The award honors Willingham for her years of service to the CIC’s Chief Academic Officers Task Force. Members of the task force develop programs and chair sessions at the annual institute, which brings together chief academic officers from across the country to learn with and from each other about the most important issues facing their institutions. Some of those topics include leadership development for faculty and staff, data-informed decision making to support students and faculty, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Willingham served a three-year term on the task force from 2022-25 and chaired it from 2024-25. She has also chaired the women administrators’ lunch since 2023.

“As a first-generation college graduate who feels it’s my calling to make change and create access and opportunity for students from similar backgrounds, this award is not just a recognition, but an affirmation that I’m doing the right work and living out my calling,” she said. “It’s great to feel that affirmation and support around me.”

While in Indianapolis, Willingham met with provosts and deans from to hear what’s happening at other Mennonite schools and problem-solve similar challenges and opportunities. She served on two panels during the institute. One featured chief academic officers reflecting on the leadership challenges they encountered while leading major academic restructuring efforts. The other, a closing plenary panel, explored key lessons officers have learned over time and shared ways they could support each other to be more successful. Willingham attended the conference with Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success for EMU.

“This year’s meeting was impactful in many ways,” Willingham said. “The focus was on unlocking student success: hearing and witnessing the ways in which so many of our institutions are pushing up against traditional silos to support students and using technology to engage students in their success. It was exciting to represent EMU, our mission, who we are, and the ways in which we’re serving our students and supporting student success.”

Although the annual conference is not one that students attend, Willingham said that EMU students made a presence through two videos. Recorded interviews with alumna Meredith Lehman ’25, EMU’s first Rhodes Scholar, and Makinto, an Eastern Mennonite Seminary student, were shown throughout the event. “To see EMU and the voice of our students represented as part of the conference was wonderful,” Willingham said.

About CIC

The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils, and higher education affiliates that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. It offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility. Learn more at .

About the Institute for Chief Academic Officers

Each year, the Institute for Chief Academic Officers invites deans, provosts, and other chief academic officers and leaders from across the country to engage in conversation and collaboration. The theme of this year’s conference was “Building Places of Promise: Unlocking Student Success” and addressed critical issues such as navigating academic freedom, managing campus conflict, preparing students for meaningful careers, and thoughtfully integrating AI on campus.

The success has been broad-based, with grants coming from a diverse range of sources, including federal agencies, foundations, and professional associations. This mix of funding highlights the wide-ranging impact of research and programs at EMU, and positions the university as a leader in multiple fields. The results of these grants have helped support student success initiatives and professional development opportunities, and provide resources for staff and faculty roles. 

Among the notable recent achievements:

• The National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM Grant provides scholarships and support services for high-achieving, income-eligible STEM majors. This grant helps create a greater sense of belonging and opens new pathways for students in critical fields. It supports a STEM mentorship program, an eight-week paid internship, free conference attendance, and meets unmet financial need up to $15,000. 
• The HRSA BHWET Mental Health grant provides $25,000 stipends for 59 counseling students in internships from Fall 2025 through Spring 2029, while expanding their partnerships and services to schools and clinical sites in areas such as Page County, Virginia, and Pendleton County, West Virginia. The grant also funds conference registration and travel reimbursement for internship students and provides specialized training in telehealth, integrated behavioral health in primary care, and trauma-informed care.
• A SAMHSA grant addresses mental health support, suicide prevention, and substance abuse prevention and education among EMU undergraduate students. This is a critical initiative that provides vital support services and programming to the campus community. Royals RISE is the name of the program tasked with implementing the grant objectives and goals. 
• A DOJ Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) grant designed to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking at EMU. The OVW grant is the third iteration of a grant that EMU has had since 2017. Safer Together is the name of the EMU program that collaborates with community and campus partners to enhance its safety.

Foundation and association grants

• The supports interfaith dialogue and religious literacy initiatives that align with EMU’s commitment to peacebuilding and cross-cultural understanding. 
• The Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grant: Funding from the Council for Independent Colleges supports the development and expansion of EMU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, providing faculty with enhanced resources for pedagogical innovation and student success strategies.
• The supports EMU’s distinctive approach to vocation and calling, funding programming that helps students discern their life’s work through the integration of faith, learning, and service. 
• Lilly Endowment Grants support EMU’s commitment to vocation exploration and faith integration in higher education. The university has benefited from many Lilly grants that have enabled innovative programming that connects academic study with personal calling and community service. 
• A Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Grant expands training opportunities for students pursuing chaplaincy and pastoral care ministries, reinforcing EMU’s commitment to holistic care and spiritual formation. This grant, in collaboration with Palm Beach University, funds the training of a Resident as a Certified Educator to teach in EMU’s CPE program and expand its capacity for offering CPE units.

Together, these grants represent more than $5.6 million in support for EMU’s mission-driven work. They affirm the dedication of EMU’s faculty and staff and the potential of its students.