Higher Education Leadership Training

Strengthening Leadership in Higher Education

Transformational university leadership development programs for administrators, faculty, staff, and students are just the beginning.

Leaders in higher education institutions today face unprecedented challenges. Enrollment concerns are just the beginning of a long list that includes tackling shared governance; recruiting, supporting, and evaluating faculty; managing accreditation; evolving instructional techniques; and overseeing digital learning. 

To add even another layer, workforce-ready graduates require more than just technical skills. Students need self-awareness and people skills to collaborate effectively to solve the world’s complex issues.

Stronger leadership in higher education can equip people at all levels of the collegiate experience — from students and staff to faculty and senior-level administrators — to meet these complex challenges.

Improve the leadership capabilities at your institution and the outcomes of your alumni post-graduation with higher education leadership training. Like our K-12 and youth leadership initiatives, our work strengthening leadership in higher education is also funded by partnerships with foundations for philanthropic leadership.

Proven Solutions for Enhancing Leadership in Higher Education

We can partner with you to understand your institutional culture and craft higher education leadership training that makes a significant and lasting impact on your university community.

With a combination of analytics, talent diagnostics, 360 assessments, and other instruments, we can do a deep dive into your people and priorities to help inform your investments in your workforce and your student body.

  • Measurable impact from your investments in university leadership development

Starting from the transformative premise that better culture starts with better conversations, our suite of coaching and conversational skills solutions can help you strengthen the fabric of your entire higher education organization and collegiate community.

Build and scale coaching skills for more candid and productive conversations, more effective solutions to your challenges, and a stronger, more psychologically safe culture of feedback.

  • Human-centered, research-based development experience
  • Transformational, lasting impact

Targeted to equip leaders to meet common challenges faced at every tier of the organization, our time-tested, research-based leadership programs prepare those in leadership roles in higher education to succeed at that level and beyond.

Use our university leadership development programs to build scalable programs for professional development in higher education leadership and develop large cohorts of leaders at once.

  • Available live online, in-person, or through licensing in some cases
  • Flexible, with many available dates and options; and some scholarships available

Go Deeper on Leadership in Higher Education

Explore our researched-backed report on the 5 most important leadership skills for university leaders, and learn how we’re helping administrators, faculty, and staff succeed in the current education landscape.

What Our Clients Are Saying

At CCL, we measure success by lives touched and impact made. That’s why the organizations we work with and the leaders we empower consistently tell us the same thing: their experience with us isn’t just a game-changer, it’s a life-changer. We have helped build stronger leadership in higher education at many institutions, with our university leadership development programs developing committed, successful leaders who in turn transform their organizations and communities.

But don’t just take our word for it — take theirs.

University of Notre Dame
Cal Maritime
Tarrant County College logo
Northwestern University logo

“In just over a year of work together, CCL has given us a theoretical framework for dramatically rethinking our organization… as well as the tools and strategies for translating that framework into action. They do not have a ‘canned’ approach. They know us and our challenges, tailor their programming, and shift as we need them to with speed and consistently high quality of delivery. The gold standard for executive education and professional development.”

Paul LeBlanc

President
Southern New Hampshire University

“A lot of new concepts were introduced, but the way in which they were introduced with the breakout sessions for further dialog really allowed them to hit home with me. I would highly recommend this CCL course for any leader making the transition from an operational mindset to strategic mindset.”

Dave Mitton

Information Technology Director
Lambton College

“When most employees have gone through the program and you have someone focused on the use of the techniques, it does make a difference.

University of Notre Dame

Tamara Freeman

Director of HR Strategy and Effectiveness
The University of Notre Dame

“I have seen a profound impact on my campus and with my team, more clarity in vision, goals, and intentional purpose.”

Tarrant County College logo

Program Participant

Tarrant County College

Impact of Our Partnerships for Higher Education Leadership Training

What participants said about partnering with us for higher education leadership programs for students, faculty, staff, and administrators:

were able to make meaningful connections
1 %
would recommend the course to others
1 %
have been able to apply program lessons to daily life
1 %

Meet Our Leadership in Higher Education Experts

Todd Deal, Ph.D.

