Mission

Equip and elevate Sewanee colleagues to lead positive change.

Vision

A flourishing University where everyone has the ability and responsibility to lead.

Philosophy

Leadership is a skill that must be cultivated and practiced. If we do not learn how to lead well, we cannot model or teach it well. To guide and inspire our students and each other, every colleague, whether faculty or staff, can grow by learning effective leadership. The Center for Leadership is dedicated to offering opportunities for meaningful growth, connection, and joy in leadership development.

Strategy

To create exceptional leaders among our colleagues and students, we will empower and equip our colleagues to model and teach exemplary leadership. This will be achieved through:

  • Programs: Short- and long-term leadership development workshops, courses, and circles.
  • Coaching: Individual coaching sessions to faculty and staff.
  • Resources: Leadership resources to support the growth of faculty and staff.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

"Bouncing Back: Resilience Skills for When Things Get Hard"

  • Wednesday, October 23 from 3:00-4:30

  • For all colleagues (faculty and staff)

  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

  • Sign up here by October 21

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from hardship. We need resilience during times of crisis, but also to help us deal with the stressors of everyday life. This 90-minute workshop will explore how strengths like grit, gratitude, and compassion can help you develop resilience. It will incorporate neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology with concrete suggestions and experiential practices. We will explore how to overcome the brain’s negativity bias and replace painful thoughts and feelings with self-compassion and inner peace. This 90-minute workshop is based on the book,  Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness, by Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson.

Resilience is essential to strong leadership. It helps us as leaders adapt to change, stay calm under pressure, and persevere through challenges, inspiring others to do the same. (Note: we are ALL leaders, defined not by titles but by the influence, decisions, and actions we take in everyday life.)

Co-facilitated by our colleagues Leigh Collins (Executive Director of Wellness Commons and the Director of CAPS- Counseling and Psychological Services) and Elise Tarhan (Associate Director of CAPS).

"Communicate with Care: Understanding Self & Others to Build Trust"

  • Tuesday, November 5, 2024 (note: this date has changed)

  • 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

  • Open to all colleagues (staff and faculty)

  • Sign up here by Friday, November 1

The LIFO assessment (free to participants) provides practical techniques to help you adjust your communication style, build trust, and improve collaboration, ensuring positive results in your work and relationships. It uniquely focuses on understanding and adapting natural behavioral preferences without rigid labels, making it flexible and practical. It offers actionable insights to improve communication and collaboration, helping individuals and teams work more effectively.

Whether you're leading a department or team, working on projects, or connecting with students, this workshop provides practical insights so you can adapt your communication style, making your interactions clearer and smoother. It’s about embracing what makes you unique to create positive outcomes in your work and relationships.

Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business.

“Dare to Lead”: Becoming a Braver Leader to Shape a Courageous Culture

“A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes and has the courage to develop that potential.”  -Brene Brown

Strengthen your leadership skills with  Brené Brown's Dare to Lead book. In this book study series, colleagues come together to explore what it means to lead with courage and vulnerability. We’ll discuss how we can all lead from where we are, modeling the kind of leadership that inspires and empowers our students and colleagues. Together, we'll build skills to navigate challenges, foster trust, and create a culture of brave leadership at Sewanee.

  1. Enhance your leadership skills to lead with confidence and authenticity.
  2. Strengthen relationships with colleagues through open and meaningful conversations.
  3. Contribute to a culture of trust and courage that benefits our entire community.

All are welcome—no prior experience is needed, just a willingness to engage and grow.

Sign up early so your free book can be sent to you early. The group size will be limited to 12 participants to allow for depth of discussion. 

Facilitated by Jessica Welch; co-sponsored by Human Resources and the Center for Leadership.

"Mindfulness Daily at Work" Online Course

Good leaders must be self-aware, and mindfulness practice is a tool for awareness. Mindfulness Daily at Work is a 40-day online program, presenting an in-depth training to teach you key mindfulness practices specifically targeted for the workplace. Throughout this program, you will learn to feel more present and engaged, develop your creativity and critical thinking skills, improve your health and well-being, have better relationships and interactions, and revolutionize your overall experience at work. Each session has a short talk and a short meditation, as well as guidance for bringing a practice alive throughout the day. Mindfulness Daily @ Work makes it easy to tap into an internal well of joy, satisfaction, and vitality at work, no matter what our jobs are. Registration is open and you can start any time.

Personal Growth Tools: Online Assessments

Click here for a list of online assessments to learn more about yourself and your abilities (including CliftonStrengths, Conflict Styles, Personal Values Inventory, Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, Interest Profiler, etc.)

Sewanee Colleagues Facebook Group

One of the best parts of working at Sewanee is getting to work alongside devoted and gifted colleagues. The Center for Leadership is providing venues for improved internal communication to promote unity, collaboration, and trust among colleagues. Click here to request to join (current and officially retired colleagues only, please).

Praising Up Colleagues

Give Public Recognition ("PR") to a Sewanee colleague who works either behind the scenes or in the spotlight by filling out this PRaising Up Colleagues form. Let's shine the spotlight on the many people who make a difference at Sewanee! 

Request a Workshop

To request a workshop for your team, department or class, please submit one of these forms:

Idea Incubator: "Your idea. Our support."

The Center for Leadership has designed a new process to support and elevate new and innovative ideas that will create positive change at Sewanee. If you are a faculty or staff colleague with an idea, click here to learn more and to start the ball rolling!

Questions? Contact Elizabeth Wilson at the Center for Leadership at elwilson@sewanee.edu.

Leadership Lab and Past Programs

Leadership Lab
A 9-month leadership course for Sewanee staff and faculty to elevate the leader within
Learn More
Past Programs
Check out past offerings by the Center for Leadership

 

Learn More

People

Center for Leadership Council
Council

Matt Brown- Student Life; Chris Champion- Human Resources; Abby Colbert- Office of Global Citizenship; Tammy Elliott- Print Services/Staff Partnership Council (SPC) representative; Sylvia Gray, Title IX; Karen Proctor- Executive Offices; Amy Turner- Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability; Bess Turner- Development- School of Theology; Codi Whittington- Residential Life; and Sam Young, Student Activities

centerforleadership@sewanee.edu
Elizabeth LeVieux Wilson
Director, Center for Leadership

Elizabeth LeVieux Wilson is the inaugural director of the Center for Leadership. She moved to this position after spending 13 years with Sewanee's Career Center.

elwilson@sewanee.edu