Western Academic Leadership Academy

Professional development opportunity for aspiring chief academic leaders

The Western Academic Leadership Academy (Academy) is a year-long professional development program for academic leaders aspiring to become chief academic officers in the WICHE region’s postsecondary sector. The Academy, sponsored by the Western Academic Leadership Forum and the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders, seeks to encourage the talents of the next generation of Western chief academic officers by helping to build the knowledge and skills of academic leaders who are poised to move to that level.

2025 Academy Dates – July 15-18, 2025

About the Program

The Academy’s faculty members share their expertise on the unique roles and responsibilities a chief academic officer assumes at a two or four-year institution and systems. They focus specifically on developing practical skills within academic affairs, fiscal affairs, student affairs, and external relationships, with a special sensitivity to the culture and environment of the West’s higher education community.

The summer seminar is followed by opportunities for cohort members to meet with a faculty mentor as well as their cohort colleagues at national meetings or electronically throughout the year for individual consultation about career paths.

Academy Faculty

• Are sitting or previous campus and system chief academic officers from the Western region
• Share expertise on the unique roles and responsibilities a chief academic officer assumes at an institution and system office  
• Specifically focus on developing practical skills within academic affairs, fiscal affairs, student affairs, and external relationships, with a special sensitivity to the culture and environment of the West’s higher education community 

Program Elements

• Intensive three-day, face-to-face seminar at WICHE’s headquarters in Boulder, CO 
• Cohort members meet with a faculty mentor as well as their cohort colleagues at national meetings or electronically throughout the year for individual consultation about career paths
• Webinars presented several times during the year.    

Eligibility

To be considered for participation, candidates:

• must hold a position of associate dean, associate vice provost or higher at one of the Forum or Alliance member institutions or organizations  
• must have a letter of nomination submitted by their respective official representative participating in the Western Academic Leadership Forum or Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders along with a completed application form (download here).
• must submit a letter of interest and their CV  

All nomination materials should be submitted to Kay Hulstrom, associate director of operations and program implementation, khulstrom@wiche.edu.  Candidates are selected by the Academy’s faculty.

Academy Cost: $3,679

Nomination Deadline for the 2025 Cohort: March 14, 2025

The 2025 Cohort will be finalized in late March 2025

Learn more about the current and prior cohorts of the Leadership Academy

• 2024 Cohort
• Academy Alumni

For more information, please contact: