Research and workforce development center launches at TWU

Sept. 3, 2025 ― DENTON ― The Jane Nelson Institute for Women's Leadership (JNIWL) has launched the Center for Leadership Research and Workforce Development, a dual-mission initiative that positions TWU as the national leader in women's leadership research while transforming how essential career skills are taught to students.

The center bridges academic excellence with workforce needs through two integrated areas: advancing scholarly research on leadership trends and developing evidence-based methods for teaching leadership and workforce readiness skills, including critical thinking, coachability, effective communication, emotional intelligence, AI literacy and ethical reasoning.

"This center represents a comprehensive approach to leadership development," said Shannon Mantaro, JNIWL's executive director and chief officer. "We're not just conducting cutting-edge research - we're ensuring that research directly informs how we prepare thousands of students with the leadership capabilities employers demand."

Research within the center will focus on rural entrepreneurship, educational leadership analysis and local elected office participation. It will also establish a comprehensive database of leadership resources and implement a representation tracker that monitors participation in Texas municipal and county government positions.

The center's research initiatives will also include educational opportunities for faculty to engage in scholarship focused on leadership pedagogy through Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) studies. This research will showcase innovative pedagogies specifically designed for workforce readiness education and will support faculty across all departments in implementing research-based methods for embedding these dispositions and skills directly into existing courses.

"This creates exponential impact," said Angela Bauer, Texas Woman's executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. "Instead of reaching students through separate programs, we're changing how leadership skills are taught in every classroom, ensuring all graduates develop the competencies that drive career success."

The center will serve as a hub for faculty scholarly activity, establishing ongoing engagement with regional employers to understand current workforce needs and validate the effectiveness of leadership education approaches. It will also develop faculty professional development programs in leadership education. Faculty will have opportunities to contribute to scholarly publications and present their teaching research at national conferences, advancing their professional development and the field of leadership education.

The JNIWL is realigning existing student leadership programming, with programs such as the President's Leadership Council and Legacy Leaders moving to the Scholar Programs Office, allowing the new Center to focus exclusively on research excellence and educational innovation.

Page last updated 3:26 PM, September 3, 2025