A cohort of senior government officials visits Rutgers in December to participate in a leadership program as part of the Botswana-Rutgers Partnership
Rutgers University is honored to welcome a cohort of senior government officials from Botswana to New Brunswick in December to participate in a leadership program as the next step in the Mahube (“Dawn”) Partnership for Transformation, the unique partnership between Botswana and Rutgers that was launched in February of 2019. This partnership, created by Botswana President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi and Rutgers President Robert Barchi, represents a unique collaboration between a nation and a university to address leadership, capacity-building, and knowledge transfer.
A delegation of 16 senior-level government and higher education officials will convene in New Brunswick from December 8th through the 14th to participate in a leadership program developed by the Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership. This program follows the Botswana-Rutgers Leadership Summit that took place in May 2019, when a delegation of 16 cabinet- and senior director-level government officials came from Botswana to participate in a 12-day event. The Summit served as the first phase in advancing the leadership training and development goals of the Botswana-Rutgers Partnership. The additional four goals for the Partnership include enhancing the health care system; creating policies and programs that encourage entrepreneurship; developing strength in information technology; and enriching higher education, especially in critical STEM fields. According to Dr. Ralph Gigliotti, Director of Leadership Development and Research in the Center for Organizational Leadership, “We have learned a great deal about the unique challenges and opportunities facing the country of Botswana, and we are very much looking forward to engaging with this second cohort throughout this upcoming leadership program.”
During this residency event, the Botswana cohort will have the opportunity to delve into the seven dimension model for organizational assessment, planning, and implementation developed and presented by the core planning team of Dr. Brent Ruben, Dr. Ralph Gigliotti, Dr. Christine Goldthwaite, and Dr. Kate Immordino from the Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership. In addition, there will be presentations on assessing and leveraging leadership strengths; leadership strategy and organizational effectiveness; and change leadership and performance metrics and management. Guest presenters include Denis Hamilton, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Management and Global Business; Kevin Lyons, Associate Professor of Professional Practice and Supply Chain Archaeology at the Rutgers Business School; Gwen Mahon, Dean at the School of Health Professions; Ric Marlink, Director of Rutgers Global Health Institute; and Richard McCormick, President Emeritus of Rutgers University.
Beyond the presentations, the group will have the opportunity to tour the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, attend a reception at the home of President Barchi, and spend time in nearby New York City.
Ultimately, the goal of this leadership program is to continue to further relationships between Botswana executive leaders and Rutgers experts in specific areas that align with the five pillars of the Partnership. As noted by Dr. Brent Ruben, Executive Director of the Center for Organizational Leadership, “It is a pleasure to be able to host this second Leadership Summit and to contribute to the goals of this Partnership. We are confident the members of the delegation, along with all of us involved at Rutgers, will greatly benefit from our participation in this program.”