Frequently Asked Questions About the Wheelhouse Institutes

Why should college leaders refine their practice at Wheelhouse?

• Success for all students requires strategic reallocation of resources and optimal use of personnel, financial, technological and physical assets.
• The pipeline of future community college leaders is constricted and the turnover rate of current college CEOs is significant, challenging the stability and growth of an essential education and economic system.
• Average CEO tenure is too brief to ensure leaders can support lasting institutional change and improved effectiveness.

How does a CEO become a Wheelhouse Fellow?

• Each cohort is selected based on nominations by our board of advisors and other leaders in the field. We seed diversity of all kinds: professional and educational experience, geography, institutional size and personal background. 
• If you are a current or interim community college or district CEO and are interested in participating or learning more, please tell us here.

What distinguishes the Wheelhouse Institute from other leadership programs?

• The institute provides a high-support, high-challenge environment for learning and leadership development, a small cohort “space” where leaders can test assumptions and cross-pollinate new ideas in a forward-thinking, bias-free, protected environment.
• We emphasize contextual learning through diverse and stimulating inputs and case studies, drawing from a broad range of experts both within and beyond the field of education.
• We provide a unique focus on challenges and opportunities that face leaders in the California context. 

What does the Wheelhouse Institute on Leadership aim to instill?

• Leadership acumen and capabilities for resilient and long-term stewardship.
• The importance of research and actionable strategies/frameworks for decision-making and institutional transformation.
• One-on-one and group feedback-seeking techniques and practices to enhance personal and organizational receptivity to change.
• Ongoing and supportive problem-resolution communications with peers, colleagues, researchers and policy advocates external to CEOs’ home institutions.
• Commitment to facilitating systemic and lasting institutional change – positive disruption.

How do leaders and their organizations benefit from the Wheelhouse Institute on Leadership?

• Development of individual leadership capabilities and organizational capacity for change.
• Strategies for creating a collective intelligence with senior level reports and a college-wide energy for innovation and growth.
• Models and case study references for responding to emerging organizational challenges and issues.
• Access to a community of trusted colleagues and advisors within Wheelhouse and among the Institute cohort.
• Knowledge and skills necessary to support longevity in leadership positions that will ensure the lasting impact of CEO commitment to a college or district