The State Councils Annual Conference is an annual convening of CIC’s State Council executives and their staff that provides a forum for face-to-face networking and an opportunity to share best practices with colleagues. Programming at the Annual Conference includes workshops, speakers, and educational sessions that equip state executives to better serve their constituencies of private colleges and universities. This year’s conference was held April 30–May 2, 2023, in Virginia Beach, VA, and featured representatives from 16 state associations serving over 400 CIC member institutions.
Conference programming featured two sessions from Ryan Morabito, senior advisor, 5° Branding, on the power and importance of executive visibility and personal branding, developing a marketing action plan (MAP), and how to best measure marketing impact. Chad Jolly, partner, Gonser Gerber LLP, presented on best practices for building an advancement board. A panel discussion entitled “Taking Corporate Board Partnerships to the Next Level” showcased valuable reflections from Ryan Morabito; Marjorie Hass, president, CIC; Michael C. Maxey, president emeritus, Roanoke College; and Jeff Hyder, vice president for higher education sector, Moseley Architects. The conference also featured sponsor-led presentations from Credo, TIAA, and Academic Search. An additional sponsor, ERA Group, facilitated a breakfast discussion with participants. State Council executives also shared new developments and achievements within their respective state associations with participants during a State-by-State Updates session.
The 2023 Charles W. L. Foreman Award, an award presented at the Annual Conference each year, recognizes an individual for truly exceptional leadership in support of the advancement of the work of his or her State Council and/or the national CIC’s State Councils network. Matthew Shank, president of Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges, presented the award to this year’s recipient, Michael C. Maxey, president emeritus, Roanoke College (VA), for his commitment to the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges and his dedication to independent, liberal arts colleges and universities.
CIC/UPS Scholarship Program
Each year, State Councils receive grants from CIC to provide CIC/UPS Scholarships for use at every four-year private college and university in the State Councils network. The scholarships are given in the name of UPS, whose financial support was the basis for the CIC/UPS Educational Endowment. Since 1985, over $62.2 million has been awarded in scholarship grants to CIC State Councils to assist more than 20,000 students at independent colleges across the country. This year, nearly $1.4 million in scholarships has been awarded to 437 institutions across 25 CIC State Council organizations.