Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)

Conferences and other events cic's institutes, conferences, seminars, and workshops provide ongoing professional development opportunities. The 2023 presidents institute explored the theme "designing the future of Independent higher education." The institute offered presidents and other participants an opportunity to think creatively in community about how to design a thriving future for their institutions and shape the trajectory of the Independent sector in higher education. Cic again offered a parallel program for spouses and partners of college presidents, as well as the presidents governance academy and the new presidents program. The 2022 institute for chief academic officers, with the theme of "tenacious. Confident. Forward-looking.," provided the opportunity to engage with colleagues on timely and practical questions, and chief financial and chief enrollment officers were also invited to participate. The virtual foundation conversations provided opportunities for cic member presidents and campus leaders to interact with philanthropic foundations that support Independent Colleges.

Leadership development programs presidential vocation and institutional mission programwith lilly endowment inc. support, cic offers presidential vocation and institutional mission (v&m)a yearlong program of readings, consultations, and seminars to help prospective presidents and their spouses or partners reflect on personal calling as it relates to the missions of the institutions they might lead. Thirty-four administrators participated in 20222023 v&m cohort.presidential renewal programnewly launched in 2023 with lilly endowment inc. support, the presidential renewal program is designed to support the personal renewal of experienced member presidents at cic institutions who will continue to serve in the vital role of the college presidency. Participants are guided by experienced peer mentors through an introspective journey that includes experiential renewal practices and the construction of a personal sustainability plan. Twenty people participated in the 20232024 presidential renewal program.new presidents programeach year cic offers a program for college presidents in their first or second yearand concurrently a program for their spouses or partnersthat addresses the practical needs of new leaders of Independent Colleges and universities. The two-day interactive workshop includes sessions led by experienced presidents on innovative and strategic leadership for the current environment, creating an engaged and inclusive environment, financial fundamentals, enrollment and marketing, board relations, and advancement, among other key topics. Ample opportunities for formal and informal conversations allow participants to build community. In 2023, this program was again held in conjunction with the cic presidents institute in san francisco, California. Thirty-nine new presidents and 26 spouses and partners participated in the programs. Eighteen experienced presidents and other campus leaders served as presenters and informal advisors.presidential spouses and partners programcic's presidential spouses and partners program is designed to offer insight, advice, support, and fellowship to those who share this unique role. Developed in consultation with a task force of experienced presidential spouses and partners, it is held in conjunction with the presidents institute each january. One hundred and twenty six spouses and partners participated in the 2023 spouses and partners program.presidents governance academythe presidents governance academy (pga) is a two-day program for college presidents who wish to strengthen and sustain a high-performing board of trustees. Participants learn from experienced leaders about best practices in board governance, consider case studies of governance challenges, and discuss practical solutions for governance problems to respond effectively to today's leadership challenges by strengthening the governance of their institutions. The 2023 presidents governance academy had eight participants.executive leadership academythe executive leadership academy (ela) is a year-long program to prepare experienced vice presidents and other cabinet-level administrators to serve as college presidents. It is organized in partnership with the american academic leadership institute (aali) and the american association of state Colleges and universities (aascu). The program consists of two seminars, ongoing webinars and reading exercises, experiential programs and activities focused on specific areas of presidential responsibility, career coaching, and mentoring. The program is supported by aali and academic search. With additional support from aali, cic offers fellowships to participants who will enhance the gender, racial, and ethnic diversity of the leadership pipeline. Twenty-two administrators participated in the 202223 ela cohort.senior leadership academythe senior leadership academy (sla) is a year-long program to prepare college and university leaders in mid-level positions who have interest and potential to move into vice presidencies. It consists of mentorship, a fall seminar held in conjunction with the cic institute for chief academic officers, a spring seminar in Washington, dc, experiential activities throughout the year, a series of readings and case studies, and mentorship and executive coaching by the program director. The program is supported by the american academic leadership institute (aali) and academic search. With additional support from aali, cic can offer several fellowships to enhance the gender, racial, and ethnic diversity of the leadership pipeline. Forty people participated in the 202223 sla cohort.workshops for department and division chairswith academic search support, cic offers an annual series of four professional development workshops for department and division chairs. Session topics include understanding the departmental or divisional budget, dealing with difficult conversations, managing the faculty hiring and evaluation process, strategies for collecting and sharing data, and building and maintaining a collegial department. The workshops are led by experienced chief academic officers, department chairs, and attorneys specializing in higher education. In 2023, 241 participants from 114 Colleges and universities attended workshops in four locations.

