MSU Sociology professor Dr. Isabel Ayala named ALP Fellow

April 22, 2020

Maria Isabel Ayala, Associate Professor, Sociology and Director, Chicano/Latino Studies Program, College of Social Science has been named a 2020-2021 Academic Leadership Program Fellow.

One of the most successful Big Ten Academic Alliance leadership initiatives is the Academic Leadership Program (ALP). Established in 1989, this intensive experience develops the leadership and managerial skills of faculty who have demonstrated exceptional ability and academic promise. Many of the programs’ nearly 1,000 Fellows have gone on to serve with distinction as college presidents, provosts, and deans.

During the ALP Fellowship year, the Fellows join their counterparts from other Big Ten campuses to visit three different institutions. During these visits, Fellows meet with leaders from across higher education to explore current issues and develop their leadership and managerial skills. This year’s Fellows had a unique experience beginning with Michigan State hosting Seminar I, adding in a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with government officials before Seminar II at the University of Maryland, and ended with a virtual Seminar III instead of a visit to Ohio State University.  Throughout the year, the ALP Fellows also met with numerous leaders from across MSU to supplement the larger Seminars and gain organizational and institutional knowledge.

Along with Dr. Ayala, other 2020-2021 cohorts include:

  • Peter Berg, Professor, and School Director, Human Resources and Labor Relations, College of Social Science
  • Joanna Bosse, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities
  • Bethan Cantwell, Director, Institutional Research, Office of Planning and Budgets
  • Glenn Chambers, Associate Professor, History, College of Social Science and Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies
  • Kirsten Tollefson, Associate Professor, Associate Chairperson, and Graduate Program Director, Physics and Astronomy, College of Natural Science

The 2020-2021 Fellows are scheduled to visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Seminar I), Northwestern University (Seminar II), and Rutgers University-New Brunswick (Seminar III).