This year the Council of Independent Colleges, CIC, is honoring Kent Chabotar’s years of service with the Academic Achievement Award. It is awarded each year to an administrator or scholar for contributing to excellence in academic affairs.
“Chabotar’s career has blended teaching, research, and administrative service in higher education as well as nonprofits and business,” said CIC Vice President of Communications Laura Wilcox.
The CIC is an organization of 528 private liberal arts colleges. At its annual meeting for academic officers, this weekend in Savannah, Georgia, it will present the award to Chabotar and he will give a seminar on strategic budgeting.
Chabotar has been helping college administrators to improve financial and leadership abilities for 20 years now. Since 1983 when he was on the Faculty of Education at Harvard University, he has taught summer seminars in finance at the university’s Institutes for Higher Education.
What he calls “Presidential Boot Camp,” is the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents. This program includes “five packed days about finances, fundraising and student affairs,” said Chabotar.
The program has taught 500 new college and university presidents including UNCG, Elon, Salem, and Warren Wilson.
Besides the Seminar for New Presidents, Chabotar teaches in three other higher education summer programs at Harvard. They are the Institute for Educational Management, aimed at presidents and vice-presidents and deans who report to presidents, the Management Development Program, geared towards department directors and heads, and the Management and Leadership in Education program for all levels of administration.
The main focus of the last program is on “new ideas in education,” said Chabotar. The president of the UNC system, the A&T Chancellor, and the President of GTCC have been in Chabotar’s classes in one or more of these programs.
His focus on enhancing financial management skills for non-financial managers was a large factor in CIC’s decision to present Chabotar with this award.
“The largest proportion of most college budgets are invested in instruction and academic support,” said Chabotar, “so giving me this award recognizes that money matters in academic affairs and that I had, in some small way, helped to improve that.”
Presidents Chabotar’s years of service to the Harvard institute has allowed him access to a network of college presidents. This network allows him to work closely with other colleges.
In February, Beverly Tatum of Spellman College will come to the Guilford campus while Chabotar goes to Spellman to give talks. A similar program is in the works with Bennett College. “These exchanges are beneficial to both colleges,” said Chabotar.
This award coming in Chabotar’s second year as Guilford’s President is a welcome boost to Guilford’s reputation.
This high level of visibility can only help Guilford, as the conference attendees are also voters in the academic reputation survey in U.S. News and World Report.
“Here are all these deans and presidents getting to know both Guilford and me,” said Chabotar. “This award shows the importance of merging strategy and money; it sends a message to other independent colleges.”
The President of CIC Richard Ekman agreed with Chabotar when he said, “[Kent’s] expertise in strategic budgeting, endowment management, and myriad financial issues has influenced academic leaders, who praise his ability to engage them in a challenging topic.