UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Faculty and staff with administrative leadership roles looking to make meetings more productive, focused and results-oriented are invited to attend the next session in the SPARK Leadership Series, "Running Effective Meetings: Facilitation, Participation, and Decision-Making," from 1-2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, via Zoom.
This interactive workshop will be led by Greg Filbeck, vice chancellor and associate dean of academic affairs and Samuel P. Black III Professor of Finance and Risk Management at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and Steven Huddart, Smeal Chair Professor of Accounting and senior associate dean for research with the Smeal College of Business.
Designed for busy administrators with leadership responsibilities, the session will explore practical techniques for making the most of meeting time while fostering engagement, collaboration and effective decision-making.
Participants will learn strategies for:
- Developing clear agendas that balance information sharing, discussion, and decision-making.
- Moderating discussions, managing time, and keeping meetings focused and productive.
- Navigating difficult participants, conflict, and competing viewpoints constructively.
- Building consensus, applying "Robert's Rules Lite," and balancing process with forward progress.
The SPARK Leadership Series is designed to support Penn State faculty and staff serving in academic leadership roles. This initiative provides specific, practical guidance for those who oversee degree programs and academic initiatives across the University. The program is tailored for program chairs, graduate program heads, program directors, professors-in-charge, and anyone within the Penn State community who has academic unit responsibilities.
For more information and the Zoom link for all sessions, visit the SPARK page at cfda.psu.edu. All sessions are open to Penn State academic leaders and faculty from across all campuses. The Center for Faculty Development and Advancement is part of Penn State Faculty Affairs.