Working at a small, residential liberal arts college is a unique professional environment that asks a great deal of its employees and offers something equally distinctive in return: the chance to shape students’ lives in meaningful ways. The Associated Colleges of the Midwest Succeeding from the Start program is a yearlong, virtual initiative for professionals in the first three years of their career at an ACM member institution. The cohort-based program creates intentional space for participants to explore who they are as emerging leaders, deepen their understanding of how small colleges operate, and connect their talents and values to the needs of the institution they serve.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Across six virtual sessions, participants will learn from guest speakers and peers across ACM campuses about how to take their individual gifts and build them into a broader professional journey. By the end of the year, participants will have a stronger sense of their professional strengths and motivations, a broader understanding of how private liberal arts colleges operate, and growing agency over the contributions they want to make at their college.
Sessions are 90-minute virtual meetings held on the first Friday of each month from October 2026 to June 2027 (excluding January and March).
PARTICIPATION CRITERIA
This program is designed for staff members at ACM member institutions who are within the first three years of their higher education careers. Participants may come from any area of campus, including, but not limited to, student affairs, alumni relations, academic advising, admissions, and communications.
Each college may select up to three (3) participants for the 2026–2027 program. Participants are expected to attend all six sessions and to be fully engaged members of the cohort. Participants must secure their supervisor’s approval before registering.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
- Identify their strengths and motivations to understand how they can contribute to their department and institution.
- Build a deeper understanding of how small liberal arts colleges operate, including their missions, cultures, and decision-making.
- Connect personal values and purpose to the day-to-day realities of their work.
- Develop a forward-looking vision for their professional path and the impact they want to have.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION & PROGRAM DATES
ACM colleges may nominate/select up to three individuals to participate. Selected participants must register by September 15, 2026.
The program consists of six 90-minute, virtual sessions held across the 2026–2027 academic year, all from 10:00–11:30 a.m. CT. Sessions will be held on the following Fridays: October 2, November 6, December 4, February 5, April 2, and May 7.
PROGRAM COSTS
This program is free for all participants. Nominating campuses agree to provide participants with sufficient release time to attend required events and complete associated assignments.
For more information, contact Allen Linton II, ACM Senior Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
