Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs (CAHEP)

The Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs is a standing committee of the Association of the Study of Higher Education. It was approved by ASHE’s Board to be the first of its standing committees in 1995. At the November 1996, higher education program directors and faculty elected its first slate of executive officers. They were: Chair Barbara Townsend from the University of Memphis, Vice Chair Michael D. Parsons from Indiana University, Secretary Michael Miller from the University of Alabama, Finance Officer Diane Brown Wright from the University of Akron, and Program Chair David Webster from Oklahoma State University. They were eager to enable the Association to assist the approximate 200 higher education programs across the country to promote program quality and institutional support. During the past 15 years, CAHEP’s five subsequent chairs and numerous other executive officers have led this Council devoted to improving the study of higher education and its programs across this country and Canada.

Its primary purposes are thus to enrich the teaching and learning experiences of the faculty and students of the Association’s constituent higher education degree programs. One of its major tasks is to advance the welfare of these programs in the United States and Canada through its activities and to bring forth related recommendations to the Association’s Board of Directors. The Council is open to all higher education program directors, faculty, degree students, and other interested members of the Association. 

At the beginning of ASHE’s annual meeting, CAHEP offers workshops, research paper sessions, and featured speakers. Beginning in 2008, a revitalized preconference program began with a new higher education faculty workshop with panels on teaching higher education courses, dissertation advising, as well as promotion and tenure issues. It is followed by two research paper and symposium sessions. Then higher education program directors, chairs, and coordinators as well as other faculty and students are invited to an open forum to discuss current issues and concerns related to higher education programs. The forum’s goal is to promote greater exchange among program directors, faculty, students, and other interested members of the Association and externally. Next a CAHEP business meeting and election of officers occurs. Finally, CAHEP concludes its day and half preconference meeting with the hosting of the Barbara Townsend Lecture, given in memory of its founding chair and president elect of ASHE, who was unable to assume her office due to her unfortunate death in 2009. Following Professor Townsend’s research agenda, the purpose of the lecture is to enable a higher education faculty member and/or department chair to discuss her or his recent major publication annually which may involve higher education as a field of study, higher education administration, doctoral students, women’s studies as it relates to higher education, or community colleges. 

Historically, CAHEP was preceded by the annual Higher Education Program Directors’ Meeting as well as the Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Committee of the ASHE Board. Both of these long-standing activities were integrated eventually within the Council’s larger purpose and structure. This transition did not come about quickly nor without extensive consultation. At the 1994 ASHE meeting, the program directors meeting held a panel discussion, comprised of Lester Goodchild (University of Denver), Barbara Townsend (University of Memphis), Clif Conrad (University of Wisconsin Madison), and Robert Hendrickson (Penn State University), to discuss how higher education program directors could work more effectively with the ASHE Board to promote the vitality of the field and higher education programs. Specifically, their discussion was “to provide the opportunity for program chairs to clarify the relationship between ASHE and higher education programs, the role ASHE could play to support them, and the practical or constitutional means to upgrade the program chairs’ role within ASHE.” One of the ways chosen at this meeting centered on creating a new program directors’ representative to have an elected seat on ASHE’s Board of Directors. Twenty-four directors out of 25 present voted in favor of this move. 

The higher education program directors also created a Steering Committee (comprised of Goodchild, Hendrickson, and Townsend) to facilitate this process and see what might be done at the remainder of the 1994 meeting and by the next ASHE meeting to achieve some of their desired goals. The Committee brought up the program chairs resolution at the November 8, 1994 ASHE Business Meeting. It received the support of the majority of the membership, thereby requiring the Board to deal with it at its end of conference meeting when the Board met again. While the Board did not favor this resolution, it instructed the then President Patrick Terenzini of Penn State to meet with Bob Hendrickson also at Penn State to work out some better means to promote more effective communication and action between the program directors and the Board during the academic year. To gain a broader understanding of the higher program chairs’ support of this resolution among all of those across the country, the Steering Committee then sent out a national poll to them to determine their support for this Amendment to the ASHE bylaws to include this position in April 1995. Of the 40 responses received, 33 voted in favor of the position, while 7 disapproved of this action. These responses demonstrated the broad based support for a greater role of the higher education program directors on the ASHE Board of Directors. With this documented support, Terenzini and Hendrickson’s deliberations then led to an idea of the first standing committee of the ASHE Board. Hendrickson then discussed this move with Goodchild and Townsend who supported this idea. Their collaboration during the spring and summer resulted in the creation of the council’s name, procedures for organizing the committee, and its bylaws. This boarder proposal gained the support of the President Terenzini. 

