Academic Leadership Fellowship

The Academic Leadership Fellows (ALF) program builds developmental partnerships between current administrators (serving as mentors) and selected fellows. Each fellow engages in a structured year-long experience that includes both administrative shadowing and completion of a collaborative project aligned with institutional priorities.

Fellows are paired with MSU administrators to gain first-hand insight into the operations, expectations, opportunities, and challenges of academic leadership. Throughout the year, fellows engage in guided reflection on their own strengths and career goals to determine whether administrative or other leadership roles are a good fit.

Qualifications

Applicants must:

  • Hold an appointment as a tenure-system, fixed-term, NSCL/FRIB, Library, or Health Programs faculty member, or as an academic specialist.
  • Demonstrate a strong interest in learning about diverse leadership roles.
  • Have a minimum of 10 years of faculty-level experience.

Application

Applications for the 2026-27 cohort of leadership fellows are now closed. 

  • CV (Please limit to six pages.)
  • Application letter (two pages maximum) explaining why they are interested in the program, what leadership goals they are trying to work toward, and whether there are areas of institutional priority in which they are particularly interested.
    • Optional: If the potential fellow has an idea of the type of administrator they would like to work with, that can also be included here.
  • Support letter (two pages maximum) from a supervisor or colleague who has observed your leadership capacity and can best respond to the following questions:
    • What would this individual specifically gain from participating in the OFASD Leadership Fellows Program
    • What would the University gain from this individual participating in the OFASD Leadership Fellows Program
    • What evidence is there that this candidate is at an appropriate stage in their career to participate in this program?

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of potential mentors, and those selected to move forward in the process will be invited to interview with potential mentors. Interviews will be scheduled during April, with a final selection made by the end of the spring semester.

Program Goals

For Fellows

  • Gain direct exposure to academic administration, including day-to-day operations, decision-making processes, and leadership challenges.
  • Reflect on personal leadership characteristics and long-term career goals to determine interest in administrative pathways.

For Mentors

  • Contribute to the development of future institutional leaders.
  • Engage in self-reflection about their own leadership approaches.

For the Institution

  • Support innovation and positive change in areas of institutional priority.

Program Details

Fellow–mentor pairings are based on interests, experience, and developmental goals. Pairs may come from related or distant units, reflecting the program’s commitment to cross-college learning and the belief that diverse perspectives strengthen decision-making, creativity, and campus-wide collaboration.

Fellows and mentors identify desired leadership development outcomes that will guide the year’s activities.

Fellows spend approximately five hours per week shadowing and meeting with their mentors. Activities may include:

  • Observing day-to-day administrative operations
  • Participating in key meetings
  • Providing perspective on unit-level or institutional issues
  • Debriefing regularly with the mentor

 

Fellows undertake a jointly designed project that advances both the fellows’ learning goals and institutional priorities. Time commitment increases to approximately 10 hours per week as the project progresses.

Projects should align with FASA priorities, including, but not limited to: mentoring, access/opportunity and excellence, support for academics outside of the tenure system, innovations related to teaching or evaluation of it, and enhancing interdisciplinary scholarship.

Resources, including those required to provide the fellow sufficient time to complete the project, will be negotiated between the mentor and FASA, contingent on the scope of the work and available funding.

Fellows and mentors participate in approximately six to seven required cohort meetings throughout the academic year. A fall reception welcomes the new cohort and allows the outgoing fellows an opportunity to present on their work from the past year.

Current Fellows

A list of the 2026 Fellows will be coming soon.

Current Mentors

A list of the 2026 Mentors will be coming soon.

