Villanova Engineering Professor Named Fellow in National STEM Leadership Program

Professor Bridget Wadzuk

ELATE at Drexel®, an elite, one of a kind professional development program for women in the academic STEM fields, has announced the selection of its 2017-18 class of Fellows. The incoming class includes 26 experienced and diverse women faculty from 23 different institutions across the country and Canada. Among this year’s Fellows is Villanova University College of Engineering Professor Bridget Wadzuk, PhD. Each Fellow in the program was nominated by her dean or provost and will contribute to institutional initiatives as she expands her leadership skills.

Newly promoted to full professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Wadzuk is an expert in the area of water resources engineering, specifically in environmental fluid mechanics. She serves as lead in the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership and is the recipient of numerous research grants related to stormwater control measures. Dr. Wadzuk is also involved in the Villanova Engineering Service Learning program.

ELATE at Drexel® is a one year, part time program that focuses on increasing personal and professional leadership effectiveness, leading and managing change initiatives within institutions, using strategic finance and resource management to enhance organizational missions, and creating a network of exceptional women who bring organizational perspectives and deep personal capacity to the institutions and society they serve. Facilitated by leaders in the fields of STEM research and leadership development, the curriculum includes classroom lessons and activities, online instruction and discussion, and on-the- job application at each Fellow’s home institution.

 “We are thrilled to welcome a new class of women leaders in biology, computer science, engineering, health science, and physics for 2017-18 Fellowship Year. With each new class, ELATE is not only making a difference in the professional lives of participants, but the program is continually expanding the national network of leaders and supporters of women in academic STEM leadership,” says Koren A. Bedeau, PhD, Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives.

The work for this incoming class begins in May with online assignments and community building activities, and the program will conclude in March 2018 with a symposium organized around institutional change projects that have been developed in collaboration with the leadership of their organizations, and then graduation ceremonies attended by their deans, provosts, and other university leaders. Fellows begin the first of three week-long, in-residence sessions when they meet for the first time at the ACE Conference Center in Lafayette Hill, PA., on August 5, 2017. For more information on the ELATE curriculum, faculty and participants, visit www.drexel.edu/ELATE.