Dr. Jeni McRay, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies
Contact Information:
Office Phone: (316) 993-8681
Email: jlmcray@fhsu.edu
Degrees: Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Emphasis in Adult, Occupational and Continuing Education, Kansas State University, 2005
M.S. in Education, Newman University, 1998
B.A., Oklahoma City University, 1995
Courses Taught and/or Developed:
LDRS 300: Introduction to Leadership Concepts
LDRS 306: Leadership and Team Dynamics
LDRS 450: Advanced Leadership Behaviors
LDRS 650: Principles of Organizational Leadership
LDRS 670: Leadership and Personal Development
LDRS 801: Theoretical Foundations of Leadership
LDRS 802: Organizational Systems & Leadership
LDRS 811: Organizational Intervention Strategies
IDS 803: Origins and Information in the Knowledge Society
Courses she has taught at former institutions:
Teaching Methods for Adult Learners
Assessment, Tests & Measurements
Leadership Styles/Theories
Organizational Leadership & Ethics
Organizational Behavior
Leader Behavior in Applied Settings
Leadership Project
Honors and Awards:
SIDLIT 2019 Conference Award for Outstanding Online Course
Distinguished Innovative Practice Poster, Association of Leadership Educators 2018 Annual Conference
Southwestern College Affiliate Faculty Member of the Year, 2004
Association Memberships:
Association of Leadership Educators
Journal of Leadership Education
Academic Leadership Journal of Student Research
Biography:
Dr. McRay, commonly known to her students as Jeni or "Dr. J," loves working with adult learners and emerging leaders in any setting and especially enjoys working with diverse audiences. Dr. McRay's areas of expertise and research include faculty development, online instructional design and delivery, higher education administration, adult and professional programs, learning/teaching styles, leadership development training, communication skills, personality styles and self-awareness, and emotional intelligence.
She was the recipient of Southwestern College's Professional Studies Affiliate Faculty Member of the Year award in 2004 and was recently given an award for Outstanding Online Course at SIDLIT’s 2019 Annual Conference. Since coming to FHSU seven years ago, she has taught in our cross-border partnership program with Chinese universities; has helped develop, improve, administer and advise the Master of Professional Studies program; serves as the department’s International Coordinator, chair of the Program Review Committee, and member of the Assessment Committee; administers and oversees the department’s adjunct faculty; and serves as a Faculty Senator. She also serves on several graduate committees for the AEP department’s Higher Education Student Affairs graduate students and on doctoral committees in a partner institution’s (Southwestern College) Ed.D program. She is also a regular presenter for FHSU’s Management Development Center.
Dr. McRay was a "Navy brat" who moved a lot in her early years but settled in Wichita, Kansas 24 years ago and definitely calls it "home!" In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, which consists of her husband, four daughters, and several extended family members. Jeni also enjoys watching soccer and football mainly, but will settle for any sporting event. She is an enthusiastic Sporting KC and Pittsburg Steelers fan. Her favorite season is summer, and she relishes scorching hot weather.
Current Research and Projects:
Working Group: Strategic Enrollment Plan - Leadership Programs
Grant Team: Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, Noyce Track 3: Master Teacher Fellowships
Provost's Working Group: Fall 2020 Continuity Planning
3 Presentations for ALE Annual Conference, July 2020
- Innovative Practice Poster - Civic investment in twenty-first century America: A call to action for leadership educators at state comprehensive universities
- Innovative Practice Poster - Comprehensive program review: A work in progress
- Interactive Roundtable (Synchronous Virtual) - Advanced leadership studies: using focus groups in leadership education and development program review
Manuscript in preparation for Journal of Leadership Education - Assessing student learning in leadership education programs delivered in multiple modalities.
Manuscript in preparation for Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University -Academic preparedness for incoming military/veteran learners.
Recent Publications:
McRay, J. (2109) Workplace diversity & inclusion education: past, present & future. Poster Presentation. Lawrence, KS. Michael Tilford Conference on Diversity and Multiculturalism.
McRay, J. (2019) Lessons learned: key insights from 20 years teaching online courses. Hays, KS: SIDLIT Annual Conference.
McRay, J. & Whitaker, W. (2019) Understanding organizational culture: a social psychology and leadership toolkit. FHSU Management Development Center customized training workshop. Jan.17, 2019.
Klaus, K. & McRay, J., Arensdorf, J. (2018). Building a foundation of intention and quality: program assessment for leadership education. Poster presentation. Chicago, IL: Association of Leadership Educators.
To Learn more about Jeni, Visit: Jeni's Curriculum Vitae