SUMAS, Wash. Twenty-six participants from 20 CCCU campuses gathered at the Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center in Sumas, Wash., for the CCCU Leadership Development Institute (LDI) June 13-17, 2010. The LDI is intended to identify and equip individuals who have been gifted and called by God to serve as leaders in Christian higher education, primarily as future chief academic officers and presidents. The Institute launches a year-long leadership development program for each fellow which includes an individually-tailored shadowing experience with a mentor on another CCCU campus.
The Leadership Development Institute provided me with an opportunity to intentionally focus on my role as an academic leader in Christian higher education, says Elizabeth Ritt, dean and professor at North Park University (IL). The experience was transformational in guiding me in the direction of renewal and purpose. The tranquil setting, cutting-edge resource materials, and outstanding institute leaders were instrumental in preparing me for my next role in academic leadership. I look forward to shadowing my mentor and the year long process of professional development.
The faculty of Azusa Pacific Universitys Doctoral Programs in Higher Education and other Resource Team members served as presenters and facilitators of the 2010 LDI program. Session topics included:
- Joys and Pressures of Institutional Leadership
- Shaping Institutional Culture and Vision
- Strategic Planning
- Taking Charge of Change
- Making Tough Calls: The Leadership Imperative
- Budgets: Mystery and Method
- Providing Leadership in Crisis
- Dynamics of Supervisor/Supervisee Relationships
- Recent Leadership Research: Personal Applications
- Soul-Care
- Lessons from Search Professionals
- Whats Next? Small Steps and Transformative Vision and Commissioning
Fireside Chat sessions concluded each day, covering Lessons from One Presidents Leadership Journey, What I Wish Id Known about Senior Leadership, and an open forum.
The Leadership Development Institute was among the most professional rewarding experiences I have known, says Brad E. Oliver, associate dean of the School of Educational Leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University (IN). The opportunity to build a network among other aspiring CCCU leaders and to learn from accomplished practitioners in the setting of Cedar Springs was literally life-changing. I was challenged to grow in the area of resilience as a leader and to that end, I am currently developing a professional development growth plan that will allow me to stretch myself this year in order to become the leader that I know God desires for me to be.
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities is a higher education association of 184 intentionally Christ-centered institutions around the world. There are now 109 member campuses in North America and all are fully-accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 75 affiliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU. The Councils mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.