College of Engineering professors named fellows to national leadership program

Michelle Grimm (pictured below), associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Xiaoyan Han (pictured to the right), professor of electrical and computer engineering, will join the 2015-16 class of fellows in the national leadership program ELATE (Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering) at Drexel University. ELATE is an elite, one-of-a-kind professional development program for women in the academic STEM fields.

Grimm says that programs like ELATE are essential for fields with a small number of women in leadership roles like engineering. "It is important for the development of STEM that women gain increasing representation within the higher levels of leadership, including in the world of academia. Women bring a broad perspective to their fields of specialization and their organizations in general, which has been shown to improve system effectiveness."

The fourth incoming class for ELATE at Drexel includes 31 experienced and diverse faculty members from 22 different institutions across the country. Each was nominated by her dean or provost and will contribute to institutional initiatives while expanding her leadership skills.

ELATE at Drexel is a one-year, part-time program that focuses on increasing personal and professional leadership effectiveness; leading and managing change initiatives within institutions; using strategic finance and resource management to enhance organizational missions; and creating a network of exceptional women who bring organizational perspectives and deep personal capacity to the institutions and society they serve. Facilitated by leaders in the fields of STEM research and leadership development, the curriculum includes classroom lessons and activities, online instruction and discussion, and on-the-job application at each fellow's home institution.

The work for this incoming class begins this month with online assignments and community building activities. The program will conclude in March 2016 with a symposium organized around institutional change projects that have been developed in collaboration with the leadership of each faculty member's organization, followed by graduation ceremonies attended by deans, provosts and other university leaders. "I am very excited about the opportunity to learn from other women engaged in STEM fields," says Grimm. I look forward to bringing the information I learn back to Wayne State and using it to enhance the experiences of the students in the College of Engineering."

Learn more about ELATE at Drexel

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Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering 380 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 28,000 students. For more information about engineering at Wayne State University, visit engineering.wayne.edu.