December 3, 2007
For Immediate Release
For an interview:
Susan Madsen
(801) 863-6176
Susan Madsen, associate professor of management at UVSC, recently returned from a trip to the Middle East, where she visited Abu Dhabi Women’s College as a Visiting Scholar.
Madsen’s original intent in traveling to Abu Dhabi was to conduct research on the learning experiences of women attending the college, including surveys, interviews and general observation. Shortly before she left for her trip, however, she was asked if she would lecture to the students and the faculty of the college on the subject of leadership, as well as conducting her research. She offered several lectures on topics such as how to be a more effective leader and the best ways to develop leadership in college.
It was the first time that Abu Dhabi Women’s College had any sort of leadership training on campus. “Things are really changing,” says Madsen, “and they were just bursting at the seams to learn about becoming leaders.” Because the role of women is still a delicate issue in the Middle East, the definition of “leader” wasn’t limited to a political leader, but expanded to include women as leaders in their homes, communities, and workplaces, as well as their governments.
“It was a moving experience for me,” says Madsen. “It opened my eyes to a whole new culture and way of thinking. I felt so comfortable there. I felt that I could understand them, and in a few days it changed so that we were communicating human to human, not culture to culture.” Since Madsen has returned to Utah, she has continued to remain in contact with people who she met during her experience. Together, they are working toward developing a center for leadership development for the women of Abu Dhabi, so that women from the whole community can have the support and knowledge to become leaders. “There is a real need there,” says Madsen.
Madsen has done extensive research on the lifetime development of prominent women leaders, and has interviewed many women university presidents and governors. Her first book titled, “On Becoming a Woman Leader: Learning from the Experiences of University Presidents,” will be released soon, and her second book titled, “Developing Leadership: Learning from the Experiences of Women Governors,” will be released late 2008.
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College Marketing Contact:
Megan Laurie
(801) 863-7149
Written by:
Brenda Johnson
(801) 863-7011