Leadership Institute Sessions

Whether participants are considering a career move in the near term or may look to take a next step in the future, this session will elevate the ability of senior leaders to advance in executive roles. Participants will delve into career mapping and gain a comprehensive understanding of the executive search process. The presenter, Maya Kirkhope, draws from a deep well of expertise, having served as a search consultant for nearly 19 years.

The session aims to equip attendees with the knowledge of best practices in executive search, including:

• Creating a Strong Application Package: Learn how to craft a compelling application that stands out to search committees and the hiring authority.
• Preparing for Semi-Finalist Interviews: Gain insights into the semi-finalist interview stage. Discover techniques for demonstrating your suitability for the position, along with tips for articulating your leadership style.
• Finalist Campus Visits: Understand what to expect and how to best prepare for campus visits as a finalist candidate. We’ll cover what to expect during these visits, how to interact with various stakeholders, and the best ways to leave a lasting positive impression.
• Contract Negotiations: Understand the critical elements of contract negotiations.
• Transition Planning: Once you've accepted a new position, the next step is to develop a transition plan. This session will highlight the importance of a well-thought-out transition strategy to ensure a smooth changeover and continued success in your new role.
• The Importance of Executive Coaching: Learn about the role of executive coaching in fostering professional growth and leadership development.

Five years ago, higher education leaders everywhere were navigating the personal implications of a global pandemic while also working overtime to support their teams, constituents, and communities through a fundamental destabilization of not only the higher ed sector but every aspect of our daily lives. We all emerged from that year never wanting to hear the word “unprecedented” again. But what higher education is facing at this moment is, once more, unprecedented, representing a significant degree of challenge to foundational assumptions about our sector. So, what does it take for college and university leaders to sustain themselves and the communities in their care through these dramatic changes? Through the voices of leaders, this session will explore how leaders can build a powerful foundation for their own leadership through challenging times and offer participants an opportunity to articulate their own leadership intentions for the year ahead. 

The future of higher education leadership will require reclaiming higher education’s moral purpose and reimaging leadership as a shared moral enterprise grounded in truth-seeking and the common good. Yet women and gender-diverse leaders are often discouraged from the bold, strategic risk-taking that is needed. Pasquerella’s remarks will urge attendees to take the full space of their authority, vision, and voice and to lead with moral courage and resilience. Attendees will receive a copy of Pasquerella’s 2022 book What We Value.

Leadership roles can be lonely. As one gains leadership responsibilities, one bears the full weight of difficult decisions more frequently and benefits less often from the camaraderie and commiseration of “work friends.” This session will share strategies for lessening isolation, amplifying your leadership impact, and sustaining leadership energy by fostering a collaborative leadership team and recruiting allies across campus.

Research indicates that women and gender-diverse leaders identify different identity-based barriers to leadership, and that a complex set of factors — both individual and systemic — offers the best explanation for their continued underrepresentation in higher education leadership. This panel will reveal the experiences of a diverse group of leaders, drawing from both their personal insights and their knowledge of scholarship to suggest structural, strategic, and policy changes that make a difference for the professional success and advancement of women and gender-diverse leaders. In doing so, the panel will challenge some myths, such as missing female agency and the Queen Bee, as explanations for the lack of career progression. Panelists will also be asked to share their best thinking on how to continue supporting and promoting women and gender-diverse leaders in the challenging context in which we operate.

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore what it means to take ownership of their personal and professional narratives. Through guided reflection, storytelling frameworks, and peer dialogue, attendees will identify the internal and external forces that shape their stories—and how to reclaim authorship. This session invites women and gender-diverse leaders to step into their power, articulate their values, and lead from a place of authenticity. Participants will leave with a clearer sense of their leadership identity and a practical tool to continue shaping their narrative beyond the conference.

In this moment of heightened scrutiny and political pressure being exerted on colleges and universities, campus leaders are being forced to navigate increasingly complex terrain. This dynamic and interactive panel brings together senior higher education leaders to discuss the complexities of upholding institutional integrity, fostering inclusive environments, and preserving the democratic purposes of higher education during an era in which identity is wielded as a weapon to seed division and mistrust. Panelists will explore strategies for responding to real issues without being derailed by the politicization of their own identities. Key topics will include maintaining authenticity and integrity as a leader, navigating public perception and political pressures, responding to issues while encountering personal identity-based attacks, and supporting colleagues and communities facing similar challenges. Join this candid conversation to gain insights, share experiences, and build resilience as we lead through turbulent times.