to other UC Santa Cruz employees and why?
Al Covington, ITS HR Manager - 2018
"Absolutely. The Leadership Academy was a great venue to meet with my peers in the academic setting and learn from current campus leadership. It's a large commitment but has been excellent professional development on this campus!"
Tim Johnstone, Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry - 2018
"I would strongly recommend the Leadership Academy. It was a great way to meet with others from campus and develop broad skills that I have personally found useful when running my nascent research group."
Sarah Barron, Assistant Dean, Planning & Resource Managemetn - 2018
"Yes, I would highly recommend Leadership Academy to other UCSC employees because of the high quality curriculum, the opportunity to dig deep and explore your skill set and career goals and finally, because of the people you get to meet along the way."
Emmerson Murray, Director, University Business Services - 2019
"Yes. Leadership Academy gives a glimpse into the high level concerns of campus leadership and gives very specific tools for improving your performance."
Hiroko Acker, Library Budget & Finance Manager - 2020
"Absolutely! Great opportunity to meet talented professionals throughout the campus and learn from them. It was so nice to interact with others who are faculty, staff and graduate students and work on the same goal to become a better leader."
Lajlim Yang, Director of International Programs, UNEX - 2020
"Yes. It was a great opportunity for leadership development and a good way to build connections with personnel from other departments. I have already recommended it to many staff members at UNEX."
