Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

In his report Tuesday, April 23, to Central Michigan University's Academic Senate, President Bob Davies announced the appointment of two faculty members to the university's Administrative Fellows Program.

Luis Perez-Batres, from the College of Business Administration, was appointed as a senior administrative fellow. Nicole Sparling Barco, from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, was named an associate administrative fellow.

Through the program, now in its fourth year after a hiatus in 2018-19, faculty fellows explore administrative leadership within the university. They attend formal training and complete an independent project of their choosing with guidance and mentoring from university leaders, including the president, provost and senior administrators.

While the goal of the program is to develop the fellows' administrative leadership skills, many participants find it also increases their effectiveness in their current positions.

Luis Perez-Batres

Luis Perez-Batres joined CMU's College of Business Administration in 2007, teaching courses in strategic management, supply chain management and international business. He was appointed chair of the management department in 2015 and is serving his second consecutive three-year term in the role.

In 2018, Perez-Batres completed CMU's Leadership Excellence training and also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Management Development Program. He is a founding member of CMU's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and has served on a number of other committees and councils including the university's strategic planning committee, Academic Senate, search committees and his college's Dean's Advisory Council. He has authored or contributed to a number of scholarly articles, book chapters and other academic publications and currently serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of World Business.

Nicole Sparling Barco

Nicole Sparling Barco began teaching courses at CMU in 2009. She currently serves as director of the cultural and global studies program at CMU and previously served as chair of the English language and literature department. She also held roles as both graduate coordinator for the department and as interim director of the women and gender studies program.

Barco completed CMU's Leadership Standards training and attended a seminar for department chairs at the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. She has served on a variety of committees and councils at the department, college and university levels and also is the faculty advisor for Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society. Barco has given presentations at a number of professional conferences and meetings and has published scholarly articles, book chapters and reviews. She is an editorial board member for Humanities, a professional journal, and the Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences.