The Engagement Academy for University Leaders will be hosted June 22-26 at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center by the Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement (COTA) of Virginia Tech’s Outreach and International Affairs.

“This academy offers a unique opportunity for institutions committed to engaging partners in communities around the world to solve both local and global issues,” said Jeri Childers, director of COTA and of Outreach Program Development, part of Outreach and International Affiars. “Together, we will build capacity in our institutions and communities, as well as help prepare the next generation of university leaders.”

Virginia Tech’s Engagement Academy for University Leaders recently received the Outreach and Engagement Community of Practice Recognition of Excellence Award from the University Continuing Education Association, an international professional organization.

The academy is presented annually by COTA in alliance with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (A.P.L.U.), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. In 2007 Virginia Tech received the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Award from the A.P.L.U.

Registration in the academy is limited to those nominated by the presidents of their institutions. This year’s academy participants represent more than 20 institutions and include college and university presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans, and faculty.

The academy will be led by Judith Ramaley, president of Winona State University, and Lorilee Sandmann, associate professor in the University of Georgia’s Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy.

The program combines classroom experiences with hands-on project work to benefit each participant's institution and sphere of work.

This year’s program will include a presentation by Susan Magliaro, director of the School of Education and associate dean for professional education at Virginia Tech. During a session to be held at the City of Roanoke’s Taubman Museum of Art, Magliaro will discuss the art education partnership that developed between the museum and Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

Core academy faculty from Virginia Tech will include Childers; Jim Dubinsky, associate professor of English and director of the university’s new Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships; Suzanne Morse, a recent COTA fellow and current president of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change in Charlottesville; Ted Settle, director of the Office of Economic Development; and Susan Short, director of the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center.

To submit nominations for this year’s academy or for the 2010 event, contact Janice Huffman, or link to the online nomination form.

To inquire about scholarships, which are funded in honor of the academy’s mentor-in-residence Judith Ramaley, contact Angela Marshall at (540) 231-5126.

For more information about the Engagement Academy for University Leaders, contact Jeri Childers at (540) 231-9497.

Virginia Tech's Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement plays an important role in developing educational conferences and programs that match university expertise to outside audiences. The center was established in 1994 to foster economic and workforce development with special emphasis on executive education initiatives that connect university research to the needs of Virginia's leaders, organizations, and communities through conferences, workshops, and seminars.

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