2025 Presidents Institute
2025 Allen P. Splete Award for Outstanding Service
The Allen P. Splete Award for Outstanding Service was presented to Joanne Soliday at the 2025 Presidents Institute. Soliday is a higher education author, speaker, presidential advisor, and catalyst for change. With over 30 years of experience on college and university campuses, Soliday transforms each environment she touches through her strategic vision and ability to speak truth. Following over 20 years in leadership positions at Elon University (NC) and West Virginia Wesleyan College, Soliday founded Credo—a higher education consulting firm dedicated to empowering small, independent colleges and universities to thrive. In her work at Credo, Soliday has partnered with over 250 private colleges and universities.
2025 Award for Philanthropy (Organization)
The 2025 Award for Philanthropy (Organization) was presented to the Richard King Mellon Foundation at the 2025 Presidents Institute. Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation’s 2023 year-end net assets were $2.9 billion, and its trustees in 2023 disbursed more than $176 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation has four primary program areas: conservation, economic development, economic mobility, and health and wellbeing; and two cross-functional programs: nonprofit organizational effectiveness, and for-profit social impact investments.
2024 Institute for Chief Academic Officers
2024 Chief Academic Officer Award
The 2024 Chief Academic Officer Award was presented to Catharine O’Connell at the 2024 Institute for Chief Academic Officers. O’Connell, who is provost and dean of the college at Illinois College, was recognized for her contributions to independent higher education and exemplary service and work. She has served as provost at Illinois College since 2016. She previously served as chief academic officer at two other institutions: Mary Baldwin College (now University) (VA) and Defiance College (OH). Prior to those roles, she held the positions of dean for academic affairs at Cabrini College (now closed) (PA) and faculty member at St. John Fisher College (NY). O’Connell has been a frequent presenter at regional and national meetings on such topics as higher education leadership, global learning and citizenship, and community-based research.
2024 Institute for Chief Academic Officers Task Force Award
The 2024 Institute for Chief Academic Officers Task Force Award was presented to Christon Arthur. He is the president of La Sierra University (CA) and was previously provost of Andrews University (MI). He was recognized for his service on the task force from 2021 to 2024, and for serving as the chair from 2023 to 2024.
