Insights & Research Hub

CIC launched the Work-Based Learning Consortium, a new program to integrate work-based learning into the curriculum and create more equitable internship and work-based learning opportunities for students at member institutions. Read more about this program and recent updates.

Amid deepening divisions within our nation and communities and an increasingly polarized civic landscape on and off campus, CIC announced a first-of-its-kind online course and credential in deliberative discourse.

CIC has received a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to support academic leaders in creating consistent, principled approaches to civil discourse and free expression on campuses through the Campus Free Expression Project.

The Campus Free Expression Project (CFEP) has moved to CIC to provide this support to academic leaders at its independent colleges and universities. Launched in 2019 at the Bipartisan Policy Center, the CFEP’s central goal is to promote open discourse and provide resources on college campuses to create independent thinkers and engaged citizens.

Two core principles of higher education—academic freedom and free expression—are under great stress. Sometimes, the stress is direct: Guest speakers are silenced by the heckler’s veto. Government actors overreach in their legitimate oversight role to prescribe or proscribe subjects and scholarly approaches and by suggesting that the mere discussion of divisive concepts could result in […]

Academic freedom and free expression are central to the work of higher education. Yet these two core principles are under great stress. Sometimes, the stress is direct. Well-intended attempts to foster diversity and inclusion and to prevent discriminatory harassment can move administrators to over-regulate speech and association. Or government actors exercise their oversight role in […]

Two core principles of higher education—academic freedom and free expression—are under great stress. Sometimes, the stress is direct: Guest speakers are silenced by the heckler’s veto. Government actors overreach in their legitimate oversight role to prescribe or proscribe subjects and scholarly approaches, and by suggesting that the mere discussion of divisive concepts could result in […]

Two core principles of higher education—academic freedom and free expression—are under great stress. Sometimes, the stress is direct: Well-intended attempts to foster diversity and inclusion sometimes tie hiring, tenure, and promotion to controversial views about equality and how to advance it. Or government actors exercise their oversight role in such a way as to suggest […]

A grant from Arthur Vining Davis Foundations funds a new professional learning offering to engage campuses in respectful conversations that advance mutual understanding Amid deepening divisions within our nation and communities and an increasingly polarized civic landscape on and off campus, it is more important than ever to prepare students to engage in meaningful, trusting […]

Training for those who wish to pursue a presidency at an institution is essential to better prepare higher education leaders. After a competitive application process held during the spring, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) today announced the 2024–2025 Executive Leadership Academy (ELA) cohort. ELA […]

CIC is excited to announce a 12-month AI Ready program starting Fall 2024 to foster learning, share resources, and increase effective adoption related to artificial intelligence (AI), created especially for our member institutions. The program will focus on both pedagogical and business uses for AI, bringing the current conversation about AI to key areas of campus.

How should reparations for past and present racial injustice be introduced, and what role can colleges and universities play in shaping proposals within their communities? These are the urgent questions five CIC colleges have been helping to answer over the past three years as partners in Crafting Democratic Futures (CDF), an initiative developed by the […]

November 1, 2023 A select group of provosts, deans, and faculty in STEM fields convened at Purdue University last month for an executive symposium to debate and discuss the state of academic freedom in higher education and how better to cultivate an open, scholarly environment for mathematics, sciences, and engineering. The symposium, Academic Freedom and […]

The ACE Donna Shavlik Award highlights an individual who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to advancing women in higher education through initiatives enhancing leadership and career development, campus climate, and mentoring.

In November 2023, CIC received a grant of $500,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. The grant will support an ambitious communications capacity-building project, “Telling the Story of Vocational Exploration in Independent Higher Education,” that highlights CIC’s Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) and the network’s growth and positive impact.

Highlights and Fast Facts from the 2023 Institute for Chief Academic Officers and 2024 Presidents Institute

The 2024 Presidents Institute affirmed a shared commitment to the essential role of higher education in fostering civic values at a time and place in which higher education is at the center of intense political debate.

The 2023 Institute for Chief Academic Officers CIC seized this important moment in independent higher education. The theme, Storied. Independent. Together., allowed CIC members to amplify their authentic and diverse voices.

2024 Presidents Institute 2024 Allen P. Splete Award for Outstanding Service The Allen P. Splete Award for Outstanding Service was presented to Ann Die Hasselmo at the 2024 Presidents Institute. Hasselmo is president emerita of the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI) and of Hendrix College (AR). Prior to becoming the founding president of AALI, she […]

Last fall, Academic Search, a leading executive search firm dedicated to higher education, proudly announced the establishment of the Academic Search Fund for Leadership Development through a donation of $1 million to be split equally between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and CIC. The organizations have each established permanent funds to […]

CIC’s Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) offers a variety of developmental opportunities for educators and leaders at member institutions. Two such opportunities are the seminars titled Teaching Vocational Exploration and Leading Vocational Exploration, both of which have selected this year’s participants (based on nominations from chief academic officers at NetVUE institutions). The Teaching […]

As Belong wraps up its inaugural year, there are no signs of slowing down. The community has proudly surpassed 70 members in its first year and continues to grow. The commitment to this work was on display at the Institute for Chief Academic Officers and Presidents Institute, where leaders gathered to share successes and consider […]

State Councils at the 2024 Presidents Institute State Councils are consortia of private colleges and universities with the mission of advancing and strengthening their member institutions. Executives from ten state council organizations participated in CIC’s 2024 Presidents Institute. This year’s President Institute featured the inaugural state council-led concurrent session, “Cultivating Policymakers as Major Donors.” This […]

In response to CIC member data and requests for more information about ongoing topics in the sector, CIC hosted the following webinar this fall: “Navigating Campus Conflicts over the Israel-Hamas War: A Conversation for CIC Member Presidents and CAOs” was held on October 19. This webinar offered support and an opportunity for discussion about navigating […]

With so many reports about the challenges of independent colleges, CIC would like to highlight a sampling of member institutions that shared with us that they are developing or launching new programs. There is innovation in our sector and successes to celebrate, and we are pleased to pass on some great examples that were sent […]