As the 2018-19 academic year comes to a close, you’ll soon have the chance to reflect on the successes of the past year for students, faculty, and staff, and the ways that your leadership was instrumental to advancing your institution. ACAD is proud to be a supportive partner for you, providing smart and thoughtful sessions at our annual meeting, alerting you to opportunities in higher education, and maintaining our ever-popular—and incredibly helpful—email list serve where more than 800 good colleagues can share their practices.
This year, we prepare to celebrate a special milestone for ACAD—the 75th anniversary of our founding as an organization. ACAD was established in 1945 as an independent, national nonprofit organization for academic deans from institutions belonging to the Association of American Colleges (now AAC&U). Our small, intimate gatherings—why we still call ourselves a “conference”—allow us to create both formal and informal opportunities for deans and provosts to meet, network, and offer professional development and support to colleagues in their work as academic leaders.
The organization has changed in significant ways during these nearly 75 years, evolving as higher education itself has, embracing new ideas, responding to disruptions, and developing new partnerships across campuses and sectors. Through it all, ACAD has remained focused on providing to its growing membership support and development opportunities unique to academic leaders.
And with this note, I am pleased to announce our newest partnership. Since so many deans and provosts are active grant seekers and writers for their institutions, we’ve now partnered with McAllister & Quinn, a Washington D.C.-based grant writing agency. In May and October of this year, McAllister & Quinn will be offering special webinars exclusively for ACAD members, focusing on the grant writing process. Watch your emails for information about how to register for these free webinars.
Coming on the heels of our successful Annual Meeting—with a sold-out Dean’s Institute, heavily attended workshops and sessions, and the first-ever session for ACAD members with search consultants, we now turn our attention to plans for next year. At our Spring 2019 Board Meeting, the Board will engage in further discussion of what comes next for ACAD, as we roll our strategic plan forward a year in order to add new goals and tactics for our members. We welcome your ideas.
For now, best wishes for a smooth ending to the academic year, and an enjoyable, relaxing, and rejuvenating summer. Thank you for all that you do at your institutions to help your students, and the faculty and staff who work so well with them, realize their potential.
Related topics: reflection | thriving