The Seed Coalition Presidents’ Leadership Retreat is an opportunity for leaders of our member institutions to gather for discussion and reflection.
Since its founding as Campus Compact, membership in Seed Coalition has been a presidential decision. Presidents that make the commitment to Seed Coalition are declaring their campus is dedicated to civic engagement. To honor that pledge, every year leaders of Seed Coalition’s member institutions gather for the Presidents’ Leadership Retreat. This event is an opportunity for the leaders of Seed Coalition member institutions to discuss and reflect on the public purpose of higher education. This gathering is a rare opportunity for leadership from all sectors of higher education to gather and reflect on challenges they face and the opportunity to confront them together.
The 2024 Presidents’ Leadership Retreat
Our 2024 Presidents’ Leadership Retreat will took place on June 5 and 6 in Grinnell, Iowa. This retreat launched a series of discussions which will focus on what it means to be an engaged campus in a rural, midwestern state. Seed Coalition member presidents convened for a day of discussion and deliberation over the impact of the language that we use to describe our democratic principles and voices from each state that speak to the spectrum of impacts colleges and universities play in their communities.
Programming included a presentation by Amy McIsaac, Managing Director of Learning and Exploration, with Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE). PACE’s Civic Language Perceptions Project seeks to understand peoples’ perceptions of the language associated with civic engagement and democracy work. Their most recent survey included an oversample of individuals living in rural states including Minnesota and Iowa. Amy presented on the data and lead conversations on how it impacts our connections with the communities we serve. Following that presentation, a panel of diverse voices from Iowa and Minnesota reflected on the best practices for civic and community engagement.
The Presidents’ Leadership Retreat is an opportunity for reflection and deliberation, so there is always significant time for conversation among Seed Coalition’s member presidents on both days of the retreat.
To RSVP for this event or if you have any questions, reach out to Seed Coalition Executive Director Rob Barron.
