The quest to identify and foster leaders on college campuses can be difficult, which is why a variety of programs have emerged to address the significance of developing leadership within universities. 
This year, from Wednesday, Feb. 22, to Friday, Feb. 24, Mississippi State University will host the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership and Development Program. This program will see a variety of administrative and academic faculty from all 14 SEC universities come together to share ideas, incorporate policies and discuss academic success. 
The SEC leadership program is in its ninth year of operation. The program is approved by the provosts and presidents of the various SEC institutions. Its mission is to identify, develop, prepare and advance SEC personnel to assume leadership roles within SEC institutions, and to encourage academicians to commit their careers to SEC schools. 
The program seeks to stimulate academic leaders to think critically and teaches them managerial skills while increasing their knowledge of academic leadership in the 21st century.
The idea for the SEC leadership program stemmed from concern over a lack of experienced and qualified people within the SEC to assume high-level, leadership positions within their respective universities. 
Each SEC institution submits up to four nominees each spring to represent their university at the program’s workshops, held in the autumn and spring. These nominees are then appointed fellows in May and serve in that capacity for an entire academic year. 
There are two components to the program. First, SEC leadership program fellows join together at the bi-annual workshops to corroborate on ideas pertinent to universities. Oftentimes, the host university will present ideas they have incorporated, and explain their successes. 
The second component sees each fellow utilize established, on-campus programming facilitated by the administrators on their own campus. On the MSU campus, fellows can attend executive meetings and dean’s council meetings. 
MSU fellows also read “The College Administrators Survival Guide,” by C.K. Gonzalez, and meet once a month to discuss the scenarios presented by Gonzalez.
This program has created a lasting impact on previous program fellows. 
In speaking with Dr. Rebecca Long, professor Beth Miller and Dr. David Morse, the immense importance of the SEC ALDP in developing the careers of administrative leaders was evident.
Dr. Long, associate dean of the School of Graduate Studies and an SEC leadership program fellow from 2014 to 2015, said the program helped her reach out to administrators from other universities.
“I really enjoyed the idea of interacting with other administrators, not just on MSU’s campus, as I had done before, but with administrators from other universities,” Long said.
Long acknowledges that many administrators face the same difficulties, and therefore, this program fosters a forum to develop solutions.
“In a very real sense, we all face exactly the same problems, and it benefits to see other perspectives on how to deal with those continuing issues,” Long said. “One thing, for example, is the (session at the) University of Missouri Journalism School; who operated a case study, wherein students from the journalism school presented us with a scenario; ‘the press comes to your campus, how do you deal with this?’ And that was very instructive.”
Long found the program was overall useful and wishes there were more opportunities to visit other universities within the program. Long also commends the program’s ability to establish relationships and to interact with colleagues within one’s own university environment. 
 
Professor Beth Miller, head of the Department of Interior Design and a fellow from 2010 to 2011, agrees with Long on the benefits of observing different administrative hierarchies within various SEC universities. 
Miller discussed her specific experiences during her program sponsored visit to Louisiana State University.
“What I found, from this, is that the administrators were very forthcoming with what they told us,” Miller said. “They talked about the good things going on in their university, and the challenges.”
Miller admired the learning communities at LSU, an idea she believes MSU may benefit from implementing on its campus.
“We walked through the dormitory, we saw how that worked for them,” Miller said. “The study spaces, the student collaboration, and the community for these students. My career has been predominantly at Mississippi State, and to see administrators speak, was very insightful.”
Miller said she also appreciated the frank discussion around campus difficulties, such as budget management and crisis aversion. Miller also left the program with a network of female leaders from other universities to corroborate with.
Dr. David Morse, head of the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations, and a fellow from 2014 to 2015, agrees with the sentiments expressed by Long and Miller. 
“When you leave the program, you’ve got, at your fingertips, a list of resources from other universities,” Morse said. “It is developing a cadre with folks you can consult and exchange ideas with. It was a very valuable experience.”
Each former fellow expressed similar viewpoints. The SEC leadership program granted them the exceptional opportunity to interact with, learn from and present ideas to administrators and faculty from other SEC universities.
With the 2017 spring session being hosted by MSU, Dr. Peter Ryan, associate provost, identifies a variety of aspects that will make this session a highly successful conference.
“The program, this year, is very focused on issues that are impacting campuses across the country; cybersecurity, managing campus crises, etc.,” Ryan said.
The fellows representing MSU at this year’s spring session are: Dr. Angi Bourgeois, head of the Department of Art, Dr. Teresa Jayroe, associate dean of the College of Education, Melissa Moore, head of the College of Business’ Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis and Business Law, and Scott Willard, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 
MSU’s three day session will highlight the PROMISE student program, a dean’s panel, a cybersecurity workshop, and several walking tours of key campus locations.
When asked what administrators and fellows can take away from MSU, all three former fellows concurred on one aspect: hospitality. 
Long summed up MSU’s penchant for amiability best.
“Building community and trust,” Long said. “I can’t tell you the number of employers, parents, etc. who, in one way or another, all say the same thing; ‘Everyone is so nice. The hospitality is amazing;” I think that hospitality, that concern for others, is primary in effective leadership.”