Westminster College's Dr. Jane Wood Selected for National Leadership Development Program

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Dr. Jane Wood, Westminster College vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, is one of 18 senior academic administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in the 2014 Colloquium on Leadership for Chief Academic Officers (CAO).

Supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, the leadership development seminar is designed to foster the perspectives and skills that can lead CAOs to succeed in unpredictable times. Individuals chosen for the program are chief academic officers in higher education who wish to prepare for changes and challenges in the decades ahead, understand complex and unprecedented situations, and further develop strategic wisdom.

As a participant, Wood will attend a seminar July 28-Aug. 1 in Annapolis, Md. John Churchill, secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, will lead the Colloquium, which will engage participants in cases drawn from classical and contemporary readings-ranging from Sophocles to Eudora Welty-and compare them with situations that today's chief academic officers face. Examination, discussion, and reflection will help participants reflect on power, ethics, and responsibility and strengthen their leadership skills.

"The review committee found the nomination materials for the program to be most impressive," said Richard Ekman, president of the CIC. "They (and I) believe that Wood has the potential for highly effective leadership in a position of senior academic responsibility on campus."

Wood earned her master's degree and a doctorate in English from the University of Kansas. Wood received her bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to arriving at Westminster in 2013 she served as the dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Park University in Parkville, Mo. 

The CIC is an association of 744 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 also provides support to state fundraising associations that organize programs and generate contributions for private colleges and universities. The Council is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.

Additional institutions participating in the Colloquium on Leadership include: Central Methodist University, Mo.; Capital University, Ohio; Bryn Athyn College, Pa; North Carolina Wesleyan College, Samford University, Ala.; Becker College, Mass.; Delaware Valley College, Pa.; Augsburg College, Minn.; Mount Marty College, S.D.; Pacific Oaks College, Calif.; Carroll College, Mont.; Hope College, Mich.;Whitworth University, Wash.; Grand View University, Iowa; Hartwick College N.Y.; Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii; and Washington and Lee University, Va.

For more information about the Colloquium on Leadership for Chief Academic Officers, visit www.cic.edu/CAOLeadershipColloquium. 

Contact Dr. Jane Wood at 724-946-7122 or email for additional information.

Dr. Jane Wood, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.