Western’s Art & Design Department Chair Chosen for Prestigious Fellowship

Training humanities faculty for leadership

GUNNISON, Colorado: Western Art & Design Department Chair and Professor Tina Butterfield was one of only eight people from across the region chosen to participate in The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s (WICHE) Academy for Leaders in the Humanities. Starting in August, the fellowship provides two years of campus-based and external mentoring and professional development to guide her as she takes on the role of Art & Design Department Chair.

WICHE Academy for Leaders in the Humanities

WICHE, along with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, started the program to allow institutions in the WICHE region to grow their leadership and diversify their academic administration by preparing their humanities faculty to succeed in leadership roles.

“Teachers and administrators in the humanities belong to a larger community service role that allows people to connect, grow, and understand their place and the world around them to a greater extent,” Butterfield said. “The humanities bring a wide scope of knowledge to view the world in unexpected ways. This allows a variety of voices and solutions to be brought to the table.

“I am grateful to serve and am excited to learn and grow beyond the classroom,” she said.

WICHE leadership program

The eight faculty members from fifteen states and the U.S. Pacific Territories who were chosen for the fellowship will attend an in-person three-day professional development seminar at WICHE’s Boulder, CO headquarters and complete an extended project that advances an important institutional priority and provides an opportunity for the fellow to practice the skills they are learning. Through the program, they’ll also have two mentors: an institutional mentor who will serve as their supervisor and the primary liaison between the institution and WICHE, and an external mentor.

In addition to the training, fellows and the institutions they serve will receive a $10,000 stipend for participating in the first year and up to $25,000 per year to align Butterfield’s compensation with similar administrative positions and cover the cost of her travel.

Impact of Tina Butterfield’s Fellowship

“Professor Butterfield exemplifies the perfect candidate for the fellowship,” Provost Young said. “Her dedicated commitment to a two-year training program underscores her pivotal role in enhancing Western’s ability to provide a well-rounded liberal arts education, fostering students’ preparedness to become engaged and impactful participants in a just and democratic society.”