UTA provost chosen for Millennium Leadership Initiative
Tamara L. Brown, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Texas at Arlington, is among 30 distinguished senior-level higher education professionals selected for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) 2024-25 Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI).
Launched in 1999 under the advisement of AASCU’s African American presidents, MLI is a premier leadership development program designed to diversify and enrich the American college presidency. The initiative is rooted in preparing higher education leaders from traditionally underrepresented communities with the skills, philosophical overviews and networks necessary to advance to the highest ranks of postsecondary education.
Dr. Brown oversees all of UTA’s academic and student affairs, along with key operational units such as the Division of Student Success, Extension and Extended Campus and Enrollment Management. She also helps lead UTA’s bold faculty hiring initiative, Recruiting Innovative Scholars for Excellence (RISE), a $60 million effort to add 100 new tenure-system faculty in just three years.
“I am always in search of ideas and programs that will bolster the success of UT Arlington as a Tier One research university committed to student success,” Brown said. “This leadership initiative is an opportunity to learn alongside some of our nation’s rising higher education leaders and apply those lessons at UTA.”
Through its rich network of faculty, alumni and other key campus leaders, MLI connects aspiring presidents and chancellors to the expertise, experiences, and resources required to thrive. Participants receive a realistic look at what a president needs to navigate the current and future higher education landscape.
“Provost Brown has an incredible ability to lead people and an empathetic approach to understanding what people are going through,” said UTA President Jennifer Cowley, who nominated her for the MLI. “She is the right person to represent UTA in this cohort of national higher education leaders.”
This year’s MLI participants carry the added distinction of being the initiative’s 25th cohort. This 25-year legacy is significant, as it has unlocked opportunities for aspiring presidents and chancellors on campuses ranging from California to Connecticut.
Since its inception, nearly 750 individuals have completed the program, with 163 going on to become university presidents or chancellors and 43 serving multiple presidencies or chancellorships. AASCU President and CEO Charles L. Welch is no stranger to MLI, having served as a mentor in 2019 and continued champion for the program.
“MLI creates a vast and talented pool of qualified candidates to fill presidencies, chancellorships, and senior-level vacancies in higher education,” said Welch. “As we celebrate this incoming class that comprises our 25th cohort, we’re thankful for the bold vision of MLI’s founders who sought to build a strong pipeline of higher ed leaders who reflect the rich diversity of our nation and, more importantly, our students.”
The opening seminar for the 2024-25 cohort took place June 12-15 in Washington, D.C. This year’s cohort can be viewed here.
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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association of 350 public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underserved student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development. These are institutions Delivering America’s Promise.