About the Program

Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission is a seminar-based program whose purpose is to help prospective college and university presidents—and their spouses or partners—clarify their own sense of personal vocation and weigh it in the context of the missions of institutions they might lead in the future. Through a series of structured conversations, participants explore the ways in which greater understanding and alignment of personal vocation and institutional mission can contribute to effective presidential leadership. The program, funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., will include up to 20 participants and their spouses or partners.

The Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission program seeks to increase the commitment across American higher education to vocation and mission as fundamentally linked concepts for building and sustaining successful presidencies in independent colleges and universities. The program rests on two premises:

Presidential leadership is strengthened by a congruence of institutional mission and presidential vocation; and
Carefully structured opportunities for reflection and dialogue can help potential presidents, along with their spouses or partners, envision their prospective roles.

‭(Hidden)‬ Current Status 1

This program—offered in 2016–2017 for the seventh time—provides up to 20 nominees and their spouses or partners with the opportunity for candid, intense, small-group discussion among their peers about presidential vocation and institutional mission.

The Summer Seminar was held at the Woodstock Inn & Resort on July 10–13, 2016, in Woodstock, Vermont. The Winter Seminar will be held February 27–28, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta SW Peachtree City hotel (formerly the Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree hotel) in Peachtree City, Georgia.

Download the 2016–2017 brochure.

Current Status for 2017–2018

20 participants from independent colleges and universities were selected for the program, which is intended for senior administrators—and their spouses and partners—who are considering whether to seek a presidency.

‭(Hidden)‬ Current Status 2

Up to 20 participants from independent colleges and universities will be selected for the program, which is intended for senior administrators—and their spouses and partners—who are considering whether to seek a presidency.

Selection of participants will be announced by Monday, March 13, 2017.

‭(Hidden)‬ Nomination Information

Senior administrators of CIC member institutions are eligible to be nominated. Presidents who wish to nominate one of their current senior administrators for participation in the 2017–2018 Presidential Vocation and Institutional Mission program are asked to submit a nomination packet online by February 8, 2017. Details about the program and application guidelines are available in the brochure.

Online Application Form

Locations and Expenses

The Summer Seminar will be held at the Woodstock Inn & Resort on July 9–12, 2017, in Woodstock, Vermont. The Winter Seminar will be held February 26–27, 2018, at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta SW Peachtree City hotel in Peachtree City, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

Thanks to a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., most expenses, including travel stipends for both the Summer and Winter Seminars as well as lodging, meals, consultations, and materials during the program, will be covered by CIC for participants and their spouses or partners. There is a one-time registration fee of $400 for the prospective president and $250 for an accompanying spouse or partner due upon acceptance into the program.

Contact Information

Nominators and prospective participants can direct questions about the program to Frederik Ohles, CIC senior advisor and program director, by email at fohles@cic.nche.edu or to Harold V. Hartley III, CIC senior vice president, by phone at (202) 466-7230 or email at hhartley@cic.nche.edu.