Council Of Independent Colleges

Conferences and other eventscic's institutes, conferences, seminars, and workshops provide ongoing professional development opportunities. The 2024 presidents institute explored the theme "under the big tent: independent higher education in a democratic society." sessions, discussions, and presentations focused on the role of higher education in fostering civic values, applying risk management principles, and the impact of artificial intelligence in higher education, in addition to other pressing themes and topics. Cic again offered a parallel program for spouses and partners of college presidents, as well as the new presidents program. Two workshops were held after the institute, "president-board relations and "financial challenges and structural deficits: strategies to turn your institution around." the 2023 institute for chief academic officers, with the theme of "storied. Independent. Together.," provided the opportunity to engage with colleagues on timely and practical questions and focused on the future of independent higher education, the importance of marketing and storytelling, and crisis communication. Chief advancement and chief marketing and communication officers were also invited to participate. The foundation conversation provided opportunities for cic member presidents and campus leaders to interact with philanthropic foundations that support independent colleges. In 2023-24, the foundation conversation included a webinar in october and a session at the institute for chief academic officers in november.

Other programs and initiativeswebinars - cic offers webinars on a variety of topics, including a series on mergers and collaborations.listservs - cic provides listservs for various campus constituencies. All of the listservs are reserved exclusively for employees from cic member institutions.

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. Twenty administrators participated in 2023-24 v&m cohort.presidential renewal programwith 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. Twelve presidents, most accompanied by spouses or partners, participated in the 2023-24 presidential renewal program.new presidents programeach year cic offers a program for college presidents in their first or second year - and concurrently a program for their spouses or partners - that 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 and strategies, enrollment and today's students, working with the board, and advancement among other key topics. Ample opportunities for formal and informal conversations allow participants to build community. In 2024, this program was again held in conjunction with the cic presidents institute. Fifty-eight new presidents and 26 spouses and partners participated in the programs. Seventeen 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 twenty-eight spouses and partners participated in the 2024 spouses and partners program.executive leadership academythe executive leadership academy (ela) is a yearlong 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. Nineteen administrators participated in the 2023-24 ela cohort.senior leadership academythe senior leadership academy (sla) is a yearlong 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 2023-24 sla cohort.belonging and academic leadership initiativethe belonging and academic leadership initiative assesses, revitalizes, and expands cic's leadership development programs to prepare a diverse new generation of leaders for the challenges of today's campuses and to place diversity, equity, and inclusion at the heart of these programs' curricula. The goal of this project is to enrich cic's programs to foster leadership for social justice and not only to prepare aspiring leaders from a wide range of backgrounds to achieve senior leadership positions at cic member institutions, but also to build strong foundations at member institutions for these leaders to flourish and achieve their goals.

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.networks netvuewith 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 biennial national conference, regional gatherings, faculty seminars, consulting services, online resources, 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 317 college and university members and nine organizational members.- netvue national conference and regional workshops - campus teams gather regularly for professional development and sharing of best practices. The biennial netvue national 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 2024, netvue held its national conference, "vocation for the life of the world, and three regional and topical gatherings.- netvue teaching vocational exploration seminars - multidisciplinary 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 2024.- netvue reframing the institutional saga grants - this program offers grants of up to $40,000 over two years to help institutions produce an updated account of their history and mission, with focused attention on the current state of the institution's demographic profile, surrounding community, and founding organizations. Cumulatively, cic has awarded $2,658,788 in grants to 77 institutions.- netvue vocation across the academy grants - this 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 $2,946,415 in grants to 80 institutions.- netvue program development grants - cic awards grants to strengthen existing vocational exploration programs supported by campus budgets. Member institutions may request between $30,000 and $60,000 for use over a two-year period to further develop or extend existing initiatives. Cumulatively, cic has awarded $10,148,273 in grants to 233 institutions.- fostering leadership for communities of faith grants - the newest netvue grant program provides up to $40,000 over a two-year period to develop programming for students and/or professional development for faculty members and staff with the goal of connecting students to local faith communities and supporting these students as they explore and discern possible future leadership roles. Cic has awarded $364,648 to 18 institutions.- support for netvue organizational members - these grants are designed to help organizational members of netvue deepen their capacities to strengthen the networks that they comprise, to broaden opportunities to promote vocational exploration and discernment among students at their member institutions, and to communicate the benefits of netvue membership to those institutions within their networks that are not yet members of netvue. Cic has awarded $67,850 to 3 institutions.- netvue professional development awards - cic awards grants of up to $12,000 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 $2,222,424 in grants to 220 institutions.- netvue scholarly resources project - five 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 was published in early 2024.- netvue research - cic 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 resources - cic 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 participated in 2023-2024 and that number is expected to increase in the future: as of june 2024, cic is waiving the annual fee for participation in the cic tuition exchange program (cic-tep) to increase the value of membership. Belong: an inclusive learning communitythe belong community is a network of cic members dedicated to making their campuses more welcoming and inclusive. Belong's suite of professional development resources for faculty and staff includes credentials by the association of college and university educators (acue), all campus cornerstone webinars, belong's unique and popular "push" resource library, and monthly community of practice meetings. In 2024, the belong network had 72 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 through an online platform maintained by cic's partner acadeum, with which cic signed a new five-year agreement in 2024. 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 2024, ocsc launched a credential marketplace for cic members in the ocsc network. In 2024, ocsc included 313 member institutions sharing a broad catalog of 19.719 courses.ai ready networkin may 2024, cic announced the ai ready network to foster learning, share resources, and increase effective adoption related to artificial intelligence (ai). The network will focus on both pedagogical and business uses for ai, bringing the current conversation about ai to key areas of campus, and will launch in fall 2024.

