WICHE Academy for Leaders in the Humanities

Senior humanities faculty members who want to explore higher education administration from any nonprofit public or private institution in the WICHE region are eligible.

Humanities majors include English, history, communication, languages, philosophy, religious studies, gender and cultural studies, art, music, and theater.

• Eight institutions, with participants selected from both two- and four-year institutions, will be selected.
• Institutions must demonstrate that the fellows’ applicant pool will consist of tenured faculty members who have demonstrated leadership capability (whether through prior academic-administrative service or in other contexts within or beyond academia).
• Reflect diverse communities and experiences, and show potential to have a transformative impact at their current institution or in a future leadership role.

Each fellow will work on a project that aligns with an institutional priority. The project will be centered on amplifying the work and initiatives of Humanities programming or leadership, with a focus on three key competencies: career planning and development, project management, and organizational design and agility. Faculty members selected will enter a two-year administrative fellowship program which will consist of campus-based and external mentoring and professional development for fellows selected from institutions in the WICHE region.

Below are the outlined requirements for both the institutional mentor and faculty fellow.

Mentors will:

• Work as an on-campus mentor to support the fellow’s institutional and organizational expertise and to support the ongoing project plan.
• Attend a two-day, in-person retreat at WICHE’s office in Boulder, Colorado, to discuss their role and support of the fellows for the grant term
• Attend quarterly virtual community of practice meetings with other mentor participants
• Provide annual progress report on the leadership development progress of the fellow

Fellows will:

• Attend a three-day, in-person retreat at WICHE’s office in Boulder, Colorado, to begin the process of building the leadership skills and operational expertise of academic leadership.
• Assume a carefully defined administrative role at their institution, reporting to a senior leader in academic affairs such as a dean, provost, or vice provost.
• Complete an extended project that advances an important institutional priority and provides an opportunity for the fellow to practice the skills they are learning.
• Have two mentors: an institutional mentor who will serve as their supervisor and the primary liaison between the institution and WICHE and an external mentor, or advisor.

Each institution will receive a $25,000 subgrant for the two-year period to cover the following expenses:

• Increased compensation, commiserate with their role and responsibilities, and
• Travel to regional and national conferences and meetings.
• The subgrant will be distributed in two installments in July and January, respectively.