Schroeder, C. & Snow, H. (2025). Leadership and Change from Within: An Honors College and CTL
Partnership. In Editors: J. Zubizarreta & V. M. Bryan (Eds.), Where honors education and faculty development meet
(95 – 103). National Collegiate Honors Council.
Leadership and Change from Within: An Honors College and CTL Partnership
Connie M. Schroeder, Hilary K. Snow
This volume draws on sixty authors to shine a spotlight on the natural collaboration between honors colleges and Centers of Teaching and Learning to improve teaching. Their theoretical and practical research and expertise from wide-ranging institutional contexts underscored the essential role of collaborative relationships in advancing and scaling change. In chapter six, Hilary Snow and Connie Schroeder at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee discuss a process of change within continuing impact.
Scaling sustainable change in teaching and learning is an elusive priority in higher education given the decentralized and siloed academic landscape (Wise, S. B. et al., 2022; Wise, S. et al., 2017; Brown, J. T., 2017; Barth, 2013; Henderson et al., 2011). Most colleges and departments lack the necessary time or the critical organizational structures to sustain change (Laksov, 2021). Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) seek to advance improvement in teaching and learning and increasingly highlight improving institutional culture as part of their mission. However, reliance on traditional programming and consultations primarily targets individual change versus scaled or sustainable change (Seymour, 2002; Henderson et al., 2011; Diamond, 2004; Schroeder, 2011; Sorcinelli et al., 2006).
A variety of change models and approaches with a scaling and sustainability mindset are needed within our multi-layered institutions with many disciplines, cultures, and unique conditions. One example of a successful process of collaborative change well outside of a top-down approach emerged at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Honors College. A longstanding partnership between the UWM honors college faculty member, Hilary Snow, and Connie Schroeder of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) fueled the conditions that would contribute to two highly impactful college roles emerging over time. Insights from Snow’s ongoing and extensive participation in CETL’s workshops soon translated into engaging colleagues in informal hallway discussions or pedagogical conversations after staff meetings. This informal, volunteer, but intentional and emergent faculty leadership role for professional development in teaching and learning evolved into a highly visible, established role. In this leadership role, Hilary Snow became the catalyst for guiding an informal pedagogy group to become an established, visible structure for leveraging college-wide change as it grew and adapted the roles and structures within its cultural context. The honors college recognized Snow’s initial voluntary, informal role as meeting her faculty service expectations and her non-teaching responsibilities. Recognition of her role publicly validated her expertise and emergent leadership role ensuring time to focus on this role along with other related service.
The multi-year, change process made evident the potential of emergent leadership among a cohort of colleagues and the essential role of informal, generative relationships that are voluntary, flexible, and adaptable alternative approaches to top-down change (Quardokus Fisher & Henderson, 2018). This collaborative, emergent process within an existing culture and over time, can encourage Centers to move beyond traditional menus of workshops and programs to cultivate emerging leadership roles and alternative structures to leverage scaled change (Seymour, 2002; Corbo et al., 2016). In closing, Schroeder and Snow challenged chairs to recognize their change agents within by encouraging Center partnerships and legitimizing designated roles for professional development within their unit. Positioned within their culture, they can bridge the “archipelago of islands” that often exists within departments (Laksov, 2021).