Kansas State University faculty and doctoral students participated in the 25th annual International Leadership Association (ILA) Global Conference. The conference took place online Oct. 3-4, 2023, and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Oct. 12-15.
The ILA is the largest worldwide professional community committed to leadership scholarship, practice, development, and education. Their mission is to advance leadership knowledge and practice for a better world.
The conference theme, Cultivating Leadership for a Thriving Future, speaks to the essential role leadership educators, practitioners, and researchers play in convening and holding space, fostering rich and open dialogue, and creating opportunities for mutual learning and appreciation of different perspectives and ways of being. Through this kind of leadership, we can build a future based on hope, mutual respect and the common good.
Staley School scholars participated in both the in-person and online sections of the conference. Their scholarship reflects the Staley School of Leadership’s research priorities: advancing leadership learning and development, building civic capacity, and leading change.
“The scholarship presented by K-State students and faculty reflect the kind of collaboration and innovation needed to advance leadership education in higher education and public leadership research and practice,” said Trisha Gott, Ed.D., assistant professor and associate dean of the Staley School of Leadership.
K-State Leadership Communication doctoral students and faculty have been recognized as 2023 recipients of the Association of Leadership Educators (ALE) Mini-Grant Awards. These awards provide small grants to support new diversity, equity, and inclusion focused projects or programs. These projects will be featured in an upcoming webinar 2 p.m CST Friday, Sept. 29. You can join by registering here.
The mission of ALE is to strengthen and sustain the expertise of professional leadership educators. Through their awards, these K-State faculty and students have developed programs to implement positive change on specific issues – and empower others to continue to do the same.
Leadership Development Fellowship for Nigerian Female Changemakers
Chibuzor Azubuike is the executive director of Haske Water Aid and Empowerment foundation. She has facilitated and organised several leadership trainings in Nigeria, Africa and the US. Chibuzor has over 12 years of experience in the development sector focusing on clean water provision and women/youth empowerment. She is also a PhD candidate in Leadership Communication and Graduate Teaching Assistant at Staley School of Leadership, Kansas State University.
Andrew Wefald, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Staley School of Leadership at Kansas State University. In that role Andrew teaches leadership classes and conducts research broadly around the topic of leadership. Andrew has published in journals such as the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Journal of Management Inquiry, and the Journal of Organizational Behavior among others. Andrew earned his PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Kansas State University.
This project aimed to develop a culturally relevant leadership development workshop tailored for Nigerian women engaged in catalyzing change. Under the stewardship of Azubuike and Wefald, a hybrid two-day leadership workshop was organized, convening a cohort of thirty Nigerian women occupying leadership roles within small organizations. The Haske Water Aid and Empowerment Foundation provided on-ground support in Nigeria, complemented by a dedicated team of volunteers. Facilitators from both the United States and Nigeria participated, either virtually or in person.
Nigerian women gather around the table for the workshop
The workshop encompassed a diverse range of sessions, including topics such as team dynamics, effective communication, leadership coaching, business acumen, social entrepreneurship skills, and the art of crafting a narrative for change. These subjects were carefully chosen to equip women with the requisite leadership tools and skills vital for excelling within the intricate and traditionally male-dominated landscape.
Following the pilot workshop, a community of practice was established to ensure ongoing support and sustained leadership development. The project’s forward-looking objective is the establishment of a Women Leadership Development Fellowship Program. This initiative is designed to empower and provide support to women holding leadership positions within their organizations, aptly referred to as “change makers” for their pivotal role in reshaping the perception of women in Nigeria from historically passive actors to proactive change agents.
Adaptive Leadership Training: Civil Society groups addressing the challenge of the implementation of the Nigerian National Youth Policy
Anisah Ari serves as an Executive Board Member implementing projects across Africa. She is currently a PhD Candidate in Leadership Communication, with on-going research targeted at exploring emerging leadership practices in conflict ridden context with a focus on hyperlocal efforts. She has over the past 18 years worked in the development sector supporting public and civil society institutions to address multi sector policy and practice issues.
Fifty participants, representing various organizations focused on addressing challenges related to the implementation of the Nigerian National Youth Policy, engaged in a three-day session. The approach encompassed three dimensions: diagnosing technical and adaptive aspects of the challenges, engaging in dialogues to enhance comprehension of these challenges across different regions, and deliberating on available options, including political, economic, and social capital, necessary for progress.
