Call for Nominations to the President’s Leadership Institute

From Andrew T. Hsu, President:

I am pleased to encourage division heads to nominate participants for the 2025–2026 Cohort of the President’s Leadership Institute (PLI). As part of the College’s Strategic Plan: Pillar Three Employee Experience & Success, the PLI seeks to develop leaders for greater effectiveness in support of the College’s mission and vision.

The PLI is a development opportunity that takes place throughout the 2025–2026 academic year where participants will learn about various leadership styles, essential topics and trends in both higher education and at the College of Charleston. Members of the College’s leadership team will share their expertise in topics ranging from strategic planning and leadership; admissions; fundraising; finances; and the academic, student and employee experiences.

Importantly, to deepen leaders’ effectiveness and help them thrive in their personal life, work and leadership, the program incorporates an integrative leadership assessment, three confidential one-on-one executive coaching sessions for participants to truly examine their personal fulfillment, and capabilities for positive impact, to actively challenge themselves, and learn how to evolve individual and collective consciousness and competence for both personal and professional growth.

Participants accepted into the program must attend all sessions of the PLI and networking events, take a leadership assessment, create a leadership development plan, engage in executive coaching sessions and complete a service-learning project.

Employees nominated for the PLI must be permanent full-time employees in leadership roles with responsibilities for managing employees and budgets and who have been employed at the College for at least one year. Given the success of our inaugural cohort, I am thrilled that many want to participate in this program, and so to ensure that we are fair to all – we have a robust nomination and selection process that I endorse and commit to holding all of us accountable to follow.

Recommendations for participation in the program will be made by the vice presidents or deans in the respective areas to their division head. Division heads will make the decision about who to nominate from their area. Final selections will be reviewed and approved by the PLI Steering Committee.

If you meet the criteria and are interested in being nominated by your division head, please speak with your supervisor. Nominations by division heads must be submitted as soon as possible and no later than September 12, 2025, as the program begins on October 2nd. This is a firm deadline, and we will be unable to extend the nomination period.

We are working in a time of unprecedented complexity, disruption and change. I am excited about this program because it will help prepare leaders to face our future with enhanced acumen to make wise decisions for themselves, their teams and our larger campus community.