Regis College is pleased to announce Kate Edney, PhD, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, is one of 41 administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in the 2019–2020 Senior Leadership Academy.

Individuals chosen for the year-long program are leaders in higher education who have been identified by their institutions as having the potential for more senior leadership positions in independent colleges or universities. Dr. Edney will participate in the SLA’s opening seminar in Baltimore, Maryland, November 1-3, 2019, and a closing seminar in Washington, D.C., June 21–23, 2020. 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 academic year.

The Academy is designed 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.

“Because the generation of senior leaders now on campus is rapidly approaching retirement, the need for able new leaders is significant,” 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 Kate Edney has the potential for highly effective leadership in a position of senior responsibility on campus.”

Dr. Edney, who also serves as the associate dean of academic assessment at Regis, has more than twenty years of teaching and administrative experience. She has published numerous scholarly articles as well as the book Teaching History with Musicals. She is a highly regarded and nationally recognized scholar in the fields of history, musical theatre, humanities and academic assessment.

“Kate’s work to spearhead our recent successful reaccreditation process and her dedication to the faculty and students in the School of Arts and Sciences make her an ideal candidate for this leadership academy,” said university President Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN. “Kate joins several members of the Regis administration that have participated in this program and I couldn’t be prouder that she is joining our elite group of leaders.”

Sixty-one percent of participants in the first Senior Leadership Academy cohort (2010–2011) have advanced in their careers, and 28 percent of all participants in SLA thus far have earned more advanced positions. “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), and Academic Search, Inc. Linda M. Bleicken, president of AALI, will direct the program.