CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
NAGAP Leadership Academy Update
Photo credit: Brett DiMarzo
By Brett DiMarzo, MEd, Boston College, NAGAP Leadership Academy Program Lead
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fter several years of planning and discussion, NAGAP created a program in 2018 intended to provide GEM professionals an opportunity to develop their leadership skills through a yearlong structured curriculum. Deemed the NAGAP Leadership Academy, the first cohort met in New York City in fall of 2019 to kick off their program. Thirty professionals in the first cohort spent the next nine months participating in a host of activities, both in-person and virtual, and we were in the midst of planning their capstone project presentations for the 2020 Annual Summit when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Though the culmination of the first cohort program was cut short, the group successfully closed out their experience virtually. After a year hiatus, and with careful consideration and assistance from our curriculum partner, Management Concepts, the second cohort launched in fall of 2021, welcoming 12 new participants to this engaging experience. After several days of in-person workshops on Boston College’s campus in September, the class participated in virtual webinars covering leadership topics such as adaptability, accountability and resilience, and making effective decisions. In addition, several guest speakers from areas across higher education joined the group in virtual sessions during the fall months. In October, NAGAP President Jeremiah Nelson led the group in a discussion on creativity and innovation in GEM, sharing his insight
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Spring 2022
on how GEM professionals can use their creativity to lead efforts in graduate admission and seek innovative ways to address today’s challenges. In early December, the class heard from Kathy Anderson, associate vice president of student financial services at Berklee in Boston, about the basics of financial aid, some of the common challenges students face when exploring financing their graduate education, and how leaders in admission and financial aid need to work together at every stage of the process to NAGAP Perspectives
