UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Academic Leadership Program (ALP) in 2025-26 will include five new fellows from Penn State.
The BTAA is the academic consortium of the Big Ten Universities and the United States’ pre-eminent model for effective collaboration among research universities.
The ALP focuses on addressing the challenges of academic administration at major research universities. Through the program, participants who have demonstrated exceptional ability and administrative promise can further develop their leadership and managerial skills. Fellows are appointed to one-year terms, and funding is provided by the participating institutions.
Penn State’s participants for the 2025-26 program were selected based on their significant contributions and further potential for University leadership. The participants are:
- Saurabh Bansal, professor of supply chain management, Smeal College of Business
- Allison Beese, professor and faculty fellow, materials science and engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
- Eric Donnell, senior associate dean, College of Engineering
- Bryan Nichols, associate professor of music, College of Arts and Architecture
- Stephen Snyder, associate teaching professor, English, and chair-elect, University Faculty Senate, Penn State Berks
The fellows will participate in three in-person seminars at Indiana University, University of Illinois and University of Iowa.
For more information about this program, visit the Big Ten Academic Alliance on the Office of Faculty Affairs website.