Todd Deal, PhD

Senior Faculty

Todd partners with institutions for leadership education and leader development in higher education. Before joining us, his 28-year career in higher education included rising through the faculty ranks to tenured full professor, during which time he also served as Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs and Executive Director for the Office of Leadership & Community Engagement in the Division of Student Affairs at Georgia Southern University.

Preston Yarborough, Ph.D.

Preston Yarborough, PhD

Senior Faculty

Following a decade of work in sales and sales management, and his Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Preston joined us in 2011. Though he has developed expertise with collegiate populations, Preston’s work has spanned a diverse clientele, including educators, scientists, engineers, and healthcare professionals. He has developed a broad spectrum of leaders, ranging from early professionals to middle managers to executives.

Patrice Jackson

Patrice Buckner Jackson, PhD

On-Call Faculty

Beginning her career as a frontline leader in residence life and progressing to a vice president, Patrice has both breadth and depth of experience across the landscape of higher education. She has held strategic roles in Enrollment Management and in Student Affairs, has served as adviser to a number of senior-level university leaders, and has significant experience in building thriving student life units at a number of universities.

Dennis John

Dennis John, PhD

Leadership Solutions Partner, EDI Practice

Dennis has over 20 years of experience in the higher education and nonprofit sectors and is also the chief executive officer of Without Exception (WE), an organization dedicated to helping companies achieve their diversity and inclusion goals. He designs and delivers leadership development initiatives in the field of higher education on topics such as communication, feedback, influence, and diversity, equity & inclusion.

Let’s Talk About Higher Education Leadership Training at Your Institution

Our experts on leadership in higher education are here to help. Get in touch with us about the need for leadership development for college students, faculty, or staff at your college or university.

Leadership in Higher Education: Research & Resources

More About Leadership in Higher Education

Higher Education Leadership Programs for Faculty, Staff & Administrators

When it comes to strengthening leadership in higher education, we can help. We offer higher education leadership training programs for college students, employees, faculty, and administrators that’s designed for their unique environment and specific challenges. Our programs are based on proven models grounded in research, formative evaluation, and impactful learning experiences.

Whether you’re creating your first program or revamping a decades-old initiative, we’re committed to partnering with you to strengthen strategic processes and enhance the leadership capabilities of your college or university.

leadership development for college students

Higher Education Leadership Training: Partnering for Success

We have decades of experience with leadership in higher education, including building the leadership capacity of deans, faculty, and other senior academic leaders; developing emerging and mid-level leader programs for large private and public university staff; delivering multi-campus and system-wide leadership interventions for community colleges; and partnering with institutions on comprehensive undergraduate and graduate-level leadership development initiatives.

Partner with our experts on leadership in the higher education setting to prioritize and solve your short- and long-term issues and create a custom leadership plan and strategy for your institution.

Frequently Asked Questions About Leadership in Higher Education

While workforce-ready graduates must hone their technical skills, they also need to develop their self-awareness and people skills in order to collaborate effectively and solve the world’s increasingly complex issues.

To strengthen leadership in higher education, institutions can leverage higher education leadership training programs to improve leadership capabilities and outcomes of their learners post-graduation. At the Center for Creative Leadership, we have decades of experience crafting leadership training programs to develop emerging and mid-level leaders at large public and private universities; delivering multi-campus and system-wide leadership interventions for community colleges; and partnering with institutions on comprehensive undergraduate and graduate-level leadership development initiatives.

Virtually everyone in the higher education setting can benefit from leadership training — from undergraduates and grad students to adult learners already in the workforce; and from staff and teaching faculty to the highest levels of the university administration. Our proven, research-backed higher education leadership training programs are designed to build leadership capacity across all levels of academia.

Our higher education leadership training programs are designed to target the unique environment and specific challenges faced by college students, university employees, faculty, and administrators in higher education. Our programs help build leadership capacity across all leaders at all levels of your institution, and are based on proven models grounded in research, formative evaluation, and impactful learning experiences.

More questions? Our experts are here to help. Let’s have a conversation!

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