The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)
announced the recipient of its top academic award for 2014. Mark J. Braun, provost of Gustavus
Adolphus College, is the winner of the 2014 CIC Chief Academic Officer Award in
recognition of his contributions to colleagues at independent colleges and
universities.
The award was presented at the CIC
Institute for Chief Academic and Chief Financial Officers, held November 1–4 in
Portland, Oregon. The honor was conferred by the chief academic officers of
CIC’s 633 member colleges and universities.
Braun was awarded the 2014 CIC Chief
Academic Officer Award for contributing significantly to academic leadership and
enhancing the role and work of the private college chief academic officer. He
has served both Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota (2011–present as provost
and 1999–2007 as professor and chair of the Department of Communication Studies)
and Augustana College in South Dakota (2007–2011 as senior vice president for
academic affairs and dean of the college). He has made numerous presentations at
the Institute for Chief Academic Officers and at the CIC Workshops for
Department and Division Chairs on mission-based financial planning and faculty
mentoring and evaluation.
CIC President Richard Ekman congratulated
Braun on his considerable achievements in academic leadership. “Your willingness
to help other administrators interpret and construct budgets has benefited all
of higher education,” he said. “Your eagerness to help new academic officers has
greatly assisted the careers of hundreds of CAOs.”