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Presidents Program
| Seminar:
July 16-19, 2006
Glendorn
Bradford, PA |
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The Presidents Program is designed to assist presidents
in affirming their own sense of vocation, in the context of the missions
of the institutions they lead. The program, funded by a generous grant
from the Lilly Endowment, will include up to 20 college and university
presidents and their spouses. Information on the program and how to apply
is provided below. The application deadline is February 15, 2006.
Vocation and Mission
Individuals often bring to a presidency—or discover
as president—a deep sense of vocation or calling. This sense
of vocation is likely to have multiple origins, representing a unique
composite of an individual’s experiences and professional competence,
as well as an appreciation of the kinds of endeavors that offer personal
satisfaction, a sense of meaning, and in many cases a spiritually
grounded belief about the importance of the president’s work.
Such a calling offers the promise of self-knowledge at a level that
can contribute significantly to presidential success.
An institution’s mission typically springs from
multiple sources. It may include the values of a founding religious
denomination, the history of a place or a region, characteristics
of a student population, and a particular educational philosophy.
The institutional persona comes to life in a mission statement that
many people know and embrace, as well as in oft-repeated stories,
beloved campus features, cherished events, and memories of respected
individuals. Conscious awareness of this institutional identity can
clarify the agenda of a college or university that is adjusting its
strategies, whether voluntarily or under the pressure of necessity.
This program—offered for the second time in 2006—provides
20 presidents and the spouses of married presidents the opportunity
for candid, intense, small-group discussion of presidential vocation
and institutional mission among their peers. Guiding the discussions
will be facilitators who have thought deeply about matters of personal
vocation and institutional mission—from both spiritual and secular
perspectives.
Spouses are strongly encouraged to participate in the
program, whether or not they have taken on the responsibilities that
are commonly expected of the president’s wife or husband on
many private college campuses. The presidency of a married person
almost certainly has had and will continue to have a profound impact
on the marital relationship.
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Theological, philosophical, historical, and psychological
frameworks for understanding vocation
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Personal vocation: how to discern it and how it
develops through our presidencies
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Institutional mission: how we find or create it
and give it voice
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Working with others to connect our vocation with
institutional mission
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The powerful potential of "saga" to center
our college or university and carry it forward
The “bookend” features of this program are a three-day
summer seminar and a one-day winter reprise of the seminar. The program
activities are as follows:
Before the Summer Seminar (Early Summer 2006)
Participants will be expected to read selected essays in preparation
for the summer seminar. The readings will emphasize vocation, with secondary
attention to mission. Each participating president will write two short
pieces for distribution in advance to all participants:
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Reflections on vocation, or your own personal statement
of vocation, in 100 words or less
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A distillation of your college’s mission into
50 words or less
Summer Seminar
Please see the outline of seminar topics, selected readings, and program
leadership on the back cover of this announcement. They are all based
on the 2005 program. The 2006 program will not be identical, but will
be similar.
Between the Summer Seminar and the Winter Follow-Up
(Fall 2006)
Each participant will consult by telephone twice with one of the seminar
leaders during the fall. The purpose of the consultations for presidents
will be to consider how the reflections on vocation and mission from
the summer have influenced their leadership on campus. Participants
will read several more selections before the winter follow-up meeting.
Winter Follow-Up Event (Winter 2007)
A reprise of the summer seminar, incorporating reflections based on
the fall consultations and a brief selection of new readings.
After the Follow-up Event (Spring 2007)
Each participant will have one telephone consultation with a seminar
leader in the spring of 2007. The topics of the final consultation will
be:
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Changes in my sense of personal vocation and my understanding
of institutional mission
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Benefits realized from my participation in the program
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My future plans in light of the program
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Application
Information
Application Procedure
Interested presidents should follow the application instructions included
in this announcement and write a brief statement of (a) their sense
of vocation, (b) their reflection on the role of institutional mission
in higher education, and (c) the benefits they anticipate for themselves
and their institutions from participation in the program.
The completed application should be submitted as a single
package to CIC’s office by mail or express delivery to One Dupont
Circle, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20036; by fax to (202) 466-7238;
or by e-mail to vocationpresidents@cic.nche.edu.
Applications received by February 15, 2006, will be given full consideration.
Selection Criteria
If the number of applicants exceeds the program capacity, these criteria
will be used to select participants:
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What evidence is there of the individual’s
commitment to the program’s purpose—the relationship between
presidential vocation and institutional mission?
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How will the institution and the individual benefit
from the program?
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How will the individual’s participation contribute
to the diversity of perspectives and experiences in the program?
Costs
Most costs, including travel to the summer seminar, lodging, meals, consultations,
and materials will be covered by the program. Spouses’ expenses
will also be covered. Participants are responsible for their transportation
to the winter follow-up meeting, which takes place in conjunction with
CIC’s annual Presidents Institute. There is a one-time registration
fee of $250 for the president and $125 for an accompanying spouse.
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Application
Instructions
On a cover sheet, please provide the following information:
1. Name
2. Position
3. Name of institution
4. Street address
5. City, state, zip code
6. Telephone
7. Fax
8. E-mail
9. Years in current position
10. Prior positions in the past 15 years
11. Prior professional development programs
12. Marital status
13. Name of spouse, if married
14. Will your spouse participate in the program?
(Yes, no, uncertain, not applicable)
Attach a statement of no more than two pages on (a) the role of vocation
in the college presidency, (b) your reflection on the role of institutional
mission in higher education, and (c) the benefits you anticipate for
yourself and your institution from participation in this program.
Please send the completed application to CIC for receipt
by February 15, 2006.
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Additional
Information
Seminar Topics
Vocation vs. Career and Profession
Our Own Statements on Vocation and Mission
The Vocation of the College President
The Role of Friendship in Vocational Discernment
Vision and Mission in Institutional Life
The Intersection of Vocation and Mission
Civility: The Hallmark of Vocation
“What I take away from this seminar is . . .”
A Conversation with a Facilitator about Follow-Up
Selected Readings
Gordon T. Smith, Thinking Vocationally
Burton R. Clark, The Making of an Organizational Saga
Lee Hardy, Work, Life, and Vocational Choice
John C. Haughey, S. J., The Three Conversions Imbedded in Personal
Calling
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address
Chris Lowney, An Uninterrupted Life of Heroic Deeds
Plato, Crito
Alexis de Tocqueville, How the Americans Combat Individualism
by the Doctrine of Self-Interest Well Understood
Program Facilitators
William V. Frame, president, Augsburg College, and
CIC senior advisor (project director)
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, director, Quality of Life
Research Center, Claremont Graduate University
Duncan Ferguson, director (retired), Center for Spiritual
Life, Eckerd College
Anne Frame, presidential spouse, Augsburg College
Richard T. Hughes, distinguished professor of religion
and founding director, Center for Faith and Learning, Pepperdine University
Douglas Jacobsen, distinguished professor of church
history and theology, Messiah College
Rhonda Jacobsen, assistant dean for faculty development
and professor of psychology, Messiah College
Stephen Jennings, president, University of Evansville
Melanie Morey, senior director for research and consulting,
NarrowGate Consulting
This information is based on the 2005-2006 program.
Details for 2006-2007 will be available in the spring of 2006.
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Questions
If you have questions about the Presidential Vocation
and Institutional Mission Program, please contact Fred Ohles, CIC
Vice President for Advancement, at (202) 466-7230 or fohles@cic.nche.edu.
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