Conference: 2025 CRA Leadership Academy

Leadership is not only a role but also a set of skills and an attitude. Too often people end up in leadership roles without the tools, experience, and expertise to handle what is being asked of them. Academics face a unique set of leadership challenges, and computing research academics even more so (e.g., artificial intelligence, booming enrollments). Due to the small number of computing research faculty attaining full professor status at an institution each year, creating a robust, relevant training program at each institution is infeasible. The 2025 CRA Leadership Academy is designed to cultivate and inspire future leaders in computing and computing research, leaders who are better equipped for handling a variety of situations including conflict, institutional trauma, and leading and managing within a computing research context. By the nature of the workshop’s cohort and its focus, the impact of the work will be felt in the colleges and universities of the participants by their faculty, their staff, and the students they serve. The goal of the 2025 CRA Leadership Academy is to prepare and inspire the computing leaders of tomorrow while building a peer cohort today for knowledge sharing, skill building, and support. This project will provide a professional development training for recently promoted or soon-to-be-promoted full professors in U.S. computing departments. Participants will gain insights into leadership roles in computing, team building, managing academic budgets, and navigating challenging situations, while also expanding their network of peers and mentors. Following the in-person workshop, participants join virtual cohort meetings to continue connecting, learning, and growing with peers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.