Contribution of Excellence Winners 2025
March 28, 2025 - Contribution of Excellence (COE) Winners for 2025
Αρετή an ancient Greek word meaning excellence or virtue and can be described as reaching your full potential. Arete: Journal of Excellence in Global Leadership periodically highlights a contributor (or contributors from one submission) who has reached their full potential as reflected in their submission.
The award committee, which is derived from the editorial board and external members, selected two submissions to be awarded and presented at the 2025 Global Leadership Engagement Conference, an annual event held for the Ph.D. Global Leadership Program. The award considers contributors who most effectively added value to the field of study. This year we are honoring two submissions.
COE REVIEW STANDARDS:
The COE reviewers read the submissions from Volumes 2 and 3 and used the following general guidelines: 1) Global, Cross-disciplinary, Relevance, Thought-provoking, Innovativeness, Cultural Awareness, and Diversity.
Kristen Merchant, Contribution of Excellence Award Winner 2025
Leadership Development Interventions to Reduce Imposter Phenomenon in the STEM Fields in Minorities
Let me share some of the reviewer’s comments.
The submission effectively suggests the powerful role of leadership development in mitigating impostor syndrome and enhancing student retention. With thorough research, the author adds to the field of study by demonstrating how embracing transformational leadership principles and a global mindset can empower minorities working in STEM. Additionally, the author presents a well-structured strategic plan to apply these findings, with the potential for broader application across disciplines. This plan invites future study to determine the outcomes of its implementation. Further, the essay reflects current relevance, cultural awareness, and inclusivity criteria.
Kristen Merchant found her passion in guiding students at Rose-Hulman after falling in love with her own undergraduate experience there. Her role as Associate Director of Union & Student Activities offers a variety of experiences, from campus events to leadership training, keeping every day exciting. In addition, directing Rose-Hulman’s Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program has sparked a new enthusiasm for nurturing students' leadership skills.
Next, we have a submission that features two authors. Again, I use the words of one of our reviewers:
Marianna Foulkrod and Dr. Phylis Lan Lin for the Contribution of Excellence Award Winners 2025
Global Leadership Adaptability Through Servant Leadership and Cultural Humility.
In this work, the authors explore the connection between a global leadership mindset and adaptability, emphasizing the vital roles of servant leadership and cultural humility. They add to the field of study by examining key literature to illuminate effective global leaders' essential traits and values. Foulkrod and Lin present a thoughtful conceptual framework to address the challenges of global leadership adaptability in today’s environment and inspire further exploration through thought-provoking questions for future empirical studies. The submission embraces cultural awareness as a core tenet of leadership development.
Pictured below is Marianna Foulkrod with Dr. Kim LaComba, Section Chief Editor, of Arete.
Marianna (pictured left) and Dr. Kim LaComba (pictured right), Director of the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program.
Marianna Kalli Foulkrod, MAAS, is the Director of the Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement (CSLCE), adjunct faculty at the Shaheen College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Indianapolis and St. Mary’s of the Woods College, where she also pursues her Ph.D. in Global Leadership.
Phylis Lan Lin, PhD., Professor Emerita, University of Indianapolis (UIndy), serves as the senior advisor to the Asia Organization Development (AODN). She received the UIndy Meritorious Award for 45 years of dedicated teaching, administration, and service, and the Phylis Lan Lin School of Social Work and Counseling is named in her honor. Dr. Lin received a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Missouri in 1972.
Kristen, Marianna and Dr. Lin, Congratulations! Αρετή Arete: Journal of Excellence in Global Leadership recognizes your Contributions to Excellence in Global Leadership. We look forward to future submissions.
