Personal transformation through leadership

September 19, 2024

Over the last year or so, we’ve heard a lot about the importance of transformation from an institutional perspective. What is less appreciated, I think, is how important it is for the institution’s long-term health to create spaces for individual transformation so that we can grow as teachers, scholars, colleagues, and leaders. In my mentoring conversations with CAS colleague Mich Nyawalo over the last year, I’ve had the chance to learn a great deal about his leadership style and how he is applying his gifts – most notably, his warmth, openness and positive attitude – to the administrative challenges that chairs and program directors are facing today. Our mentoring meetings are largely informal, but they have given us the chance to think creatively and constructively about things that can be done to improve the student and faculty experience. As a result of our meetings, we’ve had the opportunity to get to know one another a lot better as we’ve shared stories about our backgrounds and our families. The mentoring relationship has helped transform us from coworkers to colleagues and, as a result, we each have another person on campus that we can go to for advice and support— and the process of institutional and personal transformation continues.
Mack Mariani, Political Science
 
We often think of the impetus for mentorship as something needed by new, pre-tenure faculty at an institution. What’s typically left aside, though, is that we often have tenured faculty who are experiencing new academic experiences (including various leadership roles), and in those new experiences individuals still need to be mentored. This was the case for me. I was one of those who could have easily fallen between the cracks because I’m new to Xavier. However, I’m a tenured Associate Professor, and I still have mentorship needs as departmental chair in an institution brand new to me. What I really like about my meetings with Mack is that we were not just able to answer questions I had about basic mechanics of how things work at Xavier administratively; he was also able to give me a broader sense of advice about the social dynamics of what it means to be chair— how to engage with faculty in my own and other departments. We also discussed how to balance my new responsibilities with family life, scholarship, and other academic and non-academic responsibilities. We’ve bonded not just as colleagues, but also as friends— a true transformation in multiple ways, and I value the relationship continuing to offer me support as new challenges emerge.
Mich Nyawalo, Race, Intersectionality, Gender, and Sociology