The next step occurred at the 1995 ASHE meeting when the Higher Education Program Directors approved of this resolution, council name, procedures, and bylaws. This resolution was then taken to ASHE Business meeting where it was passed “unanimously” by all those present. Subsequently, the ASHE Board approved the resolution, and ASHE had its first standing committee. This standing committee thus established more formal communication with the Board through its annual reports and especially through the Chair’s ex officio status which let to the chair’s meeting with the ASHE Board during the year to present its activities and concerns. This collaboration led to a greater working relationship among those elected by Association’s membership to be on its Board and those higher education program directors at the universities throughout the United States and Canada. 

CAHEP Proposed Bylaws 

Approved by the CAHEP Membership on May 27, 2025

Approved by the Board of Directors on May 29, 2025

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this entity shall be Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs (CAHEP) of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purposes of CAHEP shall be to:

1. Create a community of higher education program coordinators.

2. Create forums for discussion of research and practice on higher education program coordination.

3. Create relationships with other entity groups to consider connections between their purposes and the coordination of higher education programs.

These Bylaws or their amendments may not be in conflict with the bylaws or policies of the Association for the Study of Higher Education or the laws applicable to the Association. The leadership of this entity group will understand and adhere to the policies of the Association, including, but not limited to the Inclusion, Equity, and Organizational Diversity Policy; Conflict of Interest Policy; and Ethics Policies. 

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Criteria. Membership in CAHEP shall consist of members in good standing of the Association who are program coordinators and/or who are interested in the study of higher education programs and/or coordination. 

Section 2. Application for Membership. A person shall apply for membership in CAHEP by indicating their interest in the ASHE Member Portal. This information shall be conveyed to the Chair of the entity on a regular basis.

Section 3. Confirmation of Membership. Application in CAHEP is subject to certification and approval by the Leadership Committee based solely on the criteria for membership in Section 1. Membership decisions shall be conveyed to the ASHE Executive Director upon decision. The Executive Director will convey the decision to the member. 

Section 4. Renewal of Membership. Membership in CAHEP will be renewed automatically.

Section 5. Voting. All confirmed members will be voting members.

Section 6. Removal of Membership in CAHEP 

1. Non-Payment of Dues: Failure of a member to pay dues automatically terminates membership in the Association and thereby CAHEP. At the member’s request and payment of current dues, anyone whose membership has been automatically terminated for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated by the Executive Director.

2. Resignation. Any member may resign from the Association or CAHEP at any time upon written notification to the Executive Director. If a member resigns, their dues are non-refundable and non-transferable.

3. Removal. If continued membership of any person is believed to be contrary to the interests or purposes of CAHEP, the CAHEP Chair must notify the ASHE Executive Director prior to any action being taken. In consultation with the Executive Director, the CAHEP Leadership Committee may: 

   1. refer the situation to the ASHE Ethics Committee for consultation and/or

   2. act on its own accord, following the due process protections afforded to members in the ethics policies and procedures but instead serving as the investigatory and hearing board; in this instance, the decision of the Leadership Committee is final.

ARTICLE IV: FINANCES

Section 1. Budget. A proposed budget based on projected activities and funds will be presented annually to the Executive Director. Budgets operating in a deficit will require approval by the Board of Directors during the normal budget process.

Section 2. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the entity shall be the same as that of the Association.

Section 3. Management of funds.  All funds will be managed by the Association in a separate account from general operating expenses and must maintain a net positive balance. Regular reports of these funds will be provided by the ASHE Executive Director.

Section 4. Fundraising. The entity may fundraise for event sponsorship and/or grants, consistent with the ASHE Advancement and Fundraising Policies and only with prior approval from the Executive Director.

Section 5. Contracts. The ASHE Executive Director is the only individual able to enter into contracts on behalf of the Association, including this entity.

