Note: The Leading Change Institute is currently in hiatus to allow the program sponsors time to substantively assess the Institute. As in 2010, when an earlier program refresh saw the Frye Leadership Institute evolve into the Leading Change Institute, CLIR and EDUCAUSE will consult with program alumni and leaders in the field of higher education as part of this process.
If you’re interested in attending or sending a staff member to a future Institute, we encourage you to sign up for our mailing list to be informed of updates. We’ll also post news here on our website. And if you have questions or feedback you’d like us to take into consideration, please reach out to Lizzi Albert at lalbert@clir.org.
The information below is from the 2022 application cycle and is provided for reference only.
Apply
Table of Contents
Application Requirements
Application system
Note that all application materials must be submitted through the online system – please do not mail materials in hard copy. Any questions about the application requirements or online system can be directed to Lizzi Albert.
Application contents
Cover Letter
A cover letter (two pages maximum) should address the selection committee and include the following:
- Identify your interest in being a leader in higher education.
- Summarize your experience. If you have previously participated in the Leading Change/Frye Leadership Institute, identify which class and describe the impact the experience has had on your career.
Statement of Purpose
Your statement of purpose (no more than two pages) should address the following topics:
- From your perspective, what are the top three issues facing higher education today? Why?
- What are your own institution’s priorities and challenges with regard to leveraging information and technologies for the benefit of the entire organization? If there was one thing you could change about your institution, what would it be; and what is the one unique aspect of your institution you would like to keep?
Letter of Support
Provide a letter that speaks to your readiness and ability to be a national leader in higher education. This letter might come from a colleague who knows you well, a supervisor whose work you admire, or a mentor who demonstrates a method of leadership you find inspirational. This individual could be a leader at your own institution, such as your president, chancellor, or dean; or someone at another institution with whom you’ve worked closely.
Curriculum Vitae
Include a short (no more than two pages) CV in your application.
Selection Process
Acceptance to the Leading Change Institute is made through a competitive application process. The selection committee, composed of senior staff at CLIR and EDUCAUSE, seeks to create a participant group with diverse experience, background, and perspectives. The goal of the Leading Change Institute is to prepare participants for a depth and breadth of experiences that can be leveraged to advocate for, initiate and lead change as the higher education landscape evolves.
Successful applications to the Institute include polished, professional cover letters and statements of purpose, and strong letters of support. Through the application, the selection committee seeks to learn an applicant’s background and to hear in the applicant’s own words how he or she expresses the willingness and ability to serve the higher education community in a leadership capacity in the future. The most competitive applications reflect the applicant’s ability to think in big-picture terms. They display deeply thoughtful examinations of the higher education landscape and provide the selection committee members with compelling evidence that the applicant has sought out and been successful in leadership roles, and has engaged with the community to an extent that the committee has confidence that they are familiar with, and can envision the challenges and opportunities within, a wider context than just that represented by their home institution (or, in the case of a person who has worked at more than one, institutions). They demonstrate that the applicant is an individual who understands teamwork and is interested in and skilled at building relationships; a person who can engage collegially, collaboratively and productively with a wide variety of individuals from all kinds of backgrounds and at all levels of higher education, including e.g. students, professional peers, faculty and scholars, provosts, and presidents, and also those who do not themselves work in institutions of higher education but may work with them, such as government officials, journalists, those at for-profit institutions, and funders.
The acceptance rate to the Institute varies, as every year’s application pool is unique; the average acceptance rate is 46%. Individuals whose applications to the Institute have been unsuccessful in previous years are encouraged to revise and resubmit their applications as their careers progress and they can provide ever-stronger evidence of their readiness to lead.
Tuition
Tuition for the 2022 Leading Change Institute is $6,500. Payment is due by June 15, 2022.* In addition to the program activities, tuition for the Institute includes the following:
- Lodging for up to six nights
- Breakfast: five days
- Lunch: six days
- Dinner: one day
The costs of transportation to and from the Institute location, for additional nights in the conference hotel, and for meals not listed above are the responsibility of the participant.
* If you are accepted to the 2022 LCI and find you cannot participate in July, you may elect to participate in the 2023 LCI or request a refund. Any tuition fees already paid will be refunded in full as long as written notification is made to CLIR by July 5, 2022. Withdrawals after July 5, 2022 will result in a refund excepting any fees charged to CLIR by the conference venue on the participant’s behalf.
Scholarships and Discounts
CLIR sponsor institution discount
Participants from CLIR sponsor institutions selected to attend the Leading Change Institute are automatically eligible for a $500 discount to the LCI. The recipient must be a staff member at a CLIR sponsor institution at both the time of award and for the duration of the LCI. One participant per sponsor, per year. No additional application materials are required to receive this discount.
