Steven J. Fluharty, Dean and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Psychology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, University of PennsylvaniaThe digital, information age is having a transformative effect on institutions of higher education. Technological advances are rapidly expanding the reach of modern universities well beyond the confines of their localities. Forward-thinking thought leaders are bringing about new paradigms in teaching and research. And, as the world’s economies are favoring new knowledge-based industries, the public is increasingly looking towards institutions of higher education for guidance and inspiration. Dr. Steven J. Fluharty will discuss how universities in the twenty-first century are advancing agendas that encompass a broad and diverse array of learners and promote innovative scholarship, experimentation, and creativity. Dr. Fluharty will draw upon his experiences as an educator, researcher, chief scientific officer, and senior academic administrator to illustrate specific examples that touch upon the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Bio
Steven J. Fluharty was appointed Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor in July 2013. A member of the Penn faculty since 1986, he holds primary appointments in the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences and in Pharmacology in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Animal Biology. He also has secondary appointments in Neuroscience and Pharmacology in the Perelman School of Medicine.
Prior to his appointment as SAS Dean, Dr. Fluharty served as Penn’s Senior Vice Provost for Research. In this capacity he shaped policy and advanced administrative initiatives for the University’s billion-dollar research enterprise, including leading strategic planning for research and administering the development of new research facilities. He also helped to oversee campus-wide research planning efforts, linkages between the University and industry, and the transfer of technologies from University laboratories to the public sector.
Dr. Fluharty served as director of the School’s undergraduate Biological Basis of Behavior program from 1994 to 2005. He has a strong personal record of funded research and also served for ten years as the director of a University-wide program project grant and institutional training grant in behavioral neuroscience from the National Institutes of Health. In addition, he was associate director of the Institute of Neurological Sciences from 1995 to 2003. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his investigative discoveries, including the Louis Flexner Prize in Neuroscience, the Beecham Award for Research Excellence, and designation as an Astra Merck Scholar by the American Heart Association. He has received multiple teaching awards at Penn.
Dr. Fluharty earned his three degrees from Penn as a University Scholar; his B.A. in psychology in 1979, graduating summa cum laude; his M.A. in psychobiology in 1979; and his Ph.D. in psychobiology in 1981.
“Tis Easy to See, Hard to Foresee”When it comes to peering into the future of higher education and regional accreditation, Ben Franklin’s words are spot on. At present we are being called upon to be more innovative, more accountable, more rigorous, more flexible, more cost-effective, more in touch with workforce needs. To what extent is the focus on the present clouding our ability to craft a clear vision of our future and a plan to realize it? (Perhaps recognition of this need to see clearly both near and far motivated the invention of bifocals?) How is regional accreditation in general, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in particular, embracing the opportunities and challenges of both today and tomorrow? Why is this important? To again quote Mr. Franklin, “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.”
Bio
Dr. Andrea A. Lex is currently the Senior Vice President for Operations and Chief of Staff with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. She previously served as Dean of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research, Prince George’s Community College, Largo, Maryland; Senior Director, Student and Administrative Services, University of Washington, Seattle; Associate Vice President, Planning and Budget, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh; and Director of Institutional Research, Community College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh. Andrea is a past president of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), and the 2014 recipient of the SCUP Distinguished Service Award.
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This interactive session will present an overview of the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership, and through facilitated discussion and case study, help position attendees to be leaders of strategic change on their campuses.