Elmhurst College’s associate dean of the faculty has been selected by the Council of Independent Colleges and the American Academic Leadership Institute to participate in a yearlong Senior Leadership Academy.
Heather Hall is one of only 26 higher-education administrators nationwide to be chosen to take part in the program, which supports mid-level administrators who aspire to senior leadership positions in independent colleges or universities. As a participant, Hall will attend two seminars, one in San Antonio, Texas, in November, and the other in Washington, D.C., next June. She will participate in a mentoring program, experiential learning projects, and a series of readings and case studies.
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,” says Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges. “Competition for the available places in the Academy was intense, and the review committee found the nomination materials to be most impressive. They, and I, believe that Dr. Hall has the potential for highly effective leadership in a position of senior responsibility on campus.”
Hall has worked at Elmhurst College since 1993, when she joined the Department of Kinesiology as an assistant professor. She currently is a full professor in the department. In her role as associate dean of the faculty, Hall is the second senior administrative official responsible for the direction of the College’s academic programs. Her primary responsibilities include managing the daily operation of undergraduate programming, managing off-campus and online offerings in the traditional undergraduate program, chairing the College’s assessment program and overseeing the new faculty orientation and mentoring program.