Academic Professional Development > 

Leading in the Academy

Cultivating strong academic leadership at Mount Royal University,

Leading in the Academy is a professional development program for current and aspiring academic leaders at Mount Royal University, and is tailored to address the distinct challenges and priorities of leadership within an academic environment.

Launched in 2024, this program supports Mount Royal’s commitment in the 2023-2030 Academic Plan to provide professional development and support for faculty and staff, ensuring they can meaningfully and effectively engage in their work.

 

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MRULeads

Aspiring academic leaders | Managers | Directors | Program Administrators | Chairs | Academic Directors

Overview

Piloting for the 2024-2025 academic year

MRULeads is a cohort-based program that focuses on strengthening leadership capacity across Academic Affairs and delves into a specific leadership theme each year. Participants will gain a deepened sense of their personal leadership style, an expanded network of peers and mentors, and a comprehensive toolkit of management and leadership strategies to apply in the context of their current roles.

 

2024-2025 Personal effectiveness	Tentative for 2025-2026 Engaging others	Tentative for 2026-2027 Systems thinking
Self-awareness: values, ethics and character Self-awareness: strengths Self-awareness: emotional intelligence Productivity and resilience Leadership networks Strategic career planning Personal leadership philosophy	Understanding motivation Communications and interpersonal dynamics Conflict management Fostering collaborative teams Inclusive leadership Mentorship and coaching Leading change	Stakeholder engagement Global trends Sustainability in higher education Innovation in education technology Organizational culture and climate Change and innovation Navigating governance and policy

The MRULeads program is governed by a cross-divisional committee co-chaired by the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, and the Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations.

Shelley Rathie, Interim Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations, will co-facilitate MRULeads courses with various academic leaders, MRFA members and/or external guests.

Program details

2024-2025 MRULeads courses

 

January (90 minutes)

Finding your inner compass through values-based leadership

Participants will explore strategies to uncover and align their values with their leadership practices, fostering authenticity to build trust within their units. Through guided activities, group discussions and personal reflections, participants will learn how to effectively integrate their core values into their leadership approach.

February (90 minutes)

Leveraging your strengths for effective academic leadership 

This interactive workshop will help participants gain insights into their personal strengths. By identifying and leaning into their unique strengths, participants will build confidence in their ability to lead authentically and achieve positive outcomes with creativity and resilience.

March (90 minutes)

Capitalizing on emotional intelligence and human motivation to strengthen influence 

This session examines the core components of emotional intelligence and human motivation. Through collaborative exercises and discussions, participants will explore ways to recognize and manage their emotions, understand, empathize and motivate others, and build stronger and more effective relationships. By the end of the session, attendees will be equipped with tools and techniques to leverage emotional intelligence and motivation theory for greater impact and influence.

April (90 minutes)

Navigating interpersonal dynamics

This interactive workshop focuses on applying advanced human skills to effectively manage complex interpersonal dynamics. Through role-playing activities and group discussions, participants will explore techniques for confidently engaging in difficult conversations. By the end of the session, attendees will have a toolkit of strategies to build stronger connections and manage conflicts constructively.

May (90 minutes)

Preparing for sustained joy and well-being in leadership roles 

Participants will explore strategies for preparing for the ‘marathon’ of leadership while promoting sustainability, joy, and well-being. They will learn techniques for drawing boundaries, balancing emotional involvement, prioritizing physical health, and nurturing a sense of joy in their practice. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with tools and strategies to mindfully prepare for sustained success in their leadership journey.

June (90 minutes)

Crafting your personal leadership philosophy 

In this final offering, participants will define and articulate their personal leadership philosophy based on the self-awareness and skills gained throughout the series. By the end of this session, attendees will have developed a guiding framework for their future decisions and actions, helping them pursue leadership roles with greater clarity and purpose with fulfillment and growth.

 

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MRU Systems and Processes

Managers | Directors | Program Administrators | Chairs | Academic Directors | Associate Deans | Vice-Deans | Deans | Associate Vice-Presidents | Deans

Overview

Ongoing annual programming

MRU Systems and Processes focus on the leadership impacts of various institutional systems and processes specific to Mount Royal, including those mandated by the Collective Agreement. Aligning with the University's strategic priorities, this program will address key topics and current issues facing leaders in Academic Affairs, grow leadership, and cultivate leadership conversations. 

Shelley Rathie, Interim Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations, will co-facilitate MRULeads courses with various leaders, MRFA members, MRSA members, and/or external guests.

Program details

2024-2025 MRU Systems and Processes courses

Monday, Sep. 16, 2024 – 9:00 am - 11:50 am 

Delegation as a Leadership Tool

For a leader, the two most valuable resources are time and their team. In this three-hour workshop, participants will be provided with knowledge, tools and techniques to tune up their time-management and delegation skills. This time management conversation will focus on prioritization and organization using self-assessment, case studies and practical tools and applications. The delegation conversation will include both tactics and strategy, leading to better outcomes for the leader and their team.

