Insights & Research Hub

Year two of CIC’s AI Ready network has 151 unique CIC members. Learn more about this year's programming.

CIC’s Campus Free Expression Project supports CIC member institutions in creating respectful environments for open inquiry, free expression, and civil discourse, and offers resources, programming, and consultations to support these efforts.

CIC recently launched a new initiative to support first-time college and university leaders: Presidential Coaching Circles, offered in partnership with Academic Search.

CIC recently announced the Alliance for Strategic Innovation (ASI) to coordinate member collaboration efforts to strengthen independent higher education.

Several of CIC’s international members are offering a solution for students whose plans to study abroad in Fall 2025 have been disrupted.

CIC offers several annual professional development programs and seminars for leadership at member institutions including Executive Leadership and Senior Leadership Academy, Workshops for Department and Division Chairs, Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission Program, Presidential Renewal Program, and Teaching Interfaith Understanding seminar. Read more about highlights from Summer 2025 programs.

The Constructive Dialogue Institute and the Council of Independent Colleges have launched a new partnership with a cohort of eight independent liberal arts colleges and universities to advance civil discourse and strengthen student engagement at their campuses during the 2025-26 academic year.

BoodleBox is the leading collaborative AI platform built in partnership with higher education, serving over 10,000 educators and students across 900+ colleges and universities. It empowers faculty and students to work responsibly with generative AI through private, secure, and affordable access to leading AI models. BoodleBox helps institutions enhance learning experiences with technology that is […]

The prestigious Executive Leadership Academy (ELA) kicks off today to prepare seasoned leaders for their next senior administrative role in higher education. The first of two in-person seminars in the yearlong program runs June 16–17 in Washington, DC, and will be led by current and former college presidents along with experts in critical areas pertinent to higher education.

The American Council of Education took leadership of the Carnegie Classifications in 2022, and they released new classifications built on a new framework in Spring 2025. This summary is provided as a resource to members of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) members.

The Board of Directors of the Council of Independent Colleges is pleased to announce the extension of Marjorie Hass’ contract as president through June 30, 2030.

CIC received a grant in the amount of $50,000 from the Robin and Sandy Stuart Foundation. The funds will support the continued work of CIC’s Campus Free Expression Project.

CIC is pleased to share a new report on Humanities Research for the Public Good: A CIC Initiative to Connect Colleges and Communities through Student Research and Public Programs (2019–2024).

Between 2019 and 2024, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) awarded grants to 49 independent colleges and universities through the Humanities Research for the Public Good (HRPG) initiative. The grants supported three cycles of public-facing humanities projects.

Health care expenses are outpacing many employers’ revenue growth. Noveta Health focuses on their clients’ needs and aligns them with solutions to gain more control and transparency. Their solutions result in 25–45 percent savings in clients’ health care spending without changing current plan designs. Noveta Health delivers innovative solutions that empower their clients to navigate health care […]

On August 1–3, 2024, 20 presidents of CIC member institutions and their board chairs gathered in Washington, DC, for CIC’s first Convening of Pioneering Presidents and Board Chairs. This meeting brought together a representative group of presidents who are the “first” in their roles, such as the first woman, the first person of color, the […]

Find a list of new CIC members since August 2024.

CIC is pleased to introduce staff members who have joined us over the past few months.

CIC welcomes new members to its Board of Directors and names new chair and vice chair to Executive Committee.

CIC would like to highlight a sampling of member institutions that shared with us that they are launching new programs, majors, or scholarships.

CIC would like to highlight a sampling of member institutions that shared with us that they have surpassed their fall and/or spring enrollment goals.

In response to CIC member data and requests for more information about ongoing topics in the sector, CIC hosted multiple webinars since the Summer 2024 Independent newsletter publication.

Academic Search released the 2024 Competencies for the College Presidency: A National Study of Effective Leadership in Higher Education, a survey of more than 700 college and university presidents to identify the leadership qualities and skills necessary to succeed in today’s challenging and political higher education landscape.

CIC produces the Key Indicators Tool (KIT) and Financial Indicators Tool (FIT) reports for member institutions. Given the value of these benchmarking reports based on member feedback, CIC is enhancing them and will shift to an interactive presentation, providing members the flexibility to customize the reports to suit their needs.

In October 2024, CIC released Understanding the Landscape of Graduate Programs, a survey of presidents and chief academic officers at member institutions, to share the context in which independent institutions are offering graduate programming and insights from survey responses.