About the Program
The Provost Leadership Program (PLP) began in Fall 2021 with the goal of developing academic leaders who will guide MU into the future. Through the program, members are able to come together for development and growth as leaders, while expanding and enriching their professional networks on personal and institutional levels. Upon completion of the program, PLP members will have gained practical skills to:
- Offer guidance and support to the faculty
- Strategically plan for the future of an academic school or department
- Work with a network of peers to tackle leadership concerns
- Build commitment among department colleagues toward academic excellence and the MU mission
The major components of this program include assessments, faculty panels, topics for reading and discussion (such as owning your story & journey as a leader, building teams, conflict management, etc.), MU-specific topics (such as budget, legal issues, communications, etc.), and leadership lunches.
PLP consists of 8 sessions between September and April on the MU campus.
Cohort Directory, 2025-2026
Arpit Aggarwal, Psychiatry
Alba Argerich, Natural Resources
Nikki Ashcraft, Learning, Teaching & Curriculum
Nathan Beucke, Pediatrics & Medical Education
Lisa Brennaman, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health
Alex Bukoski, Veterinary Medicine & Surgery
Billy Coleman, Kinder Institute & History
Emily Crawford-Rossi, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis
Matt Easter, Educational, School & Counseling Psychology
Katie Essing, Marketing
Elizabeth Frogge, Broadcast
Keith Greenwood, Journalism Studies
David Haustein, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Mai-Lan Ho, Radiology
Julie Kapp, Public Health
Mauricio Kfuri Jr., Orthopedic Surgery
Kristin Kopp, Languages, Literatures & Cultures
Charles Maitz, Veterinary Medicine & Surgery
Dana Martin, Physical Therapy
Cheryl Offutt, Educational, School & Counseling Psychology
Erin Robinson, Social Work
Martha Scharf, Veterinary Medicine & Surgery
Kristin Schwain, Visual Studies
Haval Shirwan, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
Ben Warner, Communication
2025-26 Session Dates:
September 9 (10AM-3PM)
October 8 (10AM-3PM)
November 13 (10AM-3PM)
December 2 (10AM-3PM)
January 21 (10AM-3PM)
February 12 (10AM-3PM)
March 10 (10AM-3PM)
April 7 (10AM-12PM)
Apply for the 2026-2027 Cohort
To apply to the program visit https://missouri.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2l8aR6JW2knGTUa. The deadline to apply is April 1st, 2026 and a letter of recommendation from your supervisor is due to Carrie Nicholson, nicholsonc@missouri.edu by April 8th, 2026.
2026-2027 Session Dates:
- September 9
- October 14 – November 12
- December 1
- January 27
- February 11
- March 9
- April 6 (10AM-12PM)
- All sessions except for April run from 10AM-3PM.
Former PLP Member Testimonials
“I would just remind anyone that hopes to be a leader that you would never start a new line of research without preparing and putting in the groundwork and having a framework that sets you up for success. Same thing if you’re going to be a leader, you need to put in that time. You need to have a framework of context within the whole campus and university system to understand where your unit fits and why your unit is affected by decisions the way it is so that you can be an effective leader…If you have any goals of being in leadership in academia, I think that this is one of the better experiences you can have in terms of preparation for that.“
Jeffrey Bryan, professor of Oncology, Department of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery, and director of Comparative Oncology Radiobiology and Epigenetics Laboratory
“It will actually be enormously useful to you if you engage with the evaluations they offer – at first it might seem hokey to explore your own personality, but the things you discover both about yourself and about how people work together can give you an enormous edge when trying to harmonize teams and decision making. It helped me better understand and predict who would have what kinds of objectives – and objections – in decisions we have to take, and how to assemble a team that will challenge each other to produce valuable work for our department.”
Megan Moore, chair, School of Languages, Literatures & Cultures and professor of French
“I appreciated how the different leadership evaluations all gave differing insights into aspects of my work and leadership styles. I think the 360 evaluation was most helpful. I can often be my own worst critic, and the feedback in that evaluation was pretty uplifting and helped me to see some areas that members of my team appreciated that I wasn’t aware of…While it can be challenging to find the time to participate, it’s a valuable experience that will help you grow your campus network, learn more about yourself, and expand your leadership knowledge and potential.”
Lauren Brengarth, Management assistant teaching professor, assistant dean of student programs and director of the Trulaske Edge
Click here to view a list of all former program participants.
Questions?
For questions about the Provost Leadership Program, please contact Carrie Nicholson (nicholsonc@missouri.edu) or Candace Kuby (kubyc@missouri.edu).