Organizations tend to resist change, making it hard for leaders to implement new ideas and respond quickly to emerging challenges and opportunities. In higher education, the problem is compounded by the need to work with multiple constituencies, some of them capable of slowing an initiative or even derailing it completely. eCornell and the Institute for Community College Development (ICCD) at Cornell University have developed a new program specifically designed to help leaders in higher education build support for their ideas and reduce organizational resistance to change. Proactive Leadership in Higher Education is a four-course certificate series to be offered through the eCornell online education program and facilitated by Dr. Barbara Viniar, Executive Director of the ICCD and former president of Berkshire Community College.

"We have taken Cornell Professor Sam Bacharach's outstanding courses in Proactive Leadership and augmented them with content that specifically addresses the unique challenges faced by leaders in higher education," said Dr. Viniar. "The result is an outstanding program that provides a framework for leaders who must create change and teaches them how to get things done."

Chris Proulx, eCornell's CEO, said "eCornell is thrilled to work with the ICCD to develop this special program designed to help leaders of institutions of higher education learn the skills necessary to build coalitions and gather support to implement necessary change."

The program's first cohort session is scheduled to begin April 27, 2005. The cost of the program for an individual is $2500. Discounts are available for groups attending from the same institution.

For more information about this program, call 1-866-eCornell (1-866-326-7635) to speak to an enrollment counselor.

About ICCD: The ICCD is a partnership between Cornell University and the State University of New York. Its mission is to enhance the capacity of community colleges to support and meet the needs of their students and their communities.

About eCornell: Established and wholly-owned by Cornell University, eCornell has the most comprehensive online professional and executive development curriculum offered by any top-20 university in the United States. eCornell provides exceptional online learning experiences tailored for professional and executive development in the areas of strategy, leadership and management development, human resources, financial management, and hospitality management. Collaboration between Cornell faculty experts and learning and user-experience designers provide for engaging, rigorous, and interactive learning.