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2007-2008 Presidential Vocation and Institutional
Mission: A Seminar for Prospective College and University Presidents
| Seminar:
July 15-18, 2007
Glendorn
Bradford, PA |
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| Follow-up:
February 25-26, 2008
Atlanta, GA
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| The Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission
Seminar for Prospective Presidents is designed to help prospective
college and university presidents clarify their own sense of personal
vocation, and to weigh it in the context of the missions of institutions
they lead and might lead in the future. The program, funded by a
generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, will include up to 20 participants
and their spouses. Information on the program and how to nominate
persons to participate in the program is provided below. The
nomination deadline is March 15, 2007. |
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View
the 2007-08 Vocation and Mission Brochure. 
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Vocation and Mission
This seminar-based program seeks to increase the commitment
across American higher education to vocation and mission as linked,
fundamental concepts for building and sustaining effective presidencies
in independent colleges and universities. The program rests on two
premises:
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leadership is strengthened by a congruence of institutional
mission and presidential vocation
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carefully structured occasions for reflection and
dialogue can help prospective presidents to discern that congruence
Why have such a program? Even successful presidents often note wistfully
the lack of balance between their professional and personal lives. And
too often in recent years, presidencies have collapsed because of what
seems to be insufficient attention to the ways that personal talents
and a
sense of calling connect with institutional priorities and purposes.
Imagine a college where people across the campus treasure community
and consensus, while the president issues brilliant edicts on what needs
to change. Imagine a church-sponsored university where the dominant
theology is middle-of-the-road, but the president is conservative (or
liberal) on faith issues. Imagine an experienced president, accustomed
to holding and expressing strong opinions, who arrives on a campus where
measured responses to every difficult issue are the norm. CIC hopes
to help prospective presidents avoid situations where they will be remembered
as “the right person in the wrong place,” and to help them
as presidents achieve great things for their institutions.
A college or university’s mission 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. Each institution, as a result,
has a distinctive self-definition that comes to life in oft-repeated
stories, beloved campus features, cherished events, and memories of
respected individuals. Presidents, to a greater extent than others at
the institution, must be able to understand, appreciate, and highlight
these facets of a lived mission.
Presidents may also bring to a presidency a deep sense of personal
vocation or calling. One important task of a presidency is to discover
ways in which personal vocation connects with—and may be animated
by—institutional mission. Vocation understood in this way is not
about a job or a career, but about commitments that are very personal
in combination with obligations that are very public. A sense of vocation
is also 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 this work as president. Such a calling
offers the promise of self-knowledge at a level that can contribute
significantly to presidential success.
Spouses are strongly encouraged to participate in the program. Whether
or not a spouse takes on the responsibilities that are traditional on
many college campuses, the presidency of a married person will almost
certainly have a profound impact on the marital relationship.
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Program
Components
This program—offered for the third time in 2007-2008—provides
up to 20 nominees and the spouses of married nominees with the opportunity
for candid, intense, small-group discussion among their peers. Guiding
the discussions will be facilitators who have thought deeply about
matters of personal vocation and institutional mission as they relate
to the college or university presidency—from both spiritual
and secular perspectives.
Before the Summer Seminar (Early Summer 2007)
Participants will be expected to read selected essays in preparation
for the summer seminar. The readings emphasize vocation, with secondary
attention to mission. Each participating nominee will also 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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Observations on the significance of institutional
mission in 100 words or less
Between the Summer Seminar and the Winter Follow-Up
(Fall 2007)
During the fall, each participant will consult by telephone twice with
one of the seminar leaders. The purpose of the consultations for prospective
presidents will be to review how the reflections on vocation and mission
from the summer intersect with their evaluation of potential opportunities
to serve as president. Participants will read several more selections
before the winter follow-up meeting.
Winter Follow-Up Event (Winter 2008)
This event is a reprise of the summer seminar, incorporating reflections
based on the fall consultations, with a brief selection of new readings
After the Follow-up Event (Spring 2008)
Each participant will have one telephone consultation with a seminar
leader during the spring. The topics of the final consultation will
be:
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Changes in your own sense of personal vocation and
your understanding of institutional mission
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Benefits realized from my participation in the program
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Your future plans in light of the program
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Nomination
Information
Nominators and prospective participants can direct questions
about the program to Hal Hartley, CIC’s director of research,
by telephone at (202) 466-7230 or email at hhartley@cic.nche.edu.
