The HERS Leadership Institute

Become the Leader You Were Meant to Be.

A Leadership Development Program for Higher Ed Professionals

Calling all current participants! Attending an HLI this year and looking for answers to your Frequently Asked Questions? Visit the HLI FAQs page!

The HERS Leadership Institute is a transformational, leadership development program for higher education professionals, founded to fill leadership pipelines across the United States with dynamic leaders, each capable of ushering their respective institutions into a more inclusive and equitable future.

Participants are asked to share their vision of leadership and what they hope to contribute to their respective institutions and are then challenged to develop the skills to actualize their professional vision. As a non-competitive space, participants are also encouraged to champion the growth of other participants. Alums of the HERS Leadership Institute (HLI) emerge more confident and skilled at leading with their unique voice, providing institutions and the higher education sector overall with a much-needed infusion of bold new leadership.

The HERS Leadership Institute is an inclusive program, with a focus on women and people who are gender diverse. All HERS programs and services are open to all regardless of gender identity.

The HERS Difference

Join a diverse network of 6,000+ alumnae nationwide.

Increase your campus visibility and unleash your voice to influence positive institutional change.

Choose a format that best fits your busy life and preferred learning style.

Find the Right HERS Leadership Institute for You

We offer two summer institutes, both of which occur over a 9-day, intensive period. We also offer a weekend version of our institute that spreads out the curriculum over three weekends during the academic year. See below for dates and locations of our three HERS Leadership Institutes.

Summer Intensive HLI

Applications for the Summer 2024 Institutes are now closed. Please see below for important deadlines and decision notification dates.

9 consecutive days

June 4 – 13, 2024
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
or
July 24 – August 2, 2024
University of Denver, Denver, CO

Early-Decision Program Fee:¹
$8,800*
Regular Program Fee:¹
$9,300*

* Please note that Room and Board Fees are in addition to the Program Fee. The 2024 Summer Intensive HLI Room and Board Fee is $1,200, and includes 9 nights of lodging, 6 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 2 dinners. Lodging accommodations for our summer programs are in a campus residence hall. 

¹ HERS is a nonprofit organization. The Program Fee helps defray our venue and program facilitator expenses, as well as various administrative costs, while the Room and Board Fee covers lodging and meals for program participants. Please review our GuideStar profile for further information about our financials and nonprofit status.


Applications now open!

To download a PDF of the application questions, please click here.

Weekend HLI

Announcing the 24-25 WHLI!

3 staggered weekends, 9 program days in total

2025 Dates:

Weekend 1: Arrive Jan 15th and depart on Jan 19th 
Weekend 2: Arrive Feb 26th and depart on Mar 2nd
Weekend 3: Arrive Apr 2nd and depart on Apr 6th

Location: Airlie in Warrenton, VA (45 mins west of D.C.)

Early-Decision Program Fee:¹
$9,000*
Regular Program Fee:¹
$9,500*

*Please note that room and board fees are in addition to the Program Fee. The 2025 Weekend HLI Room and Board Fee is $2,256, and includes 12 nights of lodging at Airlie, 9 breakfasts, 9 lunches, and 3 dinners. 

¹ HERS is a nonprofit organization. The Program Fee helps defray our venue and program facilitator expenses, as well as various administrative costs, while the Room and Board Fee covers lodging and meals for program participants. Please review our GuideStar profile for further information about our financials and nonprofit status.


Applications now open!

To download a PDF of the application questions, please click here.

Submit Your Application by the early deadline to receive a $500 discount!

The HLI Curriculum: Learning Objectives

At the HERS Leadership Institute, you will learn more about your institution, assess your network and connections, and develop a richer appreciation for your unique leadership capabilities. We will primarily spend time developing skills related to managing and leading a successful change process within your institutional setting. We will discuss topics that bridge the gap between faculty, staff, and students — and cover four main learning outcomes:

Self-Knowledge

 

Participants are first asked to share their vision of leadership and what they hope to contribute to their institution. They then develop the leadership skills necessary to actualize their vision. Through this process, each participant develops a richer appreciation for their unique leadership capabilities.

