The Presidential Renewal program is designed to support the personal revitalization of experienced member presidents at CIC institutions who want to continue to serve in the vital role of the college presidency. Twelve currently serving CIC member presidents were selected to participate in the 2025-2026 cohort.
CIC is grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for its ongoing support of the Presidential Renewal program.
“So often, we focus on the meaning of our work for our institutions, and rightly so, but to persevere in this role, the presidency must provide vocational meaning and personal fulfillment to those who have accepted this important leadership role. The CIC Presidential Renewal program provides the time and resources to do just that, all within the context of a supportive community of peers. It provides a judgment-free environment for presidents to discern, learn, and grow. It has provided tools to sustain me as an effective and happy president.”
Rev. Larry Hostetter, President, Brescia University
Program Goals, Benefits, and Structure
Effective leadership requires passion for an institution’s mission and a relentless drive to achieve it. Just as high-performance athletes must execute a multi-faceted recovery plan after intense exertion, presidents must give similar attention to rest and recalibration to sustain their own leadership momentum.
This Presidential Renewal program progresses in two phases. In phase one, the focus is on personal renewal. Presidents take stock of their personal wellness—physical, emotional, and spiritual— in a series of individual and group activities during a four-day in-person summer seminar. Participants are exposed to various personal renewal practices and build out a personalized, practical action plan for personal sustainability within the job of the presidency.
In phase two, the program focuses on the interrelationship between personal and institutional sustainability. Presidents explore their vision for a meaningful presidency and their institution’s leadership needs with the goal of better aligning the two and learn ways to infuse strands of renewal throughout their institution. Recognizing that all presidencies end at some point, in virtual gatherings and the culminating in-person winter seminar held just prior to CIC’s Presidents Institute, participants develop proactive strategies to “end well,” whenever that time might come.
The two seminars and virtual gatherings include writing prompts, discussions, introspective exercises, short readings, small group exchanges, debriefings, the sharing of personal narratives, and visualizations. In the face-to-face gatherings, participants also have opportunities to learn about and participate in varied practices of physical, emotional, and physical renewal including meditation and prayer. Throughout the program year, there will be opportunities for one-on-one consultations with program leaders. This carefully structured program creates spaces for supportive peer relationships to nurture personal growth.
Presidential spouses and partners are strongly encouraged to participate as well in this exploration: sessions have been designed to respond specifically to the needs and aspirations of couples as well as individuals, both in the role of president and as a presidential partner. The program recognizes that the presidency has profound implications for relationships and family and is invariably a shared commitment.
Selected participants will take part in the following required elements:
An introductory webinar in early June 2025;
A four-day Summer Seminar in late June 2025;
A mid-fall 2025 webinar; and
A two-day Winter Seminar in January 2026.
Participants
Participants in the Presidential Renewal program should be currently serving CIC member presidents who started their term during or before the summer of 2020, and plan to stay at the same institution during the 2025–2026 academic year. They should be interested in a holistic—mind, body, and soul—exploration of sustainable leadership practices that will support the next chapter of their institution’s history.
Individuals who contribute to the diversity of perspectives and experiences in the program are especially encouraged to consider participating.
Each cohort includes approximately 12 presidents, as well as participating spouses and partners.
“When applying for the CIC Presidential Renewal Program, I didn’t fully know what to expect…. Looking back on the experience I am thankful. I have a new group of thought partners. I gained new skills and ways of not only thinking about how to sustain multiple facets of my life, but actually moving from a mindset of productivity to sustainability. I encourage any president who is finding it challenging to recharge to give CIC the opportunity to support them.”
RICHARD DUNSWORTH, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF THE OZARKS (AR)
Program Dates
Introductory Webinar
June 3, 2025
An introductory session will be held virtually on Tuesday, June 3, from noon to 3:00 p.m. ET.
