UAPB Social Work Department Chair Completes Harvard’s Management Development Program

UAPB Social Work Chair Completes Harvard’s MDP – Preparing Department and Students for Rural and Urban Diversity

Mary Hester-Clifton | UAPB Communications

Pine Bluff, AR — The Social Work Department at UAPB prepares students to apply problem-solving techniques and intervention strategies as they work with diverse individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations in rural and urban settings. To advance that objective, Dr. Tamara Pace-Glover ’09, Social Work, recently was accepted into and attended Harvard University’s Management Development Program (MDP) for higher education managers. Harvard University’s MDP philosophy centers around participants learning to recognize new ways to broadly see their departments, institutions, and the higher education community.

The MDP is a five-day program offered on the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The program’s objective states that “higher education managers can gain the knowledge and insight needed to think more strategically, balance competing demands, and engage in more forward-thinking leadership practices.” Workshop modules included:

• Higher Education Leadership: The Power and Potential of Reframing,
• A Framework for Advancing Anti-Racism Strategy on Campus,
• Building Belonging, Recognition, Recruitment, and Retention Strategies,
• Using Visual Planning Tools for Effective Strategy Development,
• Challenging Decision on Campus: Economic Reasoning Can Help,
• Negotiation Skills, Leadership Transitions Entry and Departure, and
• The Authentic You.

Dr. Pace-Glover agrees, “As a new department chair, I am fortunate to have Provost Robert Carr believe in my untapped leadership abilities and send me to this leadership training program. The connections and relationships established with other administrators from across the globe at Harvard were equally instrumental. The overall experience provided intensive training that was productive, educational, and thought-provoking. And, I can continue networking with a diverse and dynamic cohort through post-participant webinars.”

Dr. Pace-Glover enrolled and was accepted into Harvard University’s MDP via an online application process. The experience allowed her to share, learn, grow, and walk away with a wealth of vital information, techniques, and strategies that benefit the UAPB Social Work Department. In addition, her in-person participation allowed her to learn, network, and deepen her working relationships during the workshop through regular roundtable discussions. As she moves forward in her new role,  her goal is to use this experience and others to remain an asset to the UAPB Social Work Department, the School of Arts and  Sciences, the University, and the Pine Bluff Community. 

Within the School of Arts and Sciences, under the leadership of Dean Andrea Stewart, the Social Work Department Chairperson, Dr. Pace-Glover, in addition to her MDP experience, brings a wealth of knowledge as the recently hired Chairperson of the Department of Social Work, with over 12 years of direct practice in the field of social work. As background, Dr. Tamara Pace-Glover is a proud native of Pine Bluff, AR. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff in 2009, a Master of Social Work from Arkansas State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from Jackson State University. She served as a Social Work Professor at Arkansas State University for over six years and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in Arkansas. Dr. Pace-Glover has dedicated much of her time and service as a Mental Health Therapist for various mental health agencies in Arkansas and Mississippi. Additionally, she was the 79th Miss University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2008-2009.