I chose this artifact from Dr.

John Dugans Leadership In Higher Education

course that is offered within the second year of the program. I chose this artifact
because I believe it connects with the reflective leadership learning outcome for our
program. This assignment demonstrates the competencies in a variety of different ways
and it really challenged me to translate leadership theory into practice at the institution
where I hold my graduate assistantship.
Through this assignment I gained a deeper understanding of historical and
contemporary issues within higher education and how those related to leadership and
the professional practice by sitting down an interviewing someone who had been in the
field for five years working. Through our conversation, I learned how her ideas of
leadership had changed and grown in the context of her professional experience. I also
learned more about the institution and its history by centering some of my research on
its growth and development throughout the years. I gained an understanding of
leadership theories and ethics within higher education by connecting what I had learned
in my interview back to the leadership theories and how I saw various theories come
into practice. During my critique of my interviewee, I was able to reflect on decisionmaking that is based on ethically sound principles and various ways to listen, lead and
empower others to lead; including students but also my peers. I also gained an
appreciation for the role that reflective leadership has in promoting a just and ethical
society by connecting my interviewees experiences with my own. I learned that
everyones journey through leadership is different and every professional integrates

leadership theory in various ways such as programming and intentional conversations

with students. Finally, I developed attitudes and skills related to lifelong learning by
critically assessing my own leadership identity both personal and professionally.
Through this assessment I identified strengths such as my communication skills and
areas for improvement such as my self-efficacy in around identifying myself as a leader.