Leaders among leaders: APSU’s Department of Leadership earns three top honors at national conference
By: Seth Riker July 21, 2025
Dr. Kathryn Woods, the graduate coordinator for APSU’s Master of Science in Leadership,
accepts the Outstanding Credit-Bearing Program Award during the Association of Leadership
Educators national conference. | Contributed photo
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - When peers recognize another academic’s work as first-class within their field, it’s
a good feeling. But when those peers are leaders among leaders, that’s recognition
worth celebrating.
At the recent Association of Leadership Educators (ALE) national conference, Austin Peay State University’s Department of Leadership brought home three top honors that highlight the strength of its graduate program and the research efforts driving it forward.
The department received ALE’s Outstanding Credit-Bearing Program Award for its Master of Science in Leadership, which was praised for its diverse concentrations, flexible certificate options and real-world flexibility. The program offers specialized tracks and a number of graduate certificates, such as grant writing, designed to serve working professionals seeking targeted development. The structure has proven especially valuable for students returning to school mid-career.
“Our program meets people where they are, whether they’re mid-career or just entering the job market,” said Dr. Melissa Kates, chair of the APSU Department of Leadership. “Being recognized on the national stage validates our efforts to create accessible, meaningful leadership education. It also highlights our unique position as a stand-alone leadership department and our ability to deliver relevant leadership knowledge across our region.”
Kates said the field of leadership, although younger than other social sciences, is rich in theoretical grounding and emerging researchers - some of whom call Austin Peay home.
Dr. Kathryn Woods, the department’s graduate coordinator, received the SAGE Outstanding Scholar Award, ALE’s highest research honor. Deemed a “prolific” researcher by her colleagues, Woods was also the lead author on the project that took home ALE’s Outstanding Research Paper Award, a distinction she shared with Kates and incoming faculty member Kameron Rinehart.
Their award-winning paper, “Moving on from Standardized Testing: Evaluating Applicants to Leadership Graduate Programs,” examines whether traditional admissions metrics still serve graduate programs in a post-COVID world. The team found that while undergraduate GPA remains a useful indicator for students early in their careers, professional experience becomes a far more reliable predictor of success as applicants gain time in the workforce.
“I’ve seen firsthand how talented students with extensive experience can be overlooked because they don’t fit outdated models,” Woods said. “This research helps us challenge assumptions and design more inclusive admissions processes that prioritize potential, not just test scores.”
The research project was an early collaboration with Rinehart, who is joining the Department of Leadership this fall.
“We’re so excited that our brand-new faculty member is collaborating with us already,” Woods said. “I think that’s somewhat rare.”
Woods credits ALE for facilitating these invaluable professional connections and building a collaborative culture she and her colleagues can bring to APSU.
“Leadership isn’t a title; it’s a responsibility,” she said. “We’re helping students embrace that responsibility with confidence, compassion and courage.”
To learn more about the department’s bachelor’s and master’s programs, visit the APSU Department of Leadership website.