Networks, programs, projects, and servicescic's networks, programs, projects, and services support academic programs and institutional development in key areas through leadership development for mid-level and senior campus officers and faculty development as well as through programs and services for state Council members.networksnetvuewith generous support from lilly endowment inc. and from member dues, cic continued to strengthen its network for vocation in undergraduate education (netvue). Activities supporting netvue include a national conference, regional gatherings and multi-campus collaborations, faculty seminars, campus visits and consulting services, online resources and networking, and the development of scholarly resources. In addition, a variety of grant opportunities are available to netvue member institutions to support professional development and vocation-related programming. Launched in 2009, netvue currently has 309 college and university members and nine organizational members. Netvue unconference and regional workshopscampus teams gather regularly for professional development and sharing of best practices. The biennial netvue conference allows participants to gather in person; in the off-years, netvue hosts a series of regional and topical gatherings, as well as the netvue unconference. In 2023, netvue held its virtual unconference and four regional and topical gatherings. Netvue teaching vocational exploration seminarsmultidisciplinary seminars help faculty members strengthen the teaching of vocational exploration, develop new courses or course content, develop or improve pedagogical resources, and establish an expanding network of faculty members who are committed to teaching vocational exploration. A seminar was offered in june 2023. Netvue reframing the institutional saga grantscic's newest grant program offers grants of up to $40,000 over two years for institutions to help institutions balance their received identity and heritage in campus environments that are increasingly pluralistic and oriented toward a variety of faith traditions. Cumulatively, cic has awarded $2,407,283 in grants to 62 institutions. Netvue vocation across the academy grantsthis grant program is designed to strengthen the link between career preparation and students' exploration of meaning, purpose, and identity. Three-year grants support campus-wide initiatives to expand programming in the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation in liberal arts and applied professional fields. Cumulatively, cic has awarded $2,889,955 in grants to 80 institutions. Netvue program development grantscic awards grants to strengthen existing vocational exploration programs supported by campus budgets. Member institutions may request between $25,000 and $50,000 for use over a two-year period to further develop or extend existing initiatives. Cumulatively, cic has awarded $9,830,918 in grants to 212 institutions. Netvue professional development awardscic awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 to enhance the knowledge, skills, and expertise of faculty and staff members who support undergraduate vocation-related initiatives at netvue member institutions. Cumulatively, cic has awarded $2,154,779 in grants to 217 institutions. Netvue scholarly resources projectfive distinct groups of senior scholars, representing a wide range of theological traditions and expertise, work collaboratively to produce articles, books, and other resources for use on campuses. The fourth book and set of materials is underway and will focus on vocation, work, and the common good. Netvue initiatives assessmentcic supports an empirical investigation of the impact of initiatives for vocational exploration and discernment at netvue member institutions. The work focuses on the ways that such programs can transform faculty cultures, curricular initiatives, administrative priorities, and institutional goals. Online resourcescic provides a wide range of online resources for netvue members, including a dedicated website, an online community site, a publicly accessible blog, a webinar series, and a social media presence. Tuition exchange programcic-tep is a network of member Colleges and universities that accept full-time employees of participating institutions and their family members as full-time students, tuition-free. An online portal facilitates the student application tracking and review processes. Nearly two thirds of cic member institutions participate.belong: an inclusive learning communitythe belong community is a network of cic member Colleges and universities dedicated to making their campuses more welcoming and inclusive. Designed in partnership with the association of college and university educators (acue), belong offers a suite of professional development resources for faculty and staff to support student belonging in class and campuswide. In 2023, the belong network had 63 institutional members.cic online course sharing consortiumthe online course sharing consortium (ocsc) allows participating Colleges and universities to share courses, transfer credits and financial aid, and arrange for tuition payments though an online platform maintained by cic's partner acadeum. The initiative helps students complete their degrees by enrolling in online courses offered by other consortium participants, avoiding the burden of transferring courses from outside institutions and filling excess capacity at partner institutions. In 2023, ocsc included 307 member institutions sharing a broad catalog of 9,018 courses.state Council member programs and servicescic's state councils are consortia of private Colleges and universities with the mission of advancing and strengthening their member institutions. Through its state councils program, cic provides member services and organizational development opportunities for these consortia, as well as grants and professional support for their activities. Annual conferencethe state councils annual conference is a convening of state Council executives and their staff that offers a forum for face-to-face networking and an opportunity to share best practices with colleagues. Programming at the annual conference includes workshops, speakers, and educational sessions, providing tools for state executives colleagues to better serve their constituency of private Colleges and universities. The conference took place on april 30may 2, 2023 in Virginia beach, Virginia. Cic/ups educational endowmentthe cic/ups educational endowment provided grants to state councils for innovative, collaborative projects within states and for programs that enhance access and success at private Colleges for low-income, first generation, minority or new american students. Through these grant programs dedicated to supporting the work of the state councils, the cic/ups educational endowment has hadand will continue to havea determinative impact on the advancement of the Independent college sector nationwide. In 2023, they were valued at $45,858,210. Cic/ups scholarships programeach year, state councils receive grants from cic to provide cic/ups scholarships for use at every four-year private college and university in the state councils network. The scholarships are given in the name of ups, whose financial support was the basis for the cic/ups educational endowment. Since 1985, approximately $62.2 million has been awarded in scholarship grants to cic state councils to assist 22,228 first-generation, low-income, minority, or new american students at Independent Colleges across the country. In 2023, cic granted approximately $1.4 million to 25 state councils for distribution to 438 undergraduate students. Dorothea m. waterbury scholarshipthe scholarships are provided by an endowment, established by dorothea waterbury of newton, Massachusetts, to fund scholarships for pell grant-eligible students enrolled at selected cic member new england Colleges and universities. In 2023, the program awarded $9,000. Capacity-building grantsthe cic capacity-building grant program was created to provide "seed money" grants for state councils to enhance or expand their capacity to raise money to support their programs and member Colleges. The grants are intended to provide startup funding for new fundraising programs, particularly those targeted at attracting new donors and new financial support, or focus on other ways to enhance fundraising capacity for the future. In 2022, cic awarded $103,045 to 11 state councils through this program. Scholarship challenge grantthis program awards matching grants to state Council members as leverage to raise new or increased gifts for student scholarships. In 2022, cic awarded $130,000 to six state councils.

