SHREVEPORT, LA – Dr. Karen Soul, provost and dean of the college at Centenary, has been selected as one of 36 higher education leaders to participate in the Executive Leadership Academy (ELA) sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). Soul began the year-long program at a seminar last week in Washington, D.C.
“I am honored to have been selected for the Council of Independent College’s Executive Leadership Academy,” said Soul “The opening seminar in Washington, D.C. provided me with the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across the United States as we explored topics like strategic planning and legislative changes in higher education. I am truly looking forward to this experience and am proud to represent Centenary College.”
The ELA is a selective program that prepares experienced provosts and vice presidents to take on positions of greater responsibility, including as college presidents. Centenary president Dr. Christopher L. Holoman nominated Soul and will serve as her mentor during the program, which incorporates individualized executive coaching, peer-to-peer participant-led webinars, regional gatherings, and a second culminating seminar in Washington, D.C. in June 2024.
“Dr. Soul is a great leader on campus and is also well-respected by her peers in higher education,” said Holoman. “We already have a wonderful collegial relationship and I am looking forward to this opportunity to work with Karen to expand and hone her skills as a senior leader and prepare her for whatever her future holds.”
Since 2009, more than 100 participants who completed the ELA program have been appointed as presidents or chancellors, with many more advancing to other senior-level positions. The program is designed to give senior higher education professionals the tools needed to serve as leaders in the effort to transform higher education in ways that better serve students and communities.
