Q&A chats with Michelle Stronz, director of the leadership studies program and an assistant professor at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, about a new joint program with a university in Saudi Arabia.
Q: You are among seven area businesswomen who will participate in a new cross-cultural leadership development program created by Saint Joseph College at the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, known as KAUST, in Saudi Arabia. How did this program come about?
A: Women’s leadership is at the heart of Saint Joseph College’s strategic mission. More than a year ago, a group of interdisciplinary faculty members began to discuss a multicultural leadership experience for high potential, working women. The result is a truly extraordinary program that offers women from around the world the opportunity to expand their leadership potential while investigating current global challenges. The women collaborate with peers from across cultures to connect vision to action by applying leadership solutions to economic or service projects in their home community.
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Q: Why would a businesswoman want to go to Saudi Arabia? It is not the most liberated country when it comes to the treatment of women, is it?
A: Saudi Arabia, under King Abdullah, has launched an economic and social development program that includes economic cities employing a diverse workforce. At the heart of one of those cities is the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which is the first co-educational graduate university in the kingdom. Women across Saudi Arabia are assuming more responsibility, including the recent appointment of the first female vice minister of education. On this trip, the U.S. women will work directly with a group of 10 Saudi women leaders from across all sectors. As a result, the women will expand their understanding of doing business in other cultures while also building an international network.
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Q: What do you hope to bring back to Connecticut from a program like this? How will it be applied to your professional career?
A: The women in this cohort will learn about their personal leadership styles, acquire effective leadership skills, and apply what they have learned across cultures in leadership projects here in Connecticut. At the conclusion of the Saudi portion of the program, the women will return to Connecticut and launch projects in the workplace or community. These projects will contribute to our overall understanding of different cultures and will model effective leadership behavior.
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Q: How does an international program like this benefit a person’s professional career? Or, is this more about making international contacts for the greater good?
A: We live and work in an increasingly dynamic, global marketplace. Through this program, the women will have a better grasp of current global challenges, be more prepared to translate vision into action, and deliver results in work and life that focus on service and sustainability.
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Q: How is this program being funded? Do participants have to undertake expenses to participate in this program?
A: This pilot leadership experience is being funded through a grant from KAUST. Participants will be responsible for miscellaneous travel and incidental expenses.
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Q: What examples of sustainable development from Connecticut will be introduced to the women in Saudi Arabia?
A: Because Saudi Arabia is undergoing such a vast economic diversification program, we will compare and contrast the development challenges and opportunities for both Connecticut and Saudi Arabia. At the heart of Saudi Arabia’s initiatives are their oil reserves and how to diversify their economic interests. For Connecticut, we will examine the shift from a traditional manufacturing and financial services center to an innovation-driven economy.