One of three current strategic projects, the GLCA Academic Leadership and Innovation (GALI) series is the signature GLCA program that provides professional development and supporting communities of practice for faculty and administrators to become institutional stewards with the skills and institutional knowledge needed to provide leadership on programs, projects, and strategic priorities of the institution. Building on over two decades of workshops focused primarily on mid-career faculty, the GALI series has expanded to support multiple constituencies with programming delivered using multiple modalities.

GLCA currently offers the following in the GALI series:

Department Chair GALI

An in-person weekend-long workshop usually held in the fall. Each CAO nominates up to three new or relatively new department chairs to participate. Objectives of the workshop include:

• • • Reviewing challenges and opportunities faced by our types of institutions
    • Providing a broad understanding of institutional operations, decisions, and budgeting
    • Exploring skills, tools and strategies to address a range of roles department chairs play
    • Fostering a leadership mindset in support of the department and the institution

Prior Department Chair GALI workshops were offered in fall 2022 and fall 2023, as well as in various iterations prior to the current strategic plan.

Administrator GALI

This program consists of an in-person two-day workshop followed by a series of virtual sessions throughout the academic year. The first Administrator GALI was held in 2023-24. Institutional leadership nominates up to three administrators to participate. Objectives of the workshop include:

• • • Providing administrators with an institution-wide understanding of institutional operations and decision making through a review of the workings, priorities, and challenges of five administrative divisions
    • Developing administrators to be institutional stewards who can provide leadership around key institutional issues
    • Prepare administrators to plan for their future direction(s) in higher education, aligned with their personal and professional values and in support of their institution’s priorities

GALI Summit on Student Academic Success

The GLCA will hold a GALI Summit focused on student preparedness and academic success February 23-25, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  At this GALI summit, campus teams will come together to share best practices, explore innovative pedagogical and co-curricular approaches and effective strategies to cultivate a culture where all students can succeed.  Additional information coming soon.

Pop-Up GALI

The Pop-Up GALI is a one-day in-person workshop focused on institutional budgeting and other key leadership development priorities of the host institution or region. Faculty, staff, and administrators from the host institution, as well as other GLCA institutions in that particular region gather together for this event. An institution interested in hosting a Pop-Up GALI should contact GLCA President Mickey McDonald ([email protected]).

Fall 2024-Kalamazoo College (with guests from Albion College and Hope College).
Spring 2025-DePauw and Wabash Colleges
Fall 2025-Kenyon College

More Information

With advice from institutional leadership, the GLCA will continue to develop programs for various constituencies and utilizing multiple modalities to meet the evolving needs of our institutions and their faculty and administrators.

For more information on this signature GLCA program, contact Mickey McDonald ([email protected]).