Mechanical engineering Professor Shelly Miller has accepted a new campus position, charged with supporting CU faculty members in developing exceptional leadership skills.
As faculty director for professional development, Miller will work part-time within the Office of Faculty Relations, a division of Faculty Affairs.
“Faculty aren’t typically trained to be leaders,” Miller said. ”Each person may have a natural ability or an interest or work hard at it, but offering some skill training and some professional development in that field can really help.”
The office will host new workshops or retreats on a variety of topics, which Miller will plan. She also will serve as a campus co-liaison for the annual systemwide Excellence in Leadership Program, which helps current leaders better manage challenges and lead meaningful change.
More offerings will be added to the lineup with Miller’s guidance, geared toward deans, associate/assistant deans, department chairs and others at the leadership level.
“One of my core values is to be of service, so I really think that part of my job is one of my most rewarding parts, and I have a responsibility to provide service to the institution,” Miller said. “I want to come to a place and leave it better than I found it.”
Dean Bobby Braun of the College of Engineering and Applied Science said Miller’s commitment to improving CU, as evidenced by her work with Academic Futures, the Boulder Faculty Assembly and The BOLD Center, makes her a great fit for the position.
“Strong leaders are made, not born,” Braun said. “I’m proud to see Shelly taking the lead in this important area for the future of our campus, and I’m confident that her service will be of significant benefit to faculty across the campus.”
Miller will retain some of her teaching and research activities in addition to the new, part-time position, which started Jan. 1, 2019.