NGU Celebrates Graduation of Fourth NGUleads Cohort
Posted on: September 16, 2024
NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. addresses the graduating NGUleads cohort.
Tigerville, SC—North Greenville University graduated its fourth NGUleads cohort on Friday, Sept. 6.
Serving as NGU’s internal leadership development program, NGUleads has now seen 60 participants since its inception.
“The purpose of the NGUleads program is to grow and enhance the leadership skills of each cohort,” said Tracy Kramer, dean of Online Studies at NGU. “We want them to better understand their own leadership style and how they can best lead themselves, their teams, and the institution as a whole.”
The fourth graduating class consists of: Brad Gregory, coordinator for student accessibility; Kayla Black, director of NGU’s Honors Program; Randall King, associate dean of the School of Communication; Kaye Rickman, PA Medicine program director; Ben Coates, chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics; James Anderson, assistant athletic director; Frank Eskridge, associate director of Admissions; Joshua Gilmore, director of community connection and ministry mobilization; Lindsay Evatt, online and graduate admissions; Michelle Sabou, director of personnel services; Jeff Smith, director of Campus Safety and Security; Christian Motes, data analyst, Academic Records.
Members of NGUleads were nominated by their supervisor and approved by a unanimous vote of the North Greenville University’s Executive Leadership Council. The program is led by Dr. Kramer, Dr. Jill Rayburn, university general counsel, and Dr. Nathan Finn, executive director of NGU’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.
NGUleads participants take part in a wide variety of professional development opportunities during the calendar year.
“We work on their emotional intelligence, communication and conflict skills, strategic thinking and stewardship, among others areas,” Kramer said. “ We do this through presentations, panel discussions, activities and games, but most importantly, through interactions with each other.”
“This graduating group was especially fun-loving and very talkative,” she added. “It was a joy to watch them develop new friendships and apply their leadership skills in their respective fields.”
NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. offered a challenge to NGUleads graduates before they received their recognition on Sept. 6.
“Stay connected with each other,” President Fant said. “It’s very easy to get in our offices, put our heads down, and think about the task at hand. There’s some intentionality that comes with staying connected, but it always rewards us.”
Gilmore said NGUleads helped him connect and communicate with other departments across campus.
“I feel better connected to NGU (the institution I love), and the wonderful people serving on both faculty and staff,” Gilmore said. “God isn’t just growing students as transformational leaders for church and society, but He is growing NGU employees as well.”
Smith said the program caused him to reflect on his own leadership.
“This experience has greatly strengthened my connection to the NGU community by providing valuable networking opportunities with fellow cohort members,” he said. “It also allowed me to reflect on and refine my own leadership style while gaining insights into the leadership approaches of others. This program is an outstanding initiative that invests in and promotes the growth of NGU faculty and staff.”
