By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
The dean of the College of Education at Alabama State University, Dr. Nicole Yvette Strange-Martin, has been awarded membership into Penn State University’s national education leadership academy.
Strange-Martin is part of Penn State’s ‘Academic Leadership Academy‘ (ALA/Academy) cohort for 2022. The ALA/Academy’s purpose is to share and impart leadership knowledge and other important items to academic administrators. The organization’s role is designed especially for academic leaders and faculty with the goal of providing participants a supportive structure to help them reach a zenith of success for their educational positions and by so doing, increase the knowledge and success of their students.
“I am grateful to have been chosen by Penn State for this honor,” said Strange-Martin. “To be a part of this (Academy) will help me better lead our incredible College of Education, lift up our students and faculty to even higher heights, and continue our path toward global transformation.”
ABOUT THE PENN STATE ACADEMY
Strange-Martin and the other members of her 2022 cohort are chosen through a mentor-driven nomination process. Each year’s cohort has within it a diverse array of educators, including deans, associate provosts, department chairs and others with leadership roles. The Academy’s purpose is for its cohort members to better “articulate pressing challenges and share strategies for principled leadership.’
The director of the Academy believes that the organization helps educational leaders face the enormous pressures that are present today from such varied issues as the health of campus community members, the urgency of heightened racial conflict, academic enhancement and more.
“Promoting community well-being while offering quality academic programs and supporting students from enrollment to degree completion is paramount to our Academy,” stated Dr. Alicia C. Dowd, ALA/Academy’s director and a Penn State professor of education.
ASU’S DEAN REFLECTS
Strange-Martin explained that the Academy offers many case-study discussions on various topics in leadership in higher education. Topics include, but are not limited to, leadership, career planning, fostering inclusion and a sense of belonging in the campus community, managing budgets in difficult times, and legal perspectives and issues.
“This is all about doing better for our school and its students because the students must have the very best academic experience achievable and in turn, this helps us continue to put forth ASU’s world-class educational experience and lifts up our school,” Strange-Martin stated.
