Aurora Programme Briefing Ian Roberts, Head of Leadership and Professional Development Sandra Brown, Diversity and Inclusion Manager

Event Outline What is the Aurora Programme? What does it involve? What is QMUL’s involvement in it? What support is available for participants? How and when can I apply? Q&A session

What is the Aurora Programme? “Developing future leaders for higher education. Aurora is our women-only leadership development programme. It is a unique partnership initiative bringing together leadership experts and higher education institutions to take positive action to address the under-representation of women in leadership positions in the sector. Over the past four years 3477 women from over 139 institutions across the UK and Ireland have participated. We seek to further support women and their institutions to enable leadership potential, and further embed strong networks across the sector to share best practice, insights and experiences.” www.lfhe.ac.uk

Who is Aurora for? Aurora is for women up to and including senior lecturer level or the professional services equivalent working in a university, college or related organisation who would like to develop and explore issues relating to leadership roles and responsibilities. Participants should have the endorsement of their institution (either their Aurora Champion or line manager) and be committed to developing and enhancing their career.

Who is Aurora for? Participants will be asked to: attend each of the four development days, and the action learning set day organised by participants in their assigned groups; undertake self-directed learning throughout the programme, aligned with developing interests and where time allows; commit to working with a mentor which is provided by their institution; be prepared to participate in a longitudinal study to measure the work experiences of women in higher education, and the impact of Aurora over time.

What does it involve? London (Autumn Programme) Identity, Impact and Voice Thursday 12 October 2017 Power and Politics Thursday 16 November 2017 Action Learning Set* Thursday 7 December 2017: Delegates agree a host institution Core Leadership Skills Thursday 18 January 2018 Adaptive Leadership Skills Thursday 15 February 2018  London (Spring Programme) Identity, Impact and Voice Thursday 8 March 2018 Power and Politics Tuesday 24 April 2018 Action Learning Set* Thursday 17 May 2018: Delegates agree a host institution Core Leadership Skills Tuesday 12 June 2018 Adaptive Leadership Skills Thursday 5 July 2018 *Please note: Participants from different institutions are allocated to each action learning set on the Power and Politics day, which usually takes place in the same region.

QMUL’s Involvement and Support Securing and funding places 6 professional services staff 6 academic staff Nominating/identifying staff to attend (up to and including senior lecturer/equivalent) Facilitating attendance Supporting the programme via role-models and champions Providing mentors Institutional projects

How to apply Submit an application (up to 2 sides A4) outlining: You commitment to personal/professional development What you hope to gain from participating Potential project topics Confirm that your line manager supports your application and can facilitate your attendance Subject to demand for places there will also be a short interview to select participants for the programme

Timeline Activity Date Briefing sessions w/c 26th June Applications open w/c 3rd July Applications close Mon 24th July Interviews Mon 14th August to Fri 25th August Confirm places to LFHE w/c 28th August Autumn programme starts Thu 12th Oct Spring programme starts Thu 8th Mar Note: Interviews will be subject to number of applications, bookings made via doodle poll or similar.

Question and Answer Session Previous participants: Experiences of the programme Hints and tips for new participants How has it helped you? Any questions? Further information: https://www.lfhe.ac.uk/en/programmes-events/programmes/women-only/aurora/index.cfm

Briefing Close Thank you for attending We look forward to receiving your application!