Institutional Awareness

Our facilitators, as both practitioners and scholars, provide practical, evidence-based approaches to operating within an institutional context. The cohort is presented with real-life case studies to dissect and discuss, and participants are invited to share their own knowledge or experiences to increase the diversity of thought.

Networking

 

As a non-competitive space, participants are encouraged to champion the growth of all members of their cohort, building personal and professional bonds that will last a lifetime. Collectively, these cohorts form the backbone of the HERS Network, an invaluable resource for alumnae throughout their career.

Practical Application

Throughout the Leadership Institute, participants apply their lessons to a self-designed Leadership Project, which they can then pursue on campus in their current role. These personal case studies in organizational change demonstrate the readiness of alums to lead. Click here to download a more detailed description of the leadership project.

HLI Facilitators: Subject-Matter Experts

One of the distinguishing features of the HERS Leadership Institute are the facilitators and panelists, practitioners and scholars each, who are hand-picked based on their breadth of experience and scholarly work. They are proven leaders, including current and former chief executive officers and key campus leaders who share research, strategies, and techniques, oftentimes bringing real-life situations and case studies to life for participants to dissect and discuss.

Areas of expertise include but are not limited to the following topics:

HERS event

Who This Program is For

The HERS Leadership Institute is a transformational leadership development program for higher education professionals. The HERS Leadership Institute is designed for faculty and staff who generally hold mid-to-senior level positions in higher education and have a desire to emerge as more dynamic leaders for themselves and their institutions. The HERS Leadership Institute is an inclusive program, with a focus on women and people who are gender diverse. All HERS programs and services are open to all regardless of gender identity.

Meeting with HERS group

This setting replicates what could happen on campus if faculty, staff, and administrators were all working together, allowing everyone to gain insight into the unique perspectives of each role and learn from one another.

Participants will represent a range of racial and ethnic groups, gender identities, nationalities, veteran and disability statuses, religious affiliations, ages, and years of experience in higher education, thereby broadening the range of perspectives and insights brought to each session.

Why Apply and Why Now

During this critical moment for higher education, we recognize the pivotal impact that institutional leaders can make. Higher education needs bold leaders like you, who are committed to making a difference and creating more equitable learning opportunities for all. Leverage newfound skills and confidence to help your institution, your peers, and your students navigate new challenges and opportunities. Submit your application for the HERS Leadership Institute today and become one of the changemakers needed to usher higher education into the future.

In honor of the birthday of Dr. Lilli S. Hornig (1921-2017), renowned scientist and the first Executive Director of HERS.

Contributions of any amount make a difference and will count toward our goal of securing 103 gifts in honor of Dr. Hornig’s 103rd birthday.

Delivered through face-to-face video instruction (powered by Zoom) and asynchronous content housed in our LMS.

July 6 – 18, 2020
Virtual

Applications now being accepted.

 

$7,699

How will the virtual experience work? Our subjects and speakers have not changed. We will use a mix of on-demand video, networking exercises, and interactive real-time sessions to deliver a transformative experience with greater work-life flexibility.

Deadline
Extended 05/01/2020 (5 p.m. MT)

Request More Info Apply Now

June 8 – 20, 2020
Virtual

Applications now being accepted.

 

$7,699

How will the virtual experience work? Our subjects and speakers have not changed. We will use a mix of on-demand video, networking exercises, and interactive real-time sessions to deliver a transformative experience with greater work-life flexibility.

 

Deadline
Extended 05/01/2020 (5 p.m. MT)

Request More Info Apply Now

Weekends (Sep, Nov, Feb, March), 2020-2021
Boston metro area (Wellesley & Natick, MA)

The first weekend will be a virtual session to accommodate the uncertainty around fall schedules and health concerns.

 

Weekend dates: September 24 – 26, 2020, November 12 – 14, 2020, February 4 – 6, 2021, March 18 – 20, 2021

 

$8,499 

(Participants will be responsible for their own hotel arrangements)

 

Extended Deadline
08/03/2020 (5 p.m. MT)

Request More Info Apply Now