HAMBURG, N.Y. – Hilbert College is pleased to announce that Dr. Walter Iwanenko, Dean of Adult and Graduate Studies, is one of 28 mid-level administrators in higher education nationwide selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate in a year-long Senior Leadership Academy.
Individuals chosen for the program are administrators in higher education who have been identified by their institutions as having the potential for senior leadership positions in independent colleges or universities. Iwanenko will participate in two seminars, one in Baltimore, Maryland, November 6–8, 2015, and one in Washington, DC, June 23–25, 2016. He also will undertake a mentoring program, work with experts, participate in webinars, and engage in a series of readings and case studies during the 2015–2016 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.
“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,” 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 Walter Iwanenko has the potential for highly effective leadership in a position of senior responsibility on campus.”
Iwanenko is a long-time faculty member and experienced administrator in higher education. As Hilbert’s founding Dean of Adult and Graduate Studies, he oversees the Accelerated Degree Programs and Graduate division. Iwanenko has added several new initiatives to include a graduate student study away program in Budapest, Hungary, a collaboration with Baker Victory Services known as the Residential Administrative Mentoring Program (RAMP), and a partnership with the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce - Better Your Business Speaker Series hosted at Hilbert College. Prior to Hilbert, Iwanenko was chair of the Health Services Administration Department and Business Department at D’Youville College. He has won numerous awards, including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Upstate New York Chapter’s Anne Shuell Inspiration Award and the New York State Occupational Therapy Association Niagara Frontier District’s Merit of Practice Award. He is the founder and former owner of ChildPro of WNY and Monarch Little Learners Academy in Lackawanna, which collectively provided therapeutic services to children with special needs while employing over 180 individuals. He is active in the local community serving on the boards of the Lackawanna Community Development Corporation and Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on Senator Kennedy’s Small Business Advisory Board and the Village of Hamburg’s Economic Development Committee.
Iwanenko holds a doctorate in epidemiology and community health from the University at Buffalo, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in occupational therapy from D’Youville.
Since the program began in the 2010–2011 academic year, 48 percent of participants who have completed the program have experienced upward mobility. “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 and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI). Tom Kepple, president of AALI and president emeritus of Juniata College (PA), is the program director.
For more information about the Senior Leadership Academy, visit www.cic.edu/SeniorLeadershipAcademy.
CIC SENIOR LEADERSHIP ACADEMY PARTICIPANTS, 2015–2016
Jesus Alonso, Holy Cross College (IN)
Susan Bane, Barton College (NC)
Aileen Beard, The College of St. Scholastica (MN)
William Carswell, Coker College (SC)
Jon Christy, Luther College (IA)
James Coyle, Chapman University (CA)
Steven Daniell, Texas Wesleyan University (TX)
Miles Davis, Shenandoah University (VA)
Brian Dietz, Kalamazoo College (MI)
Jonathan Duraj, Wittenberg University (OH)
Wyatt Evans, Drew University (NJ)
Andrew French, Albion College (MI)
Walter Iwanenko, Hilbert College (NY)
Allison Jablonski, Lynchburg College (VA)
David Kenley, Elizabethtown College (PA)
Mark Lee, Spelman College (GA)
Tracy Manier, St. Edward’s University (TX)
Melissa Maxwell-Doherty, California Lutheran University
Julie McIntosh, The University of Findlay (OH)
Michael Orok, Virginia Union University (VA)
Lisa Perfetti, Whitman College (WA)
Chad Pulver, Saint Joseph’s College (IN)
Dawn Remmers, Austin College (TX)
Curt Scheib, Seton Hill University (PA)
James Shriver, Central College (IA)
Maria Tapias, Grinnell College (IA)
Carol Traupman-Carr, Moravian College (PA)
Elizabeth Wolfinger, Meredith College (NC)
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The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of 750 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 improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, and institutional visibility. CIC conducts the largest annual conference of college and university presidents. 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, DC.
The American Academic Leadership Institute provides leadership identification and development programs across all sectors of public and private higher education. AALI creates and implements programs and assistance for academic leaders in various administrative positions enabling them to be successful in their roles and to advance the institutions they serve. In addition, AALI supports research and publications and consults with academic leaders and boards of trustees concerning traditional and emerging issues facing higher education and its governance. Headquartered in Washington, DC, AALI and its predecessor organizations have participated in the advancement of higher education for over 30 years. A subsidiary of AALI, Academic Search Inc. (ASI), one of the nation’s premier search firms since 1976, provides significant funds each year to support AALI leadership development programs. The ASI subsidy allows AALI programs to be offered at a comparatively low price.