Women‘s Leadership & Mentoring Program
The Women's Leadership and Mentoring Program is currently in re-development. Stay tuned for updates in the months ahead.
The curriculum and format of the Women's Leadership and Mentoring Program is currently being re-developed. We will spend the upcoming year in development and will launch the Call for Nominations next summer. Thank you for your interest, and do not hesitate to reach out if we can be of support this year!
What is the Women's Leadership and Mentoring Program (WLMP)?
In collaboration with senior administrators and faculty at Virginia Tech, the Women’s Center is delighted to sponsor the VT Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Program (WLMP). The WLMP provides a cohort-based experience for post-masters professionals in a series of sessions on topics related to professional development. The WLMP is specifically designed for women who are [aspiring] higher education administrators and wish to gain leadership knowledge and experience.
Each session is taught by a senior administrator and the topics include management of personnel, budget, governance and institutional decision-making, supervision, performance planning and evaluation, team-building and collaboration, career development, government relations, and other topics that the group may identify. Organized sessions may be supplemented by brown-bag opportunities to learn more about issues and topics of interest to the group.
In addition to the monthly seminars, participants will have the opportunity to be paired with a program mentor. This is a valuable opportunity for participants to connect with senior leaders, discuss goals and strategies, process seminar content, and gain from mentors’ experiences and insights.
There is a cost for participation in WLMP, which covers all necessary materials for the seminar, including a 360-degree assessment tool. Directors and department heads are encouraged to sponsor the nominee by using departmental funds to cover the cost of the program.
The Call for Nominations goes out in the summer. We encourage you to nominate post-masters professionals who are: aspiring higher education administrators; responsible for budget management and professional staff supervision; and can commit to attending all of the monthly program seminars. Please limit nominations to one individual per department or, for larger departments, please prioritize your nominees.
Self-nominations are welcome, provided that a letter of support from the nominee’s supervisor is attached. The nomination letter should be no more than one-page in length and the total packet should include:
- A brief outline of the nominee’s professional background;
- Articulation of how the nominee will benefit from and contribute to the WLMP;
- Information on time in current role, how many individuals the nominee supervises and their budget management responsibilities; and
- A copy of the nominee’s job description.
Nominations are general due in mid-August and submitted to:
Anna LoMascolo, Co-Director, Programming
Women’s Center at Virginia Tech
206 Washington Street (0270)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-7806
alomasco@vt.edu
The goal is to limit the program to 20 participants.
The WLMP is the recipient of the 2015 American Council on Education State Network Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education, which recognizes an outstanding and innovative program that helps advance or support women or women's issues in higher education.
Watch a spotlight on the peer coaching workshop for the Women's Leadership & Mentoring Program (WLMP) on February 10, 2011.
Melissa Lubin, WLMP Faculty Member and Program Mentor, shares top 5 tips on leadership.
Women's Center In the News
"Women's Leadership and Mentoring Program helps female employees recognize potential"
"Women's center mentoring program earns national American Council on Education award"