Presidential spouses heard from a variety of speakers at the 2007 Presidents Institute Spouses Program on topics ranging from their role and influence on campus, to how tax laws apply to their fundraising efforts, to finding their niche on campus and in the community.

The most popular session featured research on “The Role and Influence of the Presidential Spouse” based on a pilot study done by Matt Thompson, a PhD candidate at the University of Georgia and dean of students at Florida Southern College. Thompson’s initial dissertation work included a survey of presidential spouses at private colleges and universities in a discrete geographic region and explored topics such as presidential spouses’ backgrounds, the amount of time devoted to the role, and patterns of remuneration. Conference attendees assisted Thompson in refining his survey for the completion of his research.

Helping presidential spouses understand how tax laws apply to their fundraising work, the presidential house, and their professional development activities was the focus of a session led by Bertrand M. Harding, Jr., tax attorney and author of The Tax Law of Colleges and Universities. Abigail Pribbenow, presidential spouse at Augsburg College (MN) and Edward W.S. Neff, presidential spouse at The Sage Colleges (NY), led the New Spouses Workshop, which addressed issues such as “Navigating the Minefields While Serving as Presidential Spouse,” “The Varied Roles of the Presidential Spouse,” “Reinventing Yourself as Presidential Spouse,” “Finding Your Niche on Campus and in the Community,” and an “Open Mike” session, allowing new spouses to seek the advice of experienced presidential spouses on issues of concern.

Resources for presidential spouses from this conference and previous meetings are available here on the CIC website.