"Investing in emerging, new, and current leaders is vital to the future of our university.” 

- Kristin Sobolik


The UMSL Emerging Leaders Program brings together faculty and staff from across UMSL’s campus to strengthen leadership skills within the university setting, build and strengthen relationships across units and roles, and increase our capacity to transform lives.

It is a year-long, cohort-based program consisting of a series of four day-long, in-person retreats featuring a combination of guest speakers, panels, and interactive workshops designed to foster community and allow participants to learn more about their leadership style, about working with diverse teams, and about leading within the context of higher education. The retreats will be supplemented by a series of about four hour-long events in a combination of virtual and on campus formats. It is jointly sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and Human Resources. The events will take place over the course of the 2023-2024 academic year.

In this program, you will:

  • Gain greater self- and others- awareness

  • Share and discuss leadership concepts, strategies, and perspectives

  • Apply leadership concepts via case studies and workshops 

  • Connect with other leaders, build community, and grow your network

  • Learn to lead more effectively in the context of higher education today

The deadline to submit an application for the 2023-2024 cohort is Friday, June 2nd, 2023.
The application process involves:


  • Completing a brief application form and a one-page leadership statement addressing the following topics through the "Apply" link on the upper right:

    • Tell us about a formal or informal leadership experience you have had that has shaped your perspectives about the kind of leader you aspire to be.

    • Describe your goals as a leader.

    • Briefly describe the role(s) that you will have in 2023-24 and tell us about how your participation in the program will benefit your unit/department and the institution.

  • Taking part in an informal, 15-minute Zoom interview with the selection team the week of June 5 about your interest in the program and skills and perspective you bring to it.

  • The selection team will also solicit feedback from applicant’s supervisors, and applicants are asked to talk to their supervisors and get their approval to apply before submitting their application materials.

  • Applicants will be notified if they are selected for the upcoming cohort by the end of July.

All full-time UMSL employees who have been at the university since at least August 14, 2022 who are interested in developing their leadership skills are eligible to apply.  Priority will be given to applicants who have not had the opportunity to participate in the UM System’s Faculty Leadership Development Program (LDP) or Administrative Leadership Development Program (ADLP) within the last five years.  

For more information, contact Alice Hall at halla@umsl.edu or Heather Floden at heather.floden@umsl.edu. Those interested are also invited to attend one of two informational virtual open houses scheduled for:

Faculty and staff are also welcome to drop by to meet with Alice Hall about the topic at the Academic Affairs Open Office Hours in Room 426 of Woods Hall:

  • Friday, April 28, 2 – 3 pm

  • Friday, May 5, 9 – 10 am