Seminar on Academic Leadership in Baptist Universities
Sponsored by
The Center for Ministry Effectiveness and Educational Leadership
at Baylor University
Location of Seminar: University of Mary-Hardin Baylor
Date: May 20 – 24, 2007
Seminar Program
Sunday, May 20, 2007
2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Registration: Beall Hall (number 44 on map)
3:00 p.m. -3:15 p.m. Introductory remarks—Donald Schmeltekopf Conference Center
(number 46 on map)
3:15 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. Birkman Group Feedback: The Place of Self-Knowledge in
Leadership—Facilitator, Dan McGee, Baptist General Convention of
Texas, Coordinator, Leader Research and Product Development.
This opening session is devoted to a general discussion of the Birkman Questionnaire which each participant will
have completed prior to the seminar. Each participant will also have been provided a one-hour individual feedback
session by phone. In addition, a written confidential report based on the 360 degree assessment will be given to
participants at the end of this session.
6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Dinner Shelton Room, Mabee Center (number 27 on map)
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Vespers Shelton Room, Mabee Center –Steve Oldham, Associate
Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
Keynote speaker—Bryan R. Cole, Professor of Educational
Administration, Texas A & M University – Topic: Academic Leadership
Questions to be considered: Why is academic leadership important? What are its essential components and
principles?
What are the major challenges of academic leadership today, especially for Christian
colleges/universities?
Monday, May 21, 2007
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Conference Center (number 46 on map)
8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Educational Systems and Institutional Culture—Speaker, Bryan R.
Cole
Questions to be considered: What are the key elements of an effective educational/administrative structure? How
does institutional culture either strengthen or impede improvement? How does one effect needed change within an
institution? At the departmental level? School level?
10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Moral Dimensions of Leadership: The Ethics of Administration—
Leaders, Robert Benne, Director of the Center for Religion and Society,
Roanoke College, and Donald Schmeltekopf
Questions to be considered: What moral perspectives do we/should we bring to the leadership role? How does the
Christian faith help us? Does moral leadership matter? Is competence a practical or moral imperative? Is there a
code of ethics for academic administrators? Case studies.
12:15 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Conference Center
Personnel Issues: Faculty Hiring and Faculty Development—Speaker,
Susan Gallagher, Professor of English and Director, Center for
Scholarship and Faculty Development, Seattle Pacific University
Questions to be considered: Why is faculty hiring so critical in Baptist colleges/universities? What are the best
approaches to faculty hiring? Why is faculty development important? What are the best practices in the area of
faculty development? In the area of faculty evaluation?
3:00 p.m.
Free Time
6:30 p.m.
Dinner
7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Mission of the Christian College/University—Speaker, Robert Benne
The importance of institutional mission. A critique of mission statements
of schools represented in the seminar.
Open discussion. Baptist
colleges/universities 2005 conclave results will be discussed as well.
Shelton Room, Mabee Center
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Conference Center
8:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Conflict Resolution and Legal Issues—Speakers, Noley Bice, Of
Counsel, Baylor University, and Charles Beckenhauer, General Counsel,
Baylor University
Questions to be considered: Why does conflict emerge? What are the most effective ways of dealing with conflict
within the academic context? How does the academic leader avoid the tendency to personalize conflict? What are
the most pressing legal issues in higher education today? In Christian higher education? What are the best ways to
avoid litigation and still preserve the integrity of our Baptist institutions?
12:00 noon -1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Conference Center
Curriculum Development and Assessment—Leader, Graham Hatcher,
Provost/Vice President, Administrative and Academic Affairs, University
of Mary-Hardin Baylor
Questions to be considered: How does one sustain a curriculum that is both academically rigorous and relevant to
our students’ lives, now and in the future? What are the best practices for program review? How does one bring
about needed curriculum change? What are some of the major curricular issues surrounding faith and reason?
3:00 p.m.
Leisure in Salado—golfing, shopping, sightseeing, etc. (at each
participants’ expense).
7:30 p.m.
Dinner in Salado
Stagecoach Inn, Salado
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Conference Center
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Strategic Planning and Budgeting—Speakers, Larry Lyon, Vice
Provost of Institutional Effectiveness and Dean of Graduate School,
Baylor University; Harold Preston, Senior Vice President for Finance
and Chief Operations Officer, Hardin-Simmons University
Questions to be considered: What is strategic planning? What are the best practices/models available in strategic
planning? Why is it important to link planning and budgeting? What is a budget? How does one prepare a
department/school/university budget? What is the budget-preparation cycle? How does one read a budget report?
Why is it important to take planning and budgeting seriously?
10:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Teaching and Scholarship—Speaker, Susan Gallagher
Questions to be considered: Why is it important for all faculty members to maintain some reasonable balance
between teaching and scholarship? How can this be achieved in institutions whose educational mission is
predominantly a teaching one? What is meant by the “scholarship of teaching”? What publication opportunities
exist for teaching faculty?
12:00 noon -1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Conference Center
Mock Interviews on Faculty Hiring—Leaders, Graham Hatcher and
Donald Schmeltekopf
Participants will be solicited to conduct two or three mock interviews. The purpose of these is to demonstrate the
centrality of both academic and religious credentials in the recruitment of new faculty members. What are the best
practices? What pitfalls are to be avoided? Who are the best faculty members for Baptist universities?
3:15-5:00
In-Basket Discussion—Leader, Donald Schmeltekopf
Participants will be asked to submit questions prior to this session that deal with any issues of academic leadership
and administration that are unresolved or have not been discussed adequately during the seminar. This will be an
open-discussion session.
6:30 p.m.
Dinner
Shelton Room, Mabee Center
7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Understanding and Applying Your Leadership Style —Speaker, Dan
McGee
Questions to be considered: What are the various models of what is called “leadership style”? How does each
participant see him/herself as a leader? How is leadership within the university to be distinguished from leadership
outside the university? How do we interpret the 360 degree evaluation?
Thursday, May 24, 2007
7:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Conference Center
8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Renewal in Christian Higher Education—Speaker, Mark Schwehn,
Professor of Humanities in Christ College, Valparaiso University
Questions to be considered: Is Christian higher education experiencing renewal? Is there a student market for our
kind of institutions? Is there an adequate population of young Christian scholars available? What are the critical
issues facing our students today? What accountability do we have to the higher education community, to Baptist
and Christian higher education, to churches and the Baptist General Convention of Texas?
10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. End-note speaker—Mark Schwehn—Topic: The Rewards/Opportunities
of Academic Leadership
Questions to be considered: Why do we need strong educational leaders in Christian higher education? What
contributions can we make? In what sense can academic administration be understood as a Christian calling? What
difference should that make in how we view our leadership role?
12:00-1:00
Lunch/ Dismiss
Conference Center
This seminar has received funding from the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Institute for Faith and
Learning at Baylor University.