Nomination Procedure
Presidents who wish to nominate someone for participation should (1)
follow the nomination instructions included in this announcement;
(2) write a brief letter of nomination addressing how the nominee
will benefit from participation in this program with its distinctive
attention to presidential vocation and institutional mission; and
(3) attach a reflective statement by the nominee on (a) his or her
own sense of personal vocation, (b) the role of mission in higher
education, and (c) anticipated benefits—considered in the spirit
of the program—for the nominee and institutions he or she might
serve.
The completed nomination materials should be submitted
as a single package to CIC’s offices by mail or express delivery
to One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 320, Washington, DC 20036; by fax to
(202) 466-7238; or by email to vocationprospective@cic.nche.edu.
Nominations received by the deadline of March 15, 2007, will be given
first consideration.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria will be used to select participants:
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What evidence is there that the individual has reflected
on presidential vocation and institutional mission and is prepared
to engage in frank and open discussion of these matters with other
program participants?
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What evidence is there that the individual takes
a broad view of the issues involved in fulfilling the expectations
of a college or university presidency?
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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 and to the follow-up
event, lodging, meals, consultations, and materials will be covered by
the program. Spouses’ travel, lodging, and meals will also be covered.
The registration fee is $250 for the prospective president and $125 for
an accompanying spouse.
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Nomination
Instructions
The nomination must come from an individual who is a
current or retired college or university president.
On a cover sheet, please provide the following information
about the nominee and nominator:
Nominee Information
1. Nominee's name
2. Position
3. Mailing address
4. Telephone
5. Fax
6. Email
7. Nominee's years in current position
8. Prior positions in the past 15 years
9. Prior professional development programs
10. Marital status
11. Name of spouse, if married
12. Will the nominee's spouse participate in the program?
(Yes, no, uncertain, not applicable)
Nominator Information
1. Nominator's name
2. Position
3. Mailing address
4. Telephone
5. Fax
6. Email
Attach a statement of nomination addressing how the nominee will benefit
from participation in this program, with its distinctive focus on
presidential vocation and institutional mission. The statement should
be no more than one page long.
In addition, attach a statement of no more than two
pages prepared by the nominee that includes reflections on (1) his
or her own sense of personal vocation, (2) the role of institutional
mission in higher education, and (3) the benefits that he or she anticipates
from participation in this program, both personally and for institutions
he or she might serve. Reviewers will look carefully at whether the
nominee’s statement addresses the selection criteria.
Please send the completed nomination to CIC for receipt
by March 15, 2007.
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Additional
Information
Summer Seminar Topics (In 2006)
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What is Vocation?
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What Sustains Personal Vocation?
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What Roles Can Faith and Friendship Play in Discerning
Vocation?
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Are Our Colleagues and Friends Good Advisors in the
Discernment of Vocation?
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What Can We Learn From the Experiences of Current
Presidents?
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What Might Be the “Right” College for
Each of Us?
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Can the “Right” College Be Perceived in
the Selection Process?
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Do Presidents Set Institutional Missions? What Influence
Do They Have on Institutional Sagas?
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What Should We Expect Regarding the Intersection of
Personal Vocation and Institutional Mission?
Program Facilitators (In 2006-2007)
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William V. Frame, CIC senior advisor
and project director, 2005–present; president of Augsburg College
(MN), 1997–2006
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Joel Cunningham, vice chancellor
and president of Sewanee: The University of the South (TN), 2000–present;
president of Susquehanna University (PA), 1984–2000
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Trudy Cunningham, senior consultant
for admission and advising and presidential spouse at Sewanee: The
University of the South (TN), 2000–present; previously associate
dean of engineering, Bucknell University (PA)
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Anne Frame, presidential spouse at
Augsburg College (MN), 1997–2006; previously chief financial
officer of Financial Pacific Corporation (WA) and vice president of
Sanwa Business Credit Corporation (IL)
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William Placher, LaFollette Distinguished
Professor in the Humanities, professor of philosophy and religion
at Wabash College (IN), 1974–present
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Jake Schrum, president of Southwestern
University (TX), 2000–present; president of Texas Wesleyan University,
1991–2000
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Mary Pat Seurkamp, president of the
College of Notre Dame of Maryland, 1997–present
This information is based on the 2006-2007 program.
Details for 2007-2008 will be available in the spring of 2007.
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Questions
If you have questions about the Presidential Vocation
and Institutional Mission Program, please contact Hal Hartley, CIC
Director of Research, at (202) 466-7230 or hhartley@cic.nche.edu.
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