Past Fellows and Mentors

Fellows

  • LeConté Dill, Associate Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Letters, ldill@msu.edu
  • Michelle Mazei-Robison, Professor, College of Natural Science, mazeirob@msu.edu
  • Jennifer “Jeno” Rivera, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Technology (IAT), jeno@msu.edu 

Mentors

  • Mark Largent, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Office of the Provost, largent@msu.edu
  • Narayanan Parameswaran, Senior Associate Dean for Research, College of Human Medicine, narap@msu.edu
  • Judith Stoddart, Vice Provost, University Arts and Collections, stoddart@msu.edu 

Fellows

  • Brian Johnson, Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, James Madison College, john3582@msu.edu
  • M. Emin Kutay, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, kutay@msu.edu
  • Ellen Moll, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Arts and Letters, mollelle@msu.edu
  • Sarah Prior, Associate Professor, Sociology, College of Social Science, priorsar@msu.edu
  • Dodd Sledge, Academic Specialist and Section Chief, Anatomic Pathology, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, sledged@msu.edu 

Mentors

  • Kendra Cheruvelil, Dean, Lyman Briggs College, ksc@msu.edu
  • Sonja Fritzsche, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Administration, College of Arts & Letters, fritzsc9@msu.edu
  • Mark Largent, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Office of the Provost, largent@msu.edu
  • Allyn Shaw, AVP for Student Development and Leadership and Dean of Students, Student Affairs and Services, shawall@msu.edu
  • Aaron Sousa, Dean, College of Human Medicine, sousaa@msu.edu 

Fellows

Mentors

  • Sonja Fritzsche, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Administration, College of Arts & Letters, fritzsc9@msu.edu
  • Doug Gage, Vice President, Research and Innovation, gage@msu.edu
  • Eric Hegg, College of Natural Science, erichegg@msu.edu
  • Chris Long, Dean, College of Arts and Letters and Honors College, cplong@msu.edu
  • Narayanan Parameswaran, Senior Associate Dean for Research, College of Human Medicine, narap@msu.edu
  • Judith Stoddart, Vice Provost, University Arts and Collections, stoddart@msu.edu 

Fellows

Mentors

  • Marilyn Amey, Assistant Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development. Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education
  • Mary Finn, Dean, College of Social Science, mfinn@msu.edu
  • Doug Gage, Vice President, Research and Innovation, gage@msu.edu
  • Chris Long, Dean, College of Arts and Letters and Honors College, cplong@msu.edu 

Fellows

Mentors

  • Kristine Bowman, Associate Dean, Academic & Student Affairs and Professor of Education Policy, College of Education, klbowman@msu.edu
  • Prabu David, Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, pdavid@msu.edu
  • Phillip M. Duxbury, Dean, College of Natural Science, natsci.dean@msu.edu
  • Thomas Glasmacher, FRIB Laboratory Director & University Distinguished Professor Nuclear Physics -Experimental, College of Natural Science, glasmacher@frib.msu.edu
  • Amol Pavangadkar, Senior Specialist and Professor of Practice, School of Journalism, pavangad@msu.edu
  • Joseph A. Salem, Jr., Dean, MSU Libraries, jsalem@msu.edu 

Fellows

Mentors

  • Prabu David, Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, pdavid@msu.edu
  • Steve Hanson, Vice Provost and Dean for International Studies and Programs, hansons@msu.edu
  • Thomas Jeitschko, The Graduate School
  • Chris Long, Dean, College of Arts and Letters and Honors College, cplong@msu.edu 

Fellows

Mentors

  • Prabu David, Dean, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, pdavid@msu.edu
  • Thomas Jeitschko, The Graduate School
  • Chris Long, Dean, College of Arts and Letters and Honors College, cplong@msu.edu 

Fellows

Mentors

  • Rachel Croson, Dean, College of Social Science
  • Ronald L. Hendrick, Dean, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, College of Social Science
  • Thomas Jeitschko, The Graduate School

Fellows

Mentors

  • Rachel Croson, Dean, College of Social Science
  • Doug Gage, Vice President, Research and Innovation, gage@msu.edu
  • Ronald L. Hendrick, Dean, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Chris Long, Dean, College of Arts and Letters and Honors College, cplong@msu.edu