SPARC is pleased to welcome the 2021-2022 cohort for the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program, an intensive professional development program to empower academic professionals to lead impactful open education initiatives. As the program enters its fifth year, the incoming cohort is composed of 25 fellows from a wide range of backgrounds, spanning from open education librarians, student leaders, and government program coordinators. Selected from a competitive application pool, the 2021-2022 fellows begin the program this week.
2021-2022 SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellows
- Amanda Langdon, Access Services & Distance Learning Librarian/OER Campus Lead, Adams State University Nielsen Library
- Amy Blau, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Whitman College
- Beatrice Canales, Academic Unit Assistant, San Antonio College
- Catherine Riehle, Associate Professor & Interim Coordinator, Teaching & Learning, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Charlotte Dailey, Program Specialist-OER, Southern Regional Education Board
- Christina Hilburger, Research and Information Literacy Services Librarian, State University of New York at Fredonia
- Courtney Eger, Learning and Engagement Librarian, Temple University, Health Sciences Libraries
- Cynthia Orozco, Librarian for Equitable Services/Associate Professor, East Los Angeles College
- Elena Kuzmina, OER, E-resources and Collections Librarian, Vancouver Community College
- Elizabeth Speer, Electronic Resources & Acquisitions Librarian, The University of North Texas Health Science Center
- Emily Carlisle-Johnston, Research and Scholarly Communications Librarian, Western University
- Isaac Mulolani, Open Educational Resources Publishing Program Manager, University of Regina
- Kristopher Meen, Assistant Librarian, Academic Skills and Marketing & Engagement, NUI Galway
- Kylah Torre, Program Director, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Liz Thompson, Open Education Librarian, James Madison University
- Meredith Cudmore-Keating, Students’ Union Vice President Academic, St. Francis Xavier University
- Nataly Blas, Collection Development Librarian, Loyola Marymount University
- Nicola (Nicky) Andrews, Instruction/First-Year Experience Librarian, University of San Francisco
- Rachel Becker, Copyright & Open Educational Resources Librarian, Madison Area Technical College
- Sarah LeMire, Coordinator of First-Year Programs, Texas A&M University
- Sarah Shaughnessy, Faculty Engagement Librarian, University of Alberta
- Shayna Pekala, Scholarly Communication Librarian, Gonzaga University
- Tori Stanek, Digital Access and Public Services Librarian, Columbia Gorge Community College
- Yang Wu, Open Resources Librarian, Clemson University Libraries
- Zachariah Claybaugh, Student Success Librarian, University of Connecticut
The SPARC Open Education Leadership Program offers intensive training to empower academic professionals with the knowledge, skills, and connections to lead successful open education initiatives that benefit students. The two-semester program blends online, peer-to-peer, and project-based learning to build a comprehensive understanding of the open education space coupled with practical know-how to take action on campus and beyond. Fellows participate as part of a cohort that becomes a vibrant community of practice, enhanced by expert instruction and mentorship support. The curriculum evolves each year with the growth of the open education field, and this year features an increased focus on strengths-based leadership development.
The incoming cohort begins the program today, September 13, with instruction led by Dr. Tanya Spilovoy. Throughout the program, each fellow will develop and implement a capstone project that advances open education locally and publish an openly-licensed resource that benefits the broader community. Each fellow gets paired with a mentor to provide one-on-one leadership development, many of whom come from the program’s growing alumni pool. During the first semester, the cohort will attend the annual Open Education Conference virtually in October, where they will connect with each other and immerse themselves in the open education community.
SPARC launched the Open Education Leadership Program in 2017 to serve the increasing demand for open education professional development from our members. The program has graduated four cohorts totaling 84 fellows since 2017, and this year’s class will bring that number over 100. Given that interest in the program continues to grow, we hope to run the program again for a sixth year in 2022-2023. Applications will be available in the spring of 2022. More information about the program’s openly-licensed curriculum, outcomes, tuition, and past cohorts is available on the SPARC website.
To receive updates about the program, sign up here.
