Chris Prom, Associate Dean and Associate University Librarian for Digital Strategies at the University Library, has been chosen to participate in the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Academic Leadership Program (ALP) at Illinois. Prom’s leadership skills and academic promise have made him a perfect fit for this highly selective and respected program. He has a record of accomplishments in research, teaching, service and leadership. Moreover, he has demonstrated promising criteria for future leadership positions. Through this program, Prom will have the opportunity to develop leadership and managerial skills further and develop a wide variety of networking opportunities.
The annual Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Academic Leadership Program (ALP) is led by the Committee on Executive Leadership. Every year, five faculty members are selected to participate in this prestigious program. Due to COVID-related travel restrictions, this year’s candidates are participating in six online seminars, covering contemporary topics in higher education, as well as general leadership skills and strategies. Participants also attend monthly meetings at the university to help develop their understanding about campus leaders, campus units, and campus strategic goals. The ALP aims to cultivate and support collaborative leadership models in individuals who have shown outstanding ability and administrative potential. In addition to offering seminars and individual campus activities, the program also works to prepare the candidates for future leadership positions and helps them assess their own leadership directions and priorities.
Prom, a professor here on campus, has been selected as a campus participant in the BTAA Academic Leadership Program for his past work in the Library and professionally. As a faculty member in the Library, his work has focused on digital archives and preservation services.
Prom remarked, “The ALP is a gem and the only program of its type in the nation. I’m finding the sessions to be incredibly thought-provoking, and speakers don’t shy away from some of the most difficult issues facing higher education. I’ve been impressed by some of the specific examples, we’ve discussed, and the ways that leaders helping others to succeed in partnership and community. Academic leadership is all about the ‘We.’”
Read more about the BTAA Academic Leadership Program at https://provost.illinois.edu/faculty-affairs/leadership-development-programs/academic-leadership-program/.