Summer Gathering
June 22–25, 2025
The Summer Seminar will be held at the Cape Rey Carlsbad Beach, in Carlsbad, California, nestled on the Pacific Coast, just north of San Diego. The seminar will begin at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, June 22, and end by 4:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday, June 25. Please note that participants are required to participate in all aspects of the Summer Seminar and therefore may need to travel the day before and/or after the seminar.
Fall Webinar
September 11, 2025
A session will be held virtually on Thursday, September 11, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET.
Winter Gathering
January 3–4, 2026
The Winter Seminar will be held at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida, immediately preceding the 2026 Presidents Institute. The seminar will begin at 8:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, January 3, necessitating an arrival on Friday, January 2.
“The Summer Seminar was the most supportive environment that my husband and I have experienced in our roles as president and spouse. The facilitators set a humane pace, inviting us into deep reflection while embodying the habits of sustainability and health that we were all longing for. I arrived in need of friendship, safety, and laughter, and I found all three. I left with clarified goals for myself and my presidency, and friends to accompany me.”
Rebecca Stoltzfus, President, Goshen College (IN)
Program Leadership
Michael Le Roy and Celeste Schenck serve as co-directors of the Presidential Renewal program.
Michael Le Roy is president emeritus of Calvin University (MI), having served as president from 2012 to 2022. He previously served as executive vice president, vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty, and professor of political science of Whitworth University (WA) and as faculty member at Wheaton College (IL). He is principal of Michael Le Roy Associates, an advisor for MyNextSeason, and a member of the Macatawa Bank board of directors. Le Roy is passionate about investing in higher education leaders; he is currently working on a book that will provide leadership guidance to new college and university presidents. In this program, Le Roy is interested in supporting participants to become connected to the origin of the spirit of their work, to think about the connection between personal and physical life and professional sustainability, and to guide a renewed sense of purpose. Le Roy earned his BA in international studies and peace studies from Whitworth College; his PhD in political science, comparative politics, and international relations from Vanderbilt University (TN); and attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Education (MA). He won a Fulbright Award, which supported his research at Gothenburg University in Sweden.
Celeste Schenck is president emerita of the American University of Paris, where she previously served as provost, dean, and professor of comparative literature. An expert in global higher education, she founded The American International Consortium of Academic Libraries (AMICAL), a consortium of American universities across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa; and served as president of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU), a presidents’ organization spanning American-style universities across the world. Schenck is a Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and Organization Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) coach interested in supporting mid-to-late career academics. In this program, she is interested in bringing together concepts of storytelling with powerful experiential opportunities to guide participants in creating a roadmap to their next chapter. She is a former member of the CIC Board of Directors and currently serves on the board of the American University of Kurdistan. Schenck earned her BA from Princeton University (NJ) and her PhD from Brown University (RI). She founded two series in women’s poetry and feminist literary theory and has published widely on women’s autobiography; modern poetry; critical theory; and on development, educational, and pedagogical issues.
Other program facilitators will include Andrea Nelson Le Roy and Dominique Delor.
Following a formal education and a career in counseling and social work, Andrea Nelson Le Roy was trained in spiritual direction with the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids and has been practicing as a spiritual director since 2014. While she was raised in the Protestant tradition, she welcomes the opportunity to work with individuals from all faith backgrounds or those who have little to no experience in organized religion.
Dominique Delor is a medical doctor and longtime director of public health within the French national health system. He has experience managing work-related health in both individual and collective situations from public administration to large corporations. In retirement, he joins humanitarian missions to Madagascar and Zambia, serves on the board of a French national cancer association, and writes. He is particularly interested in stress management and high-performance aging and looks forward to working holistically with participants eager to improve their physical health and resilience.
Contact Information
Michael Le Roy and Celeste Schenck serve as co-directors of this program. Members can direct questions about the program to Michelle Friedman by email at mfriedman@cic.edu. They can also write to Michael Le Roy at mleroy@cic.edu or to Celeste Schenck at cschenck@cic.edu.