Facilitated by: 

Sheri Brake, AccessHR [External]

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 – 9:00 am - 11:50 am 

Academic scheduling - the challenges and opportunities

Scheduling of any kind takes a unique blend of technical skill, contextual understanding and vision. Add an increasing number of students and new course offerings into the process, and that unique blend gets put to the test more often than not. Leaders who find the academic scheduling process a challenge are encouraged to participate in this conversation with colleagues from Records, Scheduling and Curriculum. This is an invaluable opportunity to address the challenges and frustrations around scheduling, and collaboratively attempt to find workable solutions.

Facilitated by:

Shelley Rathie, Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations
Geri-Lynn Gouglas, Registrar & Associate Vice-President
Nicole Cross, Director, Records, Curriculum and Scheduling

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 – 9:00 am - 11:50 am

Thinking Out Loud Together: Why Civil Discourse matters on and off campus today

In this talk, novelist and professor Randy Boyagoda, the University of Toronto’s Advisor on Civil Discourse, proposes civil discourse as a way to overcome divides, conflicts, and extreme positions between members of the same community. Drawing on his work leading a civil discourse project at the University of Toronto, Boyagoda proposes that civil discourse itself is a commitment to thinking out loud together with others, in classrooms and beyond. Civil discourse provides a way for people to recognize and reckon with difference and disagreement, and to see this as a way of increasing mutual understandings and also shared understandings of contested ideas and issues. Ultimately, civil discourse matters on campus and beyond because it contributes to the common good, advances knowledge and supports the pursuit of truth.

Facilitated by:

Randy Boyagoda, University of Toronto [External]
Karim Dharamsi, Vice-Provost Academic

Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 – 9:00 am - 11:50 am 

Who said it would be easy? Leading in an academic and unionized environment

Many people argue that a grievance is a good thing! They help everyone understand how employees interpret their collective agreements and give clarity on how to move forward in the future. In this session, members of Human Resources and the Office of Faculty Relations will provide recommendations on how to steward the faculty collective agreement positively. Participants will discuss and learn about different leadership styles and how they intersect with the handling of the grievance and possible outcomes.

Facilitated by:

Kelly Williams-Whitt, Dean, Faculty of Business, Communication Studies and Aviation
Shelley Rathie, Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations
Brady Killough, Chair, Chair and Academic Directors Assembly
Bonnie Thompson, Director, HR, Employee and Labour Relations

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025 – Time TBD 

Culture of Meetings

Meetings are one of the greatest ways to conduct business in the academy. While they are unavoidable, they can be constructed to be more meaningful and effective. In this session, participants will discuss how to better utilize meetings and create time and space to attend to the work (outside of meetings) that needs to be done. This session will explore the development of a potential action plan to pilot, that would focus on meetings and time management that can lead to positive improvements in work/life balance and personal effectiveness.

Facilitated by:

Shelley Rathie, Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations
Brady Killough, Chair, Chair and Academic Directors Assembly

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025 – Time TBD

Optimizing performance - yours and others 

“We know what we want but can’t see what we are doing; others can see what we are doing, but they don’t know what we want.” This quote suggests that people often don’t realize that the things they are doing are actually not helping them achieve their goals, that is until an observer tells them what they see. The true and pure intention behind performance management is to help people achieve their goals. When done correctly, performance management helps colleagues thoughtfully align their performance with their goals. In this session, participants will dig into strategies to ensure leaders are better equipped to optimize their own performance, as well as the performance of those around them.

Facilitated by: 

Shelley Rathie, Associate Vice-President, Faculty Relations
Co-facilitator TBD

Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025 – Time TBD 

Topic TBD

Time held for the continuation of previous topics covered or new topics, as deemed necessary by the participants.

Wednesday, Apr. 16, 2025 – Time TBD 

Topic TBD

Time held for the continuation of previous topics covered or new topics, as deemed necessary by the participants.

 

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CADA Support Program

Chairs | Academic Directors

Ongoing annual programming

The Chairs and Academic Directors Assembly (CADA) Support Program equips Chairs and Academic Directors with the technical skills required for their roles while providing mentorship and support for their various duties.

Sessions typically run monthly and include:

• Welcome session for CADA members 
  This is a welcome and orientation session in August for CADA members, with food and coffee provided.
• CADA Support workshop sessions
  These workshop sessions focus on key topics and issues facing Chairs and Academic Directors.
• CADA drop-in coffee sessions
  These informal drop-in sessions provide CADA members and opportunity to chat and connect. Coffee and refreshments are provided.

The CADA Support Program is facilitated by the Assembly Support Program Coordinator and supported by the Office of Faculty Relations.

All sessions are optional to attend and are held in person. Hybrid remote participation is not available.

Registration is confirmed via calendar invite by the Assembly Support Coordinator.

 

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Strategic Academic Leadership

Vice-Deans | Associate Vice-Presidents | Deans | Vice-Provost | Provost 

Launching in 2025

Strategic Academic Leadership is a new professional development program for senior leaders at Mount Royal to address key topics and current issues facing leadership and the University. Sessions will be organized through the Office of Faculty Relations with guidance from Provost’s Council.