Kent State Libraries Assistant Dean of Engagement and Outreach has been selected for the 2016 Senior Fellows Program at UCLA. Kenneth Burhanna is one of 17 academic library managers to be chosen.

The program was founded in 1982 and has had over 250 academic library leaders participate from a variety of universities. UCLA Senior Fellows focuses on professional development for academic library leaders through a variety of experiences such as speakers, case studies and field trips, said John McDonald, Senior public information representative for the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA.

“The program is the oldest and most prestigious leadership program for librarians and participation is highly prized,  said Dr. Beverly Lynch, director of the program and professor at UCLA.

To Burhanna, being selected for the program is a great honor.

“To me, the program presents another great opportunity to learn, make new connections and develop as a leader,” said Burhanna in a Kent State University press release.

The three week residential program runs from July until August. A normal day for participants will consist of formal sessions in the morning with the afternoons consisting mostly of study and recreation, though sessions will also take place during these times as well, said McDonald.

Some of the other library leaders selected for the program are Scott Mandernack, Associate Dean for Scholarly resources and collections for Marquette University and Susan Thomas Head of Archives and Modern Manuscripts from Oxford University among others, as stated in a UCLA press release.

Lynch said that the 2016 fellows come from countries other than the U.S., emphasizing the importance of academic library leadership.

“In 2016 there will be fellows from Canada and the U.K. as well as the U.S. acknowledging that academic librarianship is not just local, but is global,” Lynch said.

Burhanna said that he hopes to study library organizational change and management during his time in the program.

“I hope to learn new approaches to creating a change-ready library organization that can aspire to maximize their finite resources to the benefit of students, staff and faculty,” he said in a Kent State University press release.