Leadership and Change from Within: An Honors College and CTL Partnership

Scaling sustainable change in teaching and learning is an institutional priority in higher education, yet often it is elusive, given the decentralized and siloed academic landscape. Most colleges and departments lack the necessary expertise to design and implement scaled change or the critical organizational structures to sustain change. Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) seek to advance improvement in teaching and learning and highlight improving institutional culture as part of their mission. Reliance on traditional programming and consultations, however, primarily targets individual change versus scaled or sustainable change. The successful process of change at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Honors College emerged well outside of a top-down approach. A longstanding partnership between an honors college faculty member and the CTL fueled the conditions that would contribute to two honors college roles emerging over time. From an informal, volunteer role, an emergent faculty leadership role for professional development in teaching and learning evolved into a visible, established role. This leadership role became instrumental in guiding an informal pedagogy group to become a visible structure for leveraging collegewide change. The honors college was a key player in such transformation as it grew and adapted the roles and structures within its cultural context. The change process described below makes evident the impact achievable through emergent leadership among colleagues and the essential roles of informal, generative relationships that were voluntary, flexible, and adaptable.