Breakfast will be provided for all Institute participants.
Academic Innovation Through Mergers
This breakfast roundtable will explore examples of innovative collaborations generated from mergers as well as pitfalls to avoid when integrating faculty and academic leadership communities through institutional mergers. The University of Redlands’ provost will share key learning outcomes from her institution’s three mergers with San Francisco Theological Seminary (CA), Presidio Graduate School (CA), and Woodbury University (CA). Participants from other institutions going through, contemplating, or curious about mergers will have the opportunity to share their experiences and/or to ask questions about ways to ensure the merger process elevates innovation.
Adrienne McCormick, Provost, University of Redlands (CA)
Academic Portfolio Optimization: Lessons Learned and Strategies for Building Support
Join a conversation in which Stetson University (FL)’s chief academic officer will highlight lessons learned from a successful yearlong academic portfolio optimization initiative at her institution, including strategies for engaging faculty and governing boards and building the support needed to advance meaningful change. Participants are invited to share practical insights from their own campus initiatives on how to align academic offerings with institutional mission, market realities, and long-term sustainability.
Elizabeth Skomp, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Stetson University (FL)
Advancement and Academic Affairs: Turning Academic Strategy into Philanthropic Opportunity
Some of the most compelling philanthropic opportunities begin with an academic idea, a new center, emerging program, distinctive student experience, or investment in program capacity. This discussion will explore how academic affairs leaders can partner with advancement officers to connect academic priorities with institutional strategy, develop compelling cases for support, and engage donor interest without losing sight of academic purpose and long-term sustainability. The facilitators will share examples from Cedar Crest College (PA). Participants will be invited to compare approaches to identifying fundable ideas, shaping philanthropic opportunities, and sustaining productive academic–advancement partnerships.
Cassy Pressimore Beckowski, Associate Provost, Cedar Crest College (PA)
Bob Wilson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Cedar Crest College (PA)
Cabinet Collaboration in Onboarding a New President
What is the role of the senior leadership team in onboarding a new president? This discussion will explore collaborative strategies for sharing information, aligning priorities, building trust, and clarifying roles during leadership transitions. Drawing on insights from Kalamazoo College (MI)’s recent presidential transition, the facilitator will highlight practices that help new presidents understand campus culture and mission while fostering a unified, effective senior leadership team. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences.
Danette Ifert Johnson, Provost, Kalamazoo College (MI)
Cabinet Collaboration in Times of Crisis
How do CIC campus leaders respond when the unexpected happens? This discussion will center around sharing best practices in responding to natural disasters, power and internet outages, service disruptions, physical threats, cyber threats, etc. Participants are encouraged to share experiences from their campuses and to generate new ideas with table members.
Jared Montoya, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Schreiner University (TX)
Creative Collaborations to Enhance Students’ Academic Experience
How can chief academic officers collaborate with faculty to encourage innovation to improve the student academic experience? The chief academic officer and faculty chair of Cottey College (MO) will share insights into their institution’s successful shared governance process to develop a new general education curriculum, a new innovative academic calendar, and a changed credit hour definition. Participants are encouraged to share how embracing shared governance has led to innovation at their institutions and to engage in brainstorming new opportunities together.
Kristi Adams, Professor of Education and Faculty Chair, Cottey College (MO)
Karla S. McCain, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Cottey College (MO)
Embedding Career Competencies into the Curriculum: Faculty Models and Student Outcomes
This breakfast roundtable invites academic affairs colleagues to explore strategies for integrating career competencies directly into academic programs. Hollins University (VA)’s chief academic officer will share how her institution adopted the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts core career competencies framework and, in partnership with Hollins’ Career and Life Design Office, embedded it into all majors as a key component of Hollins’ academic renewal process. Participants will compare frameworks and models from their own institutions, discuss strategies for building faculty investment in curricular integration, and share student success stories—along with the challenges that prompted meaningful revisions. The conversation will surface practical approaches and hard-won lessons for anyone advancing career readiness within the academic core.
Laurie McLary, Nora Kizer Bell Provost, Hollins University (VA)
From Connections to Community: Building a Leadership Network (AALI & CIC Leadership Programs)
Leadership programs provide a strong foundation for building meaningful relationships with peers, mentors, and colleagues across higher education. This roundtable will explore how those connections can grow into a lasting leadership network that supports professional growth, collaboration, and continued engagement throughout your leadership journey.
Javier Cevallos, President, AALI
Tara M. Hart, Director of Programs, AALI
Low-Cost, High-Impact Faculty Development for Your Campus
This breakfast conversation will provide chief academic officers and their teams with information about the weeklong summer seminars that CIC’s Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) offers as professional development for faculty members. The NetVUE staff facilitators will provide insight into the structure and content of these seminars, for which all costs are covered through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. They also will share testimonies to the benefits of these seminars to individual faculty members and to their institutions. Participants are invited to ask questions and to seek advice about the nomination process.
