The Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish the GLCA Academic Leadership Fellows Program, an initiative designed to build academic leadership capacity among humanities faculty and expand the breadth of perspectives contributing to institutional decision-making at GLCA institutions.

Through this two-year fellowship, ten humanities faculty from GLCA institutions will engage in immersive leadership experiences tailored to institutional priorities. Fellows will benefit from mentoring, cohort-building, and professional development grounded in self-reflection and strategic self-awareness.

“This program will cultivate the next generation of academic leaders whose humanistic perspectives are essential to ethical, mission-driven leadership in higher education,” said GLCA President Mickey McDonald.

Institutions will nominate promising faculty, and the GLCA will select a cohort representing a range of backgrounds and experiences. The program will begin with a retreat in Spring 2026 with Fellows serving in their campus leadership roles through the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years. Summer leadership development workshops will be held in 2026 and 2027 with a closing retreat held in 2028.