AAG Department Leadership Workshop

Register Today!

You are invited to the 7th annual workshop devoted to strengthening departmental leadership across the discipline. The workshop is for all geographers interested in improving their programs--chairs, deans, associate chairs, academic advisers, provosts and other administrators, as well as all faculty interested in leadership issues. The workshop is particularly well suited for individuals who may soon assume leadership positions.

The main workshop sessions will begin with a dinner on Thursday, June 17. Workshop sessions will take place on Friday, June 18 and on the morning of Saturday, June 19 (ending at 11:45). For those able to arrive a day early, Dr. Hillary Hamann of the University of Denver will lead a free fieldtrip from Boulder to Rocky Mountain National Park. Participants will stay in the historic Hotel Boulderado, a beautiful national landmark property one block from Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall.

This Year's Theme

The theme of the workshop will be: "Beyond the Ivory Tower: Strategies and for Preparing Students for Careers in Business, Government and Non-profit Organizations." The focus will be on sharing practices for helping students succeed in non-academic careers--through coursework, internships, and professional development programs and opportunities. The workshop will focus on improving practice across all levels of 2-year, 4-year and graduate education.

Other Topics

In addition to those on the workshop theme, some sessions will focus on other important topics including:

• Conflict resolution
• Difficult communication
• Supporting early career faculty

Time will also be set aside for participants to share and discuss their own concerns and experiences, especially issues arising from the recent economic downturn. One of the most important elements of the workshop is the opportunity it affords all participants to learn from and network with new and experienced leaders and administrators.

Participants will also have an opportunity to meet and share some meals with early career faculty attending the Geography Faculty Development Alliance workshop being held in Boulder in the same week (http://aag.org/GFDA/earlycareer.htm).

White Papers Invited!

Participants will be invited, if they wish, to share their strategies and perspectives in very brief 1-5 page white papers which will be circulated before and during the workshop. The white papers will help everyone gain more from the workshop discussions and will, as possible, serve as the basis for developing articles or other publications around the workshop themes.

Program Committee

With the help of past participants and leaders, the program and schedule for the workshop is being developed by J.W. Harrington (U of Washington), former university representative to the state legislature and former department head; Michael Solem (AAG), principal investigator on the EDGE project; and Ken Foote (U of Colorado), former department head and AAG vice-president.

Cost, Registration, Accommodation and Travel

Workshop cost is $275 and will include workshop materials, instructor expenses, field trip expenses, and attendee meals.

Participants will stay at the Hotel Boulderado where the University of Colorado has negotiated a room rate of $149 per night for the workshop. This same discounted room rate may be extended both 3 days prior to and 3 days after the workshop should you wish to arrive early or stay longer in Boulder. The hotel will hold this low rate until May 26, 2010. Please make your reservation by then by calling (866) 600 2224, emailing reservations@boulderado.com or visiting http://www.boulderado.com/. Mention that you are with the CU Geography workshop to get the reduced rate. Other hotels and accommodations are available for those trying to keep expenses even lower. Please contact Ken Foote if you would like to share a room with another attendee, and he will coordinate the arrangements. Meetings will take place both at the Hotel Boulderado and the University of Colorado.

Boulder is a beautiful college town at the foot of the scenic Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The town is served by an excellent system of hike and bike trails leading from downtown to many local mountain parks and open spaces. The Denver regional bus system links Boulder directly to Denver International Airport and downtown Denver.  So, if you are traveling by air, you can fly directly to Denver and then take either a Denver RTD "AB" bus or an airport shuttle to the Boulderado. Visitor information is available from www.bouldercoloradousa.com, www.explore-rocky.com, and www.colorado.com.

If you have questions about the workshop program, please contact AAG Vice President, Ken Foote, at k.foote@colorado.edu.

If you have questions about registration or logistical issues related to the workshop, contact AAG Conference Director, Oscar Larson, at olarson@aag.org or 202-234-1450.

Field Trip

An optional field trip will be available at no additional cost for workshop attendees on Thursday, June 17. Dr. Hillary Hamann of the University of Denver will lead a group to Rocky Mountain National Park, about 60 miles north of Boulder. At stops ranging from the Visitors Center to the Continental Divide, Dr. Hamann will discuss the environmental history, geomorphology, geology and water resources of the park and surrounding areas.  Box lunches will be provided. 

Register Today!

About Healthy Departments

AAG Past President Vicky Lawson launched the Healthy Departments Initiative to strengthen the leadership and administrative skills of Department Chairpersons in the discipline. The project has organized a series of workshops to assist Department Chairs and facilitate sharing of successful strategies for maintaining healthy departments.

The Healthy Departments website is intended as a resource to assist Department Chairs and provide practical resources and information that can improve program quality. Because the Healthy Departments website will evolve over time and will have new information added on an ongoing basis, the AAG invites suggestions for additional resources to be included.