College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

University of Dayton biologist Yvonne Sun was selected for Drexel University’s Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) Class of 2022-2023. The ELATES program is a national leadership development program designed to promote women in academic STEM fields, and faculty allies of all genders, into institutional leadership roles. 

The class is a prestigious cohort of 30 faculty members from more than 25 institutions of higher education across the U.S. and Canada. The fellows include experts in engineering, mathematics and science, all of whom have significant administrative experience on top of their scholarly accomplishments.

Sun, associate professor of biology, was nominated by senior leadership at the University of Dayton for this intensive, yearlong program, which includes eight to 10 hours per week of personal and leadership development work, as well as three series of on-site work in the Philadelphia area.

Sun is an expert in microbiology and has been leading a large and active research team in the Department of Biology. She also was the recipient of SOCHE Excellence Award in Teaching in 2019-2020.

“It is such an inspiring and humbling experience to be nominated and sponsored by UD,” Sun said. “I feel energized and motivated to learn more about how I can be an active contributor to help achieve our institutional missions. I am deeply grateful for the support my colleagues have for me and the sponsorship Provost Paul Benson is providing.” 

Facilitated by leaders in the fields of STEM research and leadership development, the ELATES curriculum is focused on increasing fellows’ personal and professional leadership effectiveness, from the ability to lead and manage change initiatives within institutions, to the use of strategic finance and resource management to enhance organizational missions. Pairing online instruction and discussion with intensive, in-person seminar sessions, the program encourages fellows to apply what they’ve learned at their home institutions. Ultimately, it aims to create a network of exceptional faculty who bring broad organizational perspectives and deep personal capacity to the institutions and society they serve.

To learn more about the ELATES program, visit ELATES online at Drexel.edu/ELATES.

For more information about biology at UD, visit the Department of Biology website.

Photo: University of Dayton Associate Professor of Biology Yvonne Sun (right) works with senior Sydney Herzog in the lab.