TSU’s Linda Spears to Serve on State’s Higher Education Leadership and Innovation Team
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission has selected TSU’s Linda C. Spears to serve as part of its inaugural Higher Education Leadership and Innovation Fellows program.
Spears, the
associate vice president for Human Resources, will serve with 14 others on the
cohort-based professional development program to cultivate the next generation
of enterprise leaders in higher education. She was nominated by TSU President
Glenda Glover.
“I am so honored to be nominated
by President Glover and to be ultimately selected as a fellow in the inaugural
Tennessee Higher Education Leadership and Innovation Fellows program,” Spears
said. “It is such an honor to represent TSU in this leadership development
experience.”
According to a THEC
release, Spears and her fellow cohorts will
convene on campuses across the state to learn from experts and build extended
networks. The program will facilitate individual development goals through
professional assessments, one-on-one executive coaching, and mentoring networks
and job shadowing experiences.
Among other
responsibilities, the THEC fellows will
facilitate leadership
development through self-exploration and skill training; provide foundational
principles of higher education policy and practice for exposure to all
aspects of the higher education enterprise; as well as inspire ideas and
cultivate new ways of thinking to shape the emerging paradigm of
post-secondary education institutions.
“Addressing the challenges currently facing higher education will require leaders that are steeped in innovation and keenly focused on student success,” said Mike Krause, executive director of THEC. “This program will help Tennessee develop a cohort of higher education professionals ready to excel in executive positions.”
Spears said although the program is demanding, she hopes to
gain more insight into the strategic operations of higher educational
institutions to “prepare me for greater service and advancement opportunities.”
An operational improvement
advocate throughout her career, Spears has developed a management leadership training program, introduced
an electronic personnel action system, and developed many highly effective workflow
processes. She hopes to bring that experience of professional development to
her new role as a THEC fellow.
“This inaugural class will help to shape the future of this program,” she added.
Department of Media Relations
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3500 John Merritt Boulevard
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About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only
public university, and is a premier, historically black university and
land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24
master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a
comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie
designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams
Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in
McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee
State University provides students with a quality education in a
nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be
global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online
at tnstate.edu.