Randolph vice president, chief of staff selected for CIC leadership academy

Wes Fugate

Randolph College is pleased to announce that Wesley R. Fugate, vice president and chief of staff, is one of 23 senior-level administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in the 2016–2017 Executive Leadership Academy.

Individuals chosen for the year-long program are vice presidents or cabinet officers in higher education who may wish to consider a presidency of an independent college or university. Fugate will participate in two seminars in Washington, D.C.; the opening seminar will take place July 11–13, and the closing seminar will be held June 19–21, 2017. He also will engage in readings, webinars, and a mentoring program. In addition, he will develop a professional experiential learning plan focused on specific areas of presidential responsibility.

The Academy is intended to help prepare provosts and 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 Wes Fugate has the potential for highly effective leadership as a college or university president.”

At Randolph, Fugate oversees the Office of the President, the Office of College Relations, and serves as strategic advisor to the president and is the secretary of the Board of Trustees.

Fifty-nine percent of participants in the first Executive Leadership Academy cohort (2009–2010) have since advanced in the higher education ranks, and 34 percent of participants in a recent cohort (2014–2015) 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), and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Tom Kepple, president of AALI and president emeritus of Juniata College (PA), is the program director.

For more information about the Executive Leadership Academy, visit www.cic.edu/ExecutiveLeadershipAcademy.