PRESIDENT & CHANCELLOR PROGRAMMING
As an organization that was founded by presidents and chancellors, CUMU offers programming specifically for presidents and chancellors of CUMU member institutions. These unique opportunities provide an intimate space for presidents and chancellors to learn and converse with leaders in the field about important issues impacting higher education.
CUMU Conference programming
The CUMU Conference is a unique opportunity to join higher education leaders from diverse institutions as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of strengthening our campuses and communities. Presidential programming at the annual conference includes a Presidents’ Dinner, Presidents’ Council meeting, networking opportunities, and sessions presented by presidents and chancellors.
2026 CUMU Conference: Anchored in Purpose
November 8–11, Houston, TX
Past programming
Facilitator: Ellen Neufeldt, President, California State University, San Marcos
Higher education continues to be the strongest avenue for upward social and economic mobility and, as CUMU institutions, we have a unique and significant role to play in serving diverse students and helping them succeed across the graduation finish line. With COVID-19 and its many interconnected impacts continuing to place barriers in front of students, how are we rethinking our services, programs and other student-facing processes with fresh eyes and a student-ready perspective?
Facilitator: Ginny Arthur, president, Metropolitan State University
What are you observing about students’ preferences and needs as the pandemic recedes? Are you recalibrating curriculum, course offerings and student services? What are you learning about how to best serve students and support their educational success in a post pandemic world?
Facilitator: Mushtaq Gunja, executive director of Carnegie Classifications, ACE
Join us for a conversation with Mushtaq Gunja, new executive director of the Carnegie Classifications at ACE, about the future of the Carnegie Classification systems and the development of the Social and Economic Mobility classification. For CUMU member presidents and chancellors only, this conversation is an opportunity to learn more about the framework for the development of this new classification and to provide input.
Facilitator: Kristin Sobolik, chancellor, University of Missouri–St. Louis
The covid pandemic has led to changes in student demographics and enrollment, technological advances in course delivery options, and workforce needs and expectations around remote work. These changes have put pressure on traditional bricks and mortar campuses and space usage. This discussion will center on what leaders are thinking with regards to space and what they are actually doing.
About Chancellor Kristin Sobolik
Kristin Sobolik serves as the 8th Chancellor of the University of Missouri–St. Louis. With nearly 16,000 students, UMSL is the premier public research university in eastern Missouri and one of the nation’s leading anchor institutions promoting student success, innovation and thriving communities.
Sobolik was recruited to UMSL in 2017 to serve as its Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and after a nationwide search was appointed Chancellor in 2020. As the chief academic and executive officer, Sobolik has enhanced the university’s research and fundraising efforts – resulting in a 57 percent increase in research expenditures over the past five years and a 21 percent increase in private philanthropy.
Additionally, Sobolik has elevated the stature of UMSL’s inclusion, research and community engagement efforts by appointing first-ever vice chancellors for diversity, equity and inclusion and research and economic/community engagement, aligning the support structure of the university with goals of its strategic plan.
Sobolik began her academic career at the University of Maine, quickly distinguishing herself as a teacher, scholar and administrator in the Department of Anthropology, world-renowned Climate Change Institute and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, where she ultimately served as Associate Dean for Research and External Affairs.
Sobolik earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Iowa and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology at Texas A&M University. She is an interdisciplinary scholar who has helped develop the fields of archaeobiology and paleonutrition, with more than 100 publications, books and presentations on the topic. She and her husband, Dr. Scott D. Peterson, reside in St. Louis and have four children.
Facilitator: Steve Percy, president, Portland State University
With 30+ years of experience in university-community engagement in place, how do we advance to the next level in our institutions? How can universities pursue an integrated engagement effort? How do we build a community of knowledge around effective engagement practice? How do we authentically assess the true impact of engagement on campus and community partners?
About President Percy
Now in his fourth decade as an educator and leader, PSU President Stephen Percy has dedicated his career to fostering vibrant connections between universities and the communities they serve.
An expert in public policy, administrative ethics and urban politics, Percy is known for his ability to advance civic engagement and create innovative solutions by linking the skills and capacity of universities to the knowledge and energy of communities. He believes in using collaborative, interdisciplinary applied research to facilitate university-community partnerships that solve problems and improve the quality of life.
Passionate about promoting educational access for all students, President Percy has worked extensively with diverse, urban-serving universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Baltimore, where he was founding dean of the College of Public Affairs. He joined PSU to lead the College of Urban & Public Affairs in 2014, was appointed PSU’s interim president in 2019 and named president in 2020.
President Percy has authored two books about disability rights and civil rights and co-authored four books and the textbook “American Government: The Political Game.” At PSU, Percy led several campus-wide initiatives, including the planning process that resulted in priorities and goals for PSU from 2016-2020.
As PSU celebrates its 75th anniversary, Percy and his leadership team are taking a close look at how the university can expand and deliver upon its access mission by building anti-racist practices and policies.
In 2021, CUMU announced a new series of webinars exclusively for CUMU presidents and chancellors, each designed to foster conversations on how to best address the challenges and opportunities related to public safety and criminal justice on our campuses and in our communities.
Public safety and criminal justice training, degree programs, and institutes
Presenters: Bob Mong, president, University of North Texas Dallas and Kurt Schmoke, president, University of Baltimore
Public safety and policing on campus
Presenters: Thomas Parham, president, California State University, Dominguez Hills; Steve Percy, president, Portland State University; Kim Schatzel, president, Towson University
Relationships between institutions and their local police forces and agencies
Presenters: Devorah Lieberman, president, University of La Verne; Mark Rosenberg, president, Florida International University