Purdue University Global professor honored by ACBSP for presentation about ‘Becoming a Major League Leader’

Rebecca Herman

INDIANAPOLIS — Rebecca Herman has dual passions – baseball and leadership. The Purdue University Global professor combined the two in a presentation titled “Becoming a Major League Leader,” which was recognized with “best of region” honors at the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Region 4 Conference earlier this month.

Using the framework of baseball, Herman’s presentation consisted of a trip around the bases, where “you learn about leading yourself, leading others and leading the game so that you can become a major league leader,” said Herman, who teaches in the Purdue Global School of Business and Information Technology.

Here’s the rundown:

* First Base – Leading Yourself. Before we can lead others effectively, we need to first understand how to lead ourselves in a manner that exudes confidence to those around us. This includes finding your passion, leading by example and earning respect.

* Second Base – Leading Others. Once we are prepared to lead others, we must focus on people and relationships. This embraces cultivating relationships, supporting your people and communicating effectively.

* Third Base – Leading the Game. It’s all about understanding our industry, our organization … how the pieces come together to function as a whole. This is our “expertise” and how we execute what we know. This involves fostering teamwork, knowing your game and creating a winning culture.

* Home Plate – Major League Leader. Once we round the bases and become a major league leader, we will be that much closer to achieving our goals and dreams.

The conference theme was “Developing Business Leaders for a Better Tomorrow.”

 “I am truly honored to have been selected for this award,” Herman said. “There were many fascinating presentations, and each communicated important thought leadership on how we can effectively develop business leaders for a better tomorrow. To be selected motivates me even more to always deliver the best content to my students and help them achieve their goals and live their dreams.”

Herman teaches graduate business courses at Purdue Global, with an emphasis on leadership and organization development. Before her work in higher education, Herman spent nearly two decades as a leader in human resources. She has been cited for her expertise on leadership in Major League Baseball in publications such as CEO, The US Daily Review and the Society of American Baseball Research. Herman also serves as a keynote speaker where she shares findings from her book “Lead Me Out to the Ballgame.” She and her co-author interviewed 20 MLB managers and over 100 players, while spending time with 24 teams to determine crucial factors for leadership success in MLB.

“My leadership students are typically in their next-to-last course, and I want a method to keep them energized and highly motivated to finish their degree,” Herman said of her Leadership Strategies for a Changing World course. “Throughout the course, I hold three live seminars with the focus of how they can be the leader they desire to be by focusing on the behaviors of a major league leader.”

Having been honored for Region 4 – composed of schools from Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin – Herman will make her presentation at the ACBSP national conference in June 2021 in Miami. Herman makes her home in Newburgh, Indiana.

“This is a well-deserved accomplishment and an appropriate recognition,” said Jeffrey Buck, Purdue Global vice president and dean of the School of Business and Information Technology. “Dr. Herman has excellent knowledge on leadership, and she is clearly a skilled presenter. Being selected as recipient of this honor is impressive, and it serves to further enhance the reputation of Purdue Global.”

About Purdue University Global

Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers a hyper-tailored path for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations – no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global serves nearly 35,000 students (as of October 2020), most of whom earn their degree online. It also operates several regional locations nationwide. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue University’s flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates two regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest, Indiana, as well as serving close to 6,000 science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, please visit purdueglobal.edu.

Writer, Media Contact: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu

Sources: Rebecca Herman, RHerman@purdueglobal.edu

Jeffrey Buck, jeffrey.buck@purdueglobal.edu