Search underway for new director of Butler Center

The Office of the Provost is seeking nominations and applications for director of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence through April 15. Patrice Buzzanell, Distinguished Professor of Organizational Communication, will be completing her two-year term in this position at the end of the semester on May 14. 

“Under her outstanding leadership, the center has made great strides in promoting inclusive leadership through its many events and programs,” says Deba Dutta, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. 

One of the center’s signature activities is the annual Conference for Pretenure Women. Now in its eighth year, this conference has helped women develop strategies for career success and achieve promotion and tenure, and has expanded under Buzzanell’s leadership, attracting hundreds of participants.

Buzzanell also has elevated the visibility of leadership excellence through an array of special awards. Among these are the:

* Violet Haas Award, which recognizes individuals, programs or departments that have helped the advancement of women in the academy or helped promote a positive professional climate for women.

* Leadership in Action Award, which recognizes faculty, staff, postdocs and students who have shown exemplary leadership within their respective areas of expertise.

* Distinguished Women Scholars program, which recognizes outstanding Purdue doctoral alumnae.

* Susan Bulkeley Butler Distinguished Lecture, which celebrates achievements in discovery, learning, and/or engagement from any discipline within the Purdue system.

* Susan Bulkeley Butler Research Fellow Award, which supports research related to the mission of the Butler Center.

“We are grateful to Professor Buzzanell for her exceptional work at the helm of the center for the past two years,” says Mark Smith, dean of the Graduate School and the Diversity Leadership Team member to whom the center reports.

The Office of the Provost is soliciting nominations and applications for a successor to begin in Fall 2017. The director position is a 50 percent AY appointment and is accompanied by an endowed chair to help support the advancement of women faculty and diversity in university leadership more generally. The Butler professor and director of the Butler Center will serve a term of two years and report to the Diversity Leadership Team.

The mission of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence is to develop leadership capacity through research, education, and collaborations that helps to advance the inclusion of women and broaden their representation in academic administration. For more information about the center, visit www.purdue.edu/butler/index.html.

The Office of the Provost seeks candidates with a bold vision to elevate the center to preeminence on the national stage. To apply for the Butler professorship and director of the Butler Center position, candidates should submit a current CV and a one- to two-page visionary statement (in 12-point font). The statement should address enhancing academic leadership capacity, consistent with the mission of the center, and might also include innovative program ideas such as promoting entrepreneurial skills, strategic thinking, and a social media plan that will have a substantial and beneficial impact on the university and community. 

Application materials should be emailed to Dean Mark Smith, chair of the selection committee, at butler-director@purdue.edu. Submissions will be accepted through April 15. The selection committee will forward three candidate names to the provost, who will make the final selection.