Faculty development programs new currents in teaching philosophywith support from the mellon foundation, cic offers week-long institutes for faculty members in philosophy at cic member institutions. The institutes combine seminars on emerging topics in the discipline, workshops on innovative approaches to teaching philosophy, and discussion of institutional strategies to support philosophy programs. In 2022, 26 faculty members participated in the institute, which is directed ned hall, norman e. vuilleumier professor of philosophy at harvard university.teaching interfaith understandingin partnership with interfaith youth core and with initial funding from the henry luce foundation, continued by lilly endowment inc. with supplemental funding from the national endowment for the humanities, cic offers workshops for faculty members who are teaching and designing courses on interfaith subjects. A resource base of teaching materials for use by faculty members and a virtual community that encourages faculty members to share best practices, curricula, and pedagogies extends the seminar throughout the year. In 2023, 21 faculty members participated in this seminar.teaching pre-modern european art in contextfunded by the samuel h. kress foundation, cic offers this seminar for faculty members who teach art history at member institutions. The week-long seminars focus on artists, works of art, and the contexts in which pre-1830 european art was created. In summer 2023, 19 faculty members participated.funding the future workshopsthe national science foundation (nsf) offers several grant programs specifically designed to launch the research careers of early-career faculty members in computer science. Nsf is particularly eager to support faculty members at predominantly undergraduate institutions and non-r1 institutions, and they have partnered with cic to prepare eligible faculty members to write competitive grant applications for these programs. A series of three virtual workshops will prepare teams of early-career faculty members in computer science and related disciplines and grants administrators to prepare competitive applications and manage awards for two nsf programs, the computer and information science and engineering (cise) research initiation initiative (crii) and the faculty early career development (career) program. The grant-seeking workshop took place virtually on march 1415, 2023.

Other programs and initiatives webinarscic offers webinars on a variety of topics, including a series on mergers and collaborations

Other programs and initiatives listservscic provides listservs for various campus constituencies. All of the listservs are reserved exclusively for employees from cic member institutions.