Fifty participants pose for a group photo
At the end of the three-day engagement process, an action plan was developed with the aim to scale the training manual as a tool for other regions, and organizations expanded their network base.
A training manual was developed prior to the training as a tool to scale knowledge and practice to other regions. The outcomes of the three day engagement includes the development of participant action plans, and expanded organizational networks.
Key takeaways from this intervention include the importance of open-mindedness, willingness, and collaborative efforts in collectively addressing complex issues. Additionally, progress is most effectively achieved through contextually beneficial mutual learning, where individuals are intentional about identifying and leveraging strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats.
We extend our gratitude to the Youth Alive Foundation for their invaluable support in facilitating this training. Special thanks are also due to the Association of Leadership Educators for their mini-grant and to Brandon Kliewer, Ph.D., for his intellectual support and guidance throughout this endeavor.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a flagship program of the U.S. department of state to support young African leaders. The program includes Entrepreneurship, and Public Administration tracks, the Staley School hosts a Civic Leadership Institute.
The Fellows come from diverse backgrounds and are doing incredible work to impact lives and transform their communities. In this series, former Fellow and now Staley School graduate research assistant, Chibuzor Azubuike, reflects on 2022 Fellows that share common work in education – a critical area of focus for Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), over one-fifth of African children between the ages of 6 and 11 are not in school, while nearly 60% of youth between the ages of 15 and 17 are not enrolled. (Kaledzi 2022) It is this challenge that Sustainable Development Goal 4 addresses, which is quality education.
Aside from education and youth development which are key areas that Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at Staley School are working on, it is interesting to see the impact that Fellows are making in their various countries, in addressing the challenges of inequality. Inequality in various forms, ranging from gender equality to upholding human rights, to mention but a few. The work of these young African leaders fighting the menace caused by inequality in Sub-Sahara Africa would be highlighted below.
Gender inequality SDG 6, aims to tackle gender equality in the world by 2030, to this end we have change makers in their communities contributing their quota to ensure that this goal is realized, like Saykwayee Harmony Henry from Liberia , who is the founder of Kids Development Initiative a program designed to advocate for the rights and privileges of women and children in Liberia and the world. She is also the Communication Director for the National Young Women council of Liberia where she educates and trains more young women to get involved in politics and leadership. The Mandela Washington Fellowships increased her knowledge of fundraising, shifted her ways of thinking positively, and challenged her to keep fighting and work harder for greater success. Her greatest takeaway from the fellowship is “Do the best you can even when no one is watching.”
Saykwayee speaking of the challenges Liberia is faced with and proffering solutions
Ramatoulaye Biteye from Senegal is a young woman who is strongly advocating for women’s and children’s rights and dignities. She focuses on supporting girls to realize their academic pursuits based on the principles of integrity and hard work. She is doing excellent work in her community by fighting against harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation which is common in her society.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a flagship program of the U.S. department of state to support young African leaders. The program includes Entrepreneurship, and Public Administration tracks, the Staley School hosts a Civic Leadership Institute.
The Fellows come from diverse backgrounds and are doing incredible work to impact lives and transform their communities. In this series, former Fellow and now Staley School graduate research assistant, Chibuzor Azubuike, reflects on 2022 Fellows that share common work in education – a critical area of focus for Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), over one-fifth of African children between the ages of 6 and 11 are not in school, while nearly 60% of youth between the ages of 15 and 17 are not enrolled. (Kaledzi 2022) It is this challenge that Sustainable Development Goal 4 addresses, which is quality education.
Time out with youth development changemakers from Sub-Saharan Africa
The Mandela Washington Fellowship focuses on empowering young African leaders. Amongst the fellows hosted at Kansas State University Youth Development is a focus of their work. According to the United Nations, Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. Such a high population of youth is an opportunity for the continent’s growth and development if and when the youth are empowered. (Mulikita 2021) Leadership development and civic engagement strategies focus on the importance of including youth in decision-making and building opportunities for youth to work and to innovate. Below we profile some of the work these 2022 Mandela Washington Fellows are doing in the area of Youth Development.