Rachael Baker, Associate Director, NetVUE
Lynne Spoelhof, Director of Operations, NetVUE
Mission-Driven Innovation: Building Better Learning and Curricula Together
How can liberal arts institutions foster a culture of innovation while remaining grounded in their mission and traditions? This roundtable will explore strategies for engaging faculty in curricular innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning, and exposure to promising practices at peer institutions. Participants will discuss how site visits, field experiences, faculty fellowships, and cross-campus partnerships can spark new ideas, encourage creative problem solving, and inspire transformative learning opportunities for students.
Shewanee Howard-Baptiste, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Berea College (KY)
Mary Robert Garrett, Associate Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Berea College (KY)
Partners in Purpose: Academic and Enrollment Alignment Around Authentic Student Experiences
In today’s higher education climate, CIC colleges and universities are navigating enrollment challenges amid public distrust fueled by concerns over free speech, admissions practices, and the rising costs of college attendance. This breakfast roundtable will explore how academic and enrollment leaders can collaborate to better articulate their institutional value propositions. Participants will exchange insights on how to align marketing with authentic student experiences, how to respond to questions about the institutional return on investment, and ultimately how to help rebuild public trust in higher education.
Denise M. Baird, Provost and Senior Vice President, St. Catherine University (MN)
Lauran Hundshamer, Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, St. Catherine University (MN)
Rebranding with Purpose: Aligning Enrollment, Academics, and Institutional Identity
What are CIC colleges and universities doing to redesign their institutions in response to strategic, financial, and student-centered challenges? At Batten University (VA) (formerly Virginia Wesleyan University), institutional rebranding and transformation are reshaping enrollment strategies, academic programs, and the university’s identity. This discussion will explore the opportunities and challenges of leading institutional change, including lessons learned from the rebranding process and its impact on recruitment and academic innovation. Participants are encouraged to share strategies and experiences from their own institutions.
Heather Campbell, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success, Batten University (VA)
Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson, Provost and Vice President, Batten University (VA)
Strengthening the CAO-CFO Partnership
Strengthening the CAO-CFO partnership is especially important right now, as institutions work through increasingly complex financial, academic, and policy pressures. Join a practical conversation about how CAOs and CFOs can build more productive working relationships, connect academic priorities with financial planning, and engage in shared decision making about budget priorities and resource allocation to support operations and student success. Participants also will discuss how artificial intelligence and rising expectations for accountability from the public and governmental entities are shaping higher education today, and how stronger collaboration between finance and academic leadership can help institutions respond more strategically to uncertainty and external pressures.
Heather Maldonado, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Keuka College (NY)
Student Success Through Transparent, Collaborative Leadership
How can CIC colleges and universities improve student outcomes while navigating diminished resources? What role can transparency, stakeholder engagement, and cross-divisional collaboration play in creating lasting institutional change? Using Albion College (MI)’s experience as a starting point, this discussion will invite participants to explore how transparent leadership can support campuswide retention efforts, data-informed decision making, experiential learning, curricular renewal, academic reorganization, and administrative restructuring—not simply as financial recovery strategies, but as shared work that advances academic transformation and student success.
Heather Betz, Associate Provost, Albion College (MI)
Vanessa McCaffrey, Associate Provost, Albion College (MI)
Surviving in the Interim to Thrive as CAO
Interim chief academic officers—especially those who come directly from the faculty ranks—often experience imposter syndrome or general feelings of uncertainty about assuming a new position of authority. Whether you find yourself unexpectedly in an interim role or are a recent permanent appointment, join a conversation with others who have navigated or are living in the liminal space between interim and permanent positions. The facilitator will share her story and will invite participants to exchange experiences and practical strategies for preparing for an effective transition between roles.
CoryAnne Harrigan, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, Simpson College (IA)
The Operations Committee Model: Distributed Leadership for Institutional Agility
Wisconsin Lutheran College employs an alternative cabinet structure to enable faster, more collaborative decision making. The Wisconsin Lutheran chief officers will describe their institution’s Operations Committee, a cross-functional team of senior leaders who meet weekly, and share its make-up, how it differs in focus from the president’s cabinet, the benefits of its implementation, and how it is viewed by others on their campus. Participants are invited to ask questions about the model and to discuss both obstacles and best practices from their own institutions in ensuring timely decision making.
Jarrod Erbe, Provost, Wisconsin Lutheran College
Diane Hoehnke, Vice President of Finance, Wisconsin Lutheran College
What If Deferred Maintenance Is Your Greatest Opportunity?
Deferred maintenance presents both challenges and opportunities for independent colleges. This breakfast discussion will explore how interdisciplinary campus master planning teams can create shared priorities that support innovation, strategic investment, and institutional resilience by bringing together faculty members, staff members, and facilities, finance, and academic leaders. Participants will discuss successful planning models and collaborative approaches to aligning campus infrastructure with evolving academic and student needs.
Terry Keller, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Aquinas College (MI)