UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Center for Faculty Development and Advancement (CFDA) has expanded its SPARK Leadership Series for the 2026-27 academic year, opening the monthly sessions to academic administrators and faculty across the University.
Each session is offered independently and runs for one hour, so participants can register for topics that interest them without enrolling in a complete leadership program. Topics change monthly and track the issues academic leaders are facing right now, so participants can engage with what is timely for their work.
The series is open to all academic administrators, including academic unit heads, associate deans and chancellors, program chairs, disciplinary coordinators, professors-in-charge, and graduate program heads. Faculty and postdoctoral scholars interested in leadership topics are also welcome.
“SPARK began as a resource for our program chairs and professors-in-charge, and it became clear very quickly that the topics raised in those sessions matter to anyone leading academic work at Penn State,” said Ann Clements, associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs and director of the CFDA. “Every one of these roles comes with a steep learning curve, and SPARK is designed to meet that in a single hour, on a topic that is pragmatic and practical.”
Sessions are facilitated by experienced faculty leaders and University administrators, and they are built as informal, peer-supported spaces where you can raise real questions, share strategies, and learn from colleagues based at other campuses and in other disciplines. Topics throughout the year address curriculum oversight, student support, faculty collaboration, program assessment, and effective communication among departments, colleges, and graduate education structures.
Roles of Disciplinary Program Chair and Graduate Program Head
The fall series opens with “Roles of Disciplinary Program Chair and Graduate Program Head,” offered on Sept. 16, from 2 to 3 p.m. via Zoom.
This session will be moderated by David Vanness, senior associate dean, and Douglas Orzolek, associate dean for Graduate Academic Affairs, both of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School, along with Ann Clements, associate vice provost for Faculty Affairs and director of the CFDA.
All sessions are held via Zoom. Visit the SPARK page at cfda.psu.edu for the full fall schedule and registration information.
SPARK complements CFDA's larger portfolio of dedicated leadership programming. If you are looking for a more in-depth, cohort-based experience, faculty should consider the Penn State Emerging Academic Leaders (PSEAL) Program, and administrators with two or more years of experience should consider the Excellence in Academic Leadership (EAL) Program.