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 conference - the 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 21-23, 2024, in new orleans, louisiana.- cic/ups educational endowment - the cic/ups educational endowment provides grants to state councils for innovative, collaborative projects within states and for programs that enhance access and success for students demonstrating financial need. Through these grant programs, the cic/ups educational endowment continues to impact the advancement of the independent college sector nationwide. In 2024, they were valued at $50,114,460.- cic/ups scholarships program - each 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 students at independent colleges across the country demonstrating financial need. In 2024, cic granted $1,398,400 to 25 state councils for distribution to 437 state council member institutions.- dorothea m. Waterbury scholarship - the 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 2024, the program awarded $9,000.- capacity-building grants - the 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 funding for fundraising programs, particularly those targeted at attracting donors and financial support and/or organizational and staff development projects that strengthen the organization's capacity to raise gifts and grants from corporations, foundations, and individuals. In 2024, cic awarded $109,800 to 11 state councils through this program.- scholarship challenge grant - presidents of independent colleges and universities have made it clear that one of their highest priority needs is additional scholarship aid for deserving students. A second need is for scholarships that can improve student retention beyond the first year. Cic offers state councils the opportunity to apply for challenge grants designed to leverage additional gifts for scholarships. To receive the cic scholarship grant, state councils must raise the challenge grant amount from outside sources before the end of the fiscal year. In 2024, cic awarded $175,000 to each of eight state councils.- first opportunity partners grant - generously funded by an inequality and economic empowerment grant from the ups foundation, the mission of the first opportunity partners (fop) grant program is to fund cic state councils in support of new, collaborative, and/or innovative approaches to increasing college access and success of students demonstrating need. The final fop grant program offering is dedicated to supporting programs and initiatives that support diversity, equity, and inclusion (dei) implemented or supported by the state council organizations. In 2024, cic awarded $166,442 to eight state councils.- pooled endowment management fund - cic supported the creation in april 2016 of a pooled investment fund for state council members with small- to mid-sized endowments or cash reserves who cannot reasonably engage an experienced money manager at an affordable rate. Professional asset management is provided by tiaa at a discounted fee.- benchmarking reports - cic provides a planning and management tool by analyzing each state council member's fundraising results compared with a peer group and with the entire network.- case membership - through its institutional membership in the council for advancement and support of education (case), cic offers state councils the opportunity to secure their own membership in case at a discounted rate.

Faculty development programsworkshops for department and division chairswith support from academic search, 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 2024, 161 participants from 71 colleges and universities attended workshops in three locations. New currents in teaching philosophywith support from the mellon foundation, cic has offered three annual institutes for faculty members in philosophy at cic member institutions. The week-long institutes combined seminars on emerging topics in the discipline, workshops on innovative approaches to teaching philosophy, and discussion of institutional strategies to support philosophy programs. In 2023, 29 faculty members participated in the final institute, which is directed ned hall, norman e. Vuilleumier professor of philosophy at harvard university. Teaching interfaith understandingin partnership with interfaith america and with funding from lilly endowment inc., cic offers seminars 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 2024, 23 faculty members participated in this seminar. Teaching pre-modern european art in contextwith funding by the samuel h. Kress foundation, cic offered two seminars in 2022 and 2023 for faculty members who teach art history at member institutions. The week-long seminars focused on artists, works of art, and the contexts in which pre-1830 european art was created. In 2024, cic continued the aims of these seminars by providing grants of up to $2,000 to support student learning through opportunities to view and interact with works of art. Sixteen teaching art in context grants were awarded in spring 2024 for projects that will take place throughout the summer and fall. 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 12-13, 2024.improving science pedagogy seminars and activitiesfunded by the w. M. Keck foundation, cic offered two seminars on science pedagogy that were held in 2019 and 2021. The week-long seminars prepared interdisciplinary teams of faculty members in stem fields to integrate evidence-based active learning methods into their introductory science courses and better connect academic learning with practical applications of the scientific method. In 2024, cic expanded this work to all member institutions through a webinar on scientific teaching practices in march 2024 and the improving science pedagogy grant program. Through this grant program, faculty members at 16 member institutions received grants of up to $2,000 to support activities to enrich courses in stem fields. The webinar on scientific teaching methods was led by warren code, associate director of the science center for learning and teaching at university of british columbia, and took place virtually on march 20, 2024. A second webinar is being planned for fall 2024.