Kiala Pedro Vata from Angola founded an initiative called “Juventude em acção” that drives youth empowerment, civic engagement and youth participation in governance. His goal is to achieve a community where youth are empowered and play an active role in community life and in solving community challenges. His aim is to build a community where public policies are concerted to be more effective to the citizen’s needs and desires. Continue reading “2022 Mandela Washington Fellows: Youth development changemakers”→
As Kansas State University puts forward its strategic plan with emphasis on applied learning, how can our faculty prepare to engage with community and create stronger, efficient, mutually-beneficial relationships that enhance the student experience and fulfill a community need? One way is through service-learning.
In spring 2023, the Staley School of Leadership welcomed Lori Kniffin, former K-State instructor, to campus for a guest lecture on engaged learning experiences. Here, we asked Lori to reflect on her personal experiences a little more in depth, and share more examples of service-learning.
This is the first blog in a series about service-learning, its origins, and how to incorporate service-learning into classrooms and programs. Read more posts from this series: What is service-learning?
What is service-learning?
In junior high and high school, I volunteered many hours through student organizations and my church (as lots of students do). I cleaned parks, served food, visited with the elderly and did many other activities that I can’t recall today. I logged many hours and made a difference in my community. Volunteering is a vital aspect of civic life; yet, it is often separate from one’s academic life.
The first time I connected service to my academic life was in my undergraduate education at K-State through service-learning.“Service-learning can be defined as both a pedagogy and change strategy that engages students, community members, and instructors/staff in co-creating relationships that integrate academic material, community-engaged activities, and critical reflection to advance public purposes and to achieve clearly articulated academic learning, civic learning, and personal growth goals” (Kniffin et al., in press). These Venn diagrams can be helpful in breaking down the major components of service-learning and categories of learning goals.
From left: Michaela Saunders; Chibuzor Azubuike; Keyla Harrison; Tamas Kowalik; Innocent Assoman; Keyhan Shams; Xatyiswa (Exy) Maqashalala; Dr. Kerry Priest
Several leadership communication doctoral students represented Kansas State University at the 2023 Association of Leadership Educators conference (ALE), June 16-19 in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference theme, “leading outside the lines” invited educators to consider the ways they teach, study, and practice leadership beyond classrooms and in communities.
“A major cornerstone of K-State’s Leadership Communication Ph.D. program and Third Floor Research partnership is a community-engaged approach to teaching, learning, and research,” said Kerry Priest, Ph.D., professor and director of the leadership communication program and conference participant and presenter. “Our graduate leadership educators showcased innovative educational practices they are utilizing to create impactful, culturally relevant leadership learning and development for students, organizations, and communities.” Continue reading “Leading Outside the Lines: Leadership communication scholars present at national leadership education conference “→
Several Staley School of Leadership team members Mike Finnegan, Ph.D., Keyhan Shams, and Kerry Priest, Ph.D., represented Kansas State University at the International Leadership Association’s (ILA) Leadership Education Academy (LEA). The intensive training program took place between July 31 – Aug. 3, in St. Paul, Minnesota. LEA is designed to build the knowledge and skills needed to excel as a leadership educator in a variety of settings and provides professional mentoring and networking opportunities.
The program was limited to 80 participants, including junior and senior faculty, student affairs professionals, higher education administrators, coaches and consultants, and community trainers and developers from around the globe. Participants experienced leadership theories and models, instructional strategies, and professional vision. Central to the training was a guided process of course or program planning, including a peer coaching process. Continue reading “Staley School team reflects on international professional development opportunity for leadership educators”→
The Staley School of Leadership at Kansas State University invites the public to the Mandela Washington Fellowship Graduation Ceremony. Join us 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27, at the Leadership Studies building (1300 Mid-Campus Drive N. Manhattan, KS, 66506). Please RSVP here.
Guests will enjoy brief reflections of each Fellow’s work and their experiences during their six weeks at K-State and in Kansas. After the program, cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served in the lobby, with time to mingle and connect one last time before they return home.
We encourage the community to attend to gain understanding of the impact of this program on both the Fellows and our surrounding communities, as well as what the relationships and partnerships the Fellows have made will continue to foster positive global impacts.
K-State and the Staley School are hosting 25 Mandela Washington Fellows for a Civic Leadership Institute. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the U.S. Department of State’s Young African Leaders Initiative. Fellows come from more than 20 different Sub-Saharan African nations and were selected for the program because of their civic leadership work.
