Simmons College is pleased to announce that Vice President for Enrollment Management John Dolan, a resident of East Boston, was chosen as one of 24 senior-level administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in the 2017–2018 Executive Leadership Academy.
Individuals chosen for the yearlong program are vice presidents or cabinet officers in higher education who aspire to the presidency of an independent college or university. Dolan will participate in two seminars in Washington, DC; the opening seminar will take place July 20–22, 2017, and the closing seminar will be held June 18–20, 2018. He also will engage in readings, webinars, and a mentoring program. In addition, He will develop and follow an experiential learning plan focused on specific areas of presidential responsibility.
The Academy is designed to prepare provosts and other vice presidents to serve as effective college presidents. “Competition for the available places in the program was intense,” said CIC President Richard Ekman. “The review committee found the nomination materials to be most impressive. They (and I) believe that John Dolan has the potential for highly effective leadership as a college or university president.”
Dolan has served as Vice President of Enrollment and Management at Simmons since 2014. An experienced higher education professional, Dolan previously served in various enrollment management and advancement positions at LeMoyne College, Drexel University, LaSalle University, and the University of Denver. Dolan holds a B.A. in education from Benedictine College; an M.A. in education from the University of Denver; and an Ed.D. in Education from Drexel University.
Fifty-nine percent of participants in the first Executive Leadership Academy cohort (2009–2010) have since advanced in the higher education ranks, and 24 percent of participants in a recent cohort (2015–2016) have already “moved up” in the ranks. “These indicators suggest that CIC is helping to meet the leadership needs of higher education by offering highly effective leadership development programs for modest fees to member institutions,” Ekman said.
The Academy is co-sponsored by CIC, the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI), Academic Search, Inc., and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Linda M. Bleicken, president of AALI, will direct the program.
For more information about the Executive Leadership Academy, visit www.cic.edu/ExecutiveLeadershipAcademy.
Simmons College (www.simmons.edu) is a nationally recognized private university located in the heart of Boston, and is the preeminent authority on women’s leadership. Founded in 1899, Simmons is the only undergraduate women’s college in Boston, and maintains a history of visionary thinking and a focus on social responsibility. The college offers world-class coeducational graduate programs in nursing and health sciences, including physical therapy and nutrition; liberal arts; education; behavior analysis; library and information science; management; and social work. Follow Simmons on Twitter at @SimmonsCollege and @SimmonsNews.
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of 768 nonprofit independent colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that has worked since 1956 to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of private higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities as well as conferences, seminars, and other programs that help institutions to improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, and institutional visibility. CIC conducts the largest annual conferences of college and university presidents and of chief academic officers. CIC also provides support to state associations that organize programs and generate contributions for their member colleges and universities. The Council is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.