Marian Official Selected For Senior Leadership Academy

Marian University is pleased to announce that Dr. Julie Luetschwager, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of institutional effectiveness, is one of 32 mid-level administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in a year-long Senior Leadership Academy.

Individuals chosen for the program are administrators in higher education who have been identified by their institutions as having the potential for senior leadership positions in independent colleges or universities. Luetschwager will participate in two seminars, one in Portland, Oregon, October 31–November 2, 2014, and one in Washington, DC, June 24–26, 2015. She also will undertake a mentoring program, work with experts, participate in webinars and engage in a series of readings and case studies during the 2014–2015 academic year.

The purpose of the Academy is to prepare prospective leaders to assume positions as the chief officers in any division—including academic affairs, student affairs, finance, enrollment management and advancement—in independent higher education.

“The need to prepare future leaders of colleges and universities has never been greater because the generation of people now in senior leadership positions on campus is rapidly approaching retirement,” said CIC President Richard Ekman. “Competition for the available places in the program was intense, and the review committee found the nomination materials to be most impressive. They (and I) believe that Dr. Julie Luetschwager has the potential for highly effective leadership in a position of senior responsibility on campus.”

Luetschwager is the newly appointed associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of institutional effectiveness at Marian University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Viterbo University; her master’s in nursing from Pittsburg State University; and her Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America.

“Throughout my career, I have been working toward my long-range goal of holding a position at the senior leadership level at an institution of higher learning. I have availed myself of educational opportunities to enhance my skills in preparation to achieve my goal,” said Luetschwager. “I am very excited to have been selected as a participant in the Council of Independent Colleges Senior Leadership Academy. It will afford me the opportunity to focus on areas for improvement that are important in a senior leadership role.”

Since the program began in the 2010–2011 academic year, 43 percent of the participants have experienced upward mobility. “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 and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI) with financial support from Academic Search, Inc. and the Henry Luce Foundation. Tom Kepple, president of AALI and president emeritus of Juniata College, is the program director.

For more information about the Senior Leadership Academy, visit http://www.cic.edu/SeniorLeadershipAcademy>”>www.cic.edu/SeniorLeadershipAcademy<_tmp_url_0_>;.