Chief Academic Officers
2023 Chief Academic Officers Conference
The University of Today: Rising to Our Times
Saturday, February 4, 2023
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (EST)
The Capital Hilton Hotel | Washington, DC (immediately before our 2023 Annual Meeting)
Universities are very different than they were in March 2020. Enrollment trends, the quality of on-line instruction, remote work for faculty, and tighter budgets have shaped the university of today. The Chief Academic Officer needs agility, openness to change, and creative flexibility to lead during this post-COVID time. How do we become an agile campus? How do we think differently, do differently, and move forward? How are we being creatively flexible? How do we define shared governance and how do we operationalize it for these times?
Come join your colleagues from Catholic institutions across the nation as we tackle these questions together at this conference designed specifically for Chief Academic Officers and their key staff.
Sponsored by

Schedule At-A-Glance
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. |
Registration and breakfast |
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. |
Keynote: Bryan Alexander
Bryan Alexander is a futurist specializing in the future of higher education. A speaker, consultant, and writer, he is also a senior scholar at Georgetown University where he teaches seminars in the Learning, Design, and Technology program. He curates the Future Trends Forum and is the author of (most recently) Universities on Fire and Academia Next, from Johns Hopkins University Press.
|
10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. |
Break |
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. |
Panel Discussion: Shared Governance
DeBrenna Lafa Agbenyiga, Provost, Stonehill College
Gail Baker, Provost, University of San Diego
David Dausey, Provost, Duquense University
Hesham El-Rewini, Provost, Marymount University
Chris Sindt, Provost, Lewis University
|
11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Break |
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
Working Lunch with Roundtable Discussions
|
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. |
Breakout Sessions
- Achieving Success as a New Chief Academic Officer in Catholic Higher Education
Facilitators:
Chris Sindt, Provost, Lewis University
DeBrenna Lafa Agbenyiga, Provost, Stonehill College
- Should I Stay or Should I Go: Deciding Next Steps in the Careere of a Chief Academic Officer
Facilitator: Matthew J. Kilcoyne, Principal, AGB Search
|
2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. |
Break |
2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
Wrap Up |
Many thanks to our 2023 Chief Academic Officers Conference Planning Committee members for their assistance in planning this year's conference!
DeBrenna Lafa Agbenyiga, Provost, Stonehill College
Gail Baker, Provost, University of San Diego, Planning Committee Co-Chair
David Dausey, Provost, Duquense University, and Planning Committee Co-Chair
Hesham El-Rewini, Provost, Marymount University
Chris Sindt, Provost, Lewis University
Check out last year's conference highlights!
2022 Conference Details & Resources
The CAO plays a unique role in advancing Catholic identity among academic staff. ACCU offers a variety of resources to help individuals in this role:
- Strengthening Catholic Identity – CAOs: This short brochure summarizes the role of the CAO in advancing the Catholic identity of a college or university.
- CAOs may be interested in Catholic Identity Mission Assessment (CIMA), a new initiative that will help ACCU member institutions understand how Catholic higher education adds distinct value to the student experience.
- Each year, ACCU offers a conference specially designed for chief academic officers. Stimulating speakers and roundtable discussions at this gathering help attendees address contemporary needs. See below for information on the most recent conference.