Summer 2009 - The Council of Independent Colleges

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conferences 2010 Presidents Institute Securing a Better Future: Strategic Directions for Campus and Country Given the severe challenges that face American higher education and the country as a whole, the informed perspectives of presenters at the 2010 Presidents Institute promise to provide valuable insights for conference participants. The Institute, which has become the largest annual meeting of college and university presidents, will be held January 4–7, 2010, at the Marco Island Marriott in Marco Island, Florida. Featured speakers include Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., president and chief executive officer of TIAA-CREF; Shirley M. Tilghman, president of Princeton University; and Serge Schmemann, editorial page editor of the International Herald Tribune. The concluding plenary session will explore new directions for improvement in higher education quality and will feature panelists Robert Shireman, deputy undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education; Sylvia Manning, president, Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; Peter T. Ewell, vice president, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems; and Edwin H. Welch, president, University of Charleston (WV). Independent colleges and universities are well positioned to help secure a better future for the country. Over the years, private colleges have demonstrated resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges to their existence and threats to the nation. While today’s problems are perhaps greater than any faced in a generation, America’s small and mid-sized private colleges are exhibiting imagination, flexibility, entrepreneurial spirit, and a degree of self-sacrifice unmatched by many of society’s institutions. Through creative academic programs, innovative revenue sources, adaptive responses to changing student Featured Panelists in the Closing Plenary Session at the 2010 Presidents Institute Peter Ewell National Center for Higher Education Management Systems Sylvia Manning North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Robert Shireman U.S. Department of Education demographics, and new strategic directions to serve both campus and community, independent colleges are helping to define the future. What is the role of college presidents and the institutions they serve in contributing to the economic well-being of the nation How can presidents position their institutions to advance the national goal of an educated citizenry committed to American ideals of democracy, responsibility, and service to others What is the role of a liberal arts education in workforce development for the new economy How can independent colleges best serve a new generation of war veterans seeking further education CIC’s 2010 Presidents Institute will explore these and other critical questions by drawing on the practical successes of presidents and on the experiences of experts with broad perspective on the trajectory of independent higher education. Edwin Welch University of Charleston (WV) SECURING A BETTER FUTURE: STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS FOR CAMPUS AND COUNTRY January 4–7 • Presidents Institute January 3–4 • New Presidents Program Featured Speakers (to date): Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. President and CEO, TIAA–CREF Shirley M. Tilghman President and Professor of Molecular Biology, Princeton University Serge Schmemann Editor, The International Herald Tribune, and Pulitzer Prize recipient Visit www.cic.edu/presidentsinstitute for more information. In addition, the Institute will continue to feature practical presentations and discussions on issues that typify presidential responsibilities, from board relations to fundraising to public relations. The Institute also will include a full Spouses Program and the New Presidents Program held on January 3–4. Complete registration information is available at www.cic.edu/ PresidentsInstitute. 4 Independent | Summer 2009
ConFerences New Presidents Program Focuses on Mentoring Serving as a college or university president requires a broad vision, yet new presidents frequently come from narrower backgrounds and many say they did not fully realize the gap until they had already assumed the office. The first few months on a new campus can be overwhelming and missteps at this time can be critical. Recognizing these special needs and concerns, the Council of Independent Colleges offers a New Presidents Program on January 3 and 4 each year, immediately preceeding the annual Presidents Institute (January 4–7). Since 1989, some 600 college presidents have completed the program, which offers opportunities for new presidents and their spouses to meet and exchange ideas with others new to the office. The presenters are experienced presidents, many of them alumni of the program. Marylouise Fennell, RSM, former president of Carlow University (PA) and senior counsel to CIC, has directed the program since its second year. Program topics are driven by evaluations from the preceding year. “We want to be as responsive as possible to the issues facing new presidents,” Fennell said. “It is, after all, one thing to recognize the challenges of a presidency intellectually, but quite another actually to confront them.” Each participating new president is provided with a confidential presidential partner who serves in an advisory capacity through the new president’s first year, a critical component of the New Presidents Program. “These experienced campus leaders can help the new president successfully negotiate the perils and pitfalls while capitalizing on the opportunities that the first year represents,” Fennell said. At times, a mentor’s role will be primarily to help the new president reach clarity, said Cynthia Zane, now in her third year as president of Hilbert College (NY). “A president may need only to speak to a mentor by telephone or, alternately, to spend a halfday or entire day talking an issue through, exploring the options and consequences of various courses of action.” Eureka College (IL) President David Arnold, who not only participated in the program as a new president but was a presenter and facilitated it for years, said, “The role of a mentor is not to tell a new president what to think. Rather, it is to help focus him or her on what to think about. For example, the mentor might ask, ‘What are your burning issues, and how are you handling them’ The entire process opens up the give and take that enables a president to consider crucial issues from new and more productive perspectives.” Instead of being pressed to make major decisions under time pressure, Arnold added, a president can be helped by a mentor who offers sound advice in an unhurried manner, helping a new president to sort through multiple priorities. “The New Presidents Program was very beneficial because it gave me the opportunity to know and listen to the advice of seasoned presidents. It helped me to begin to establish a network of relationships during the first year,” reflected Earl Brooks, who became president of Trine University (IN) in 2000. Subjects typically covered in the program include financial fundamentals, board relations, fundraising, balancing priorities, responding to controversial issues, balancing attention among constituencies, and responding to ad hoc needs. “We hope to save new presidents from worrying about the wrong things while possibly overlooking major issues that they should be addressing,” Fennell said. “A solid sounding board, an independent set of eyes and ears—these advantages of a mentoring program are absolutely indispensable to the long-term effectiveness of a new president. Expectations for new presidents are very high, and the 24/7 nature of the position offers little or no opportunity for learning on the job. The CIC New Presidents Program fills that need. It provides both the ‘need to know’ tools and the counsel that will get that all-important presidential transition off to a running start,” she added. CIC sponsors a parallel program for spouses that runs concurrently with the New Presidents Program. One participant praised the workshop as helpful in “finding out and understanding that all of us have similar challenges and getting some varied ideas on how to handle them.” To register for the New Presidents and Spouses Programs, visit the CIC website at www.cic.edu/PresidentsInstitute. 2010 New Presidents Advisory Committee Charles L. Flynn, Jr., College of Mount Saint Vincent Rosemary E. Jeffries, RSM, Georgian Court University William T. Luckey, Lindsey Wilson College Scott D. Miller, Bethany College (WV), Chair Cynthia Zane, Hilbert College Independent | Summer 2009 5
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Summer 2009 - The Council of Independent Colleges

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