The UW-Extension Administrative Leadership Program: Building a Foundation for Leadership

The University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) has been charged with leading and coordinating extension education programs across the fourteen institutions of the University of Wisconsin System (UWS). The UWS has a long history of shared governance among faculty, staff, and the administration. Extension program personnel handle the daily administration in extension, continuing education, and public broadcasting programs. The Extension Administrative Leadership Program (EALP) was developed for faculty and academic staff professionals working in extension, continuing education, and public broadcasting. The goal was to provide a select group of individuals with a broader institutional perspective, to assist them in learning administrative tools, and to develop their leadership potential.

A competitively selected class of 25 extension individuals has met every other month for two years in one- or two-day seminars. The class provides a forum in which to share lessons learned and to create new ideas for university-based extended education. EALP graduates have become a cadre of leaders working throughout the organization who instill this broader perspective in their work units. They also become teachers of their colleagues about both administrative practice and leadership skills.