ARTICLE V: LEADERSHIP

Section 1: Leadership Committee. The Leadership Committee will consist of officers and appointed committee chairs. The Leadership Committee is charged with governance and strategic leadership. The Leadership Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair or at the written request of a majority of the members of the Council or Leadership Committee.

Section 2: Officers. Elected entity officers will include:

1. A Chair to coordinate the activities of CAHEP, lead meetings of the Leadership Committee and the membership, and appoint committee members. The Chair will serve a two-year term as Chair. The chair shall hold a terminal degree.

2. A Vice Chair to assume the responsibilities of the Chair in the Chair’s absence when necessary and to shadow the Chair in their responsibilities. The Vice Chair will serve a two-year term as Chair. The Vice Chair shall hold a terminal degree.

3. A Communications Chair to maintain the records of CAHEP and communicate with members. The Communications Chair will serve a two-year term. 

4. A Graduate Student Representative to represent graduate students of the Council. The Graduate Student Representative will serve a one-year term.

Section 3. Committees. Committee members will be appointed by the CAHEP Chair, in collaboration with the Leadership Committee, to serve a two-year term. 

1. Awards & Grants Committee. The awards committee is responsible for solicitation and review of the entity award(s) and grants. The activities of the committee will be consistent with ASHE Awards Policies and Procedures and ASHE Dissemination of Grants Policy.

2. Program/Pre-Conference Committee. The program committee is responsible for the coordination of the annual pre-conference program, including proposal solicitation, peer review, proposal acceptance, and schedule creation. The activities of the committee will be consistent with ASHE Conference Policies and Procedures.

3. Nominations Committee. The nominations committee is responsible for an annual Leadership Committee assessment to determine the leadership needs of the council, solicitation of nominations, and creation of the slate of candidates. The activities of the committee will be consistent with ASHE Nominations and Elections Policies and Procedures.

4. Ad Hoc Committees. Ad Hoc committees may be established by the Chair of the Council to carry out particular tasks as described in a charge from the Chair. The Chair shall designate the term of the ad hoc committee, which shall not exceed the Chair's term of office. Members of ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the Chair of the Council.

Section 4: Selection & Vacancies

1. Officer Nominations & Elections. Nominations for officer positions shall occur annually and will be consistent with ASHE Nominations and Elections Policies and Procedures.

2. Committee Chair Nominations & Selection. An open call for nominations/applications for chair positions will occur annually. The CAHEP Chair will review nominations/applications and make appointments in collaboration with the Leadership Committee.

3. Committee Member Nominations & Selection. An open call for nominations/applications for member positions will occur annually. The CAHEP Chair will review nominations/applications and make appointments in collaboration with the Leadership Committee.

4. Vacancies. In the event an officer, chair, or committee member cannot complete their term, the Leadership Committee may appoint a member of CAHEP to fill the unexpired term.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS

Section 1: Date. At least one regular, open meeting of the entity will be held each year and shall be known as the Business Meeting. The meeting may be held on a date and at a place corresponding to the Association conference.

Section 2. Quorum. The attendees at the Business Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of conducting business.

Section 3: Agenda. Any member will be entitled to bring before the Business Meeting any item of business appropriate to the functioning and/or jurisdiction of the Council. Notification of such intent must be made to the Chair at least 21 days prior to the Business Meeting.

Section 4. Special Meetings. Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the Chair. Written notices of such meetings shall be sent out by the Communications Chair.

ARTICLE VII: AWARD & GRANT

The Council will annually select the recipient of the Barbara Townsend Lecture and the CAHEP Grant.

ARTICLE VIII: RULES OF ORDER

In all cases to which they apply and do not conflict with the provisions of these Procedures, Robert's Rules of Order (current edition) shall govern meetings of the Council.

ARTICLE IX: BY-LAW AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Process.

1. Proposed amendments shall be presented to the Chair in writing.

2. Proposed amendments must be reviewed and approved by the ASHE Executive Director and ASHE Legal Counsel prior to appearing on an agenda or ballot to ensure alignment with existing policies.

3. The Leadership Committee shall vote on the proposed amendment and decide whether or not to recommend it to the membership or not to consider it.

4. If it is recommended, it should be presented to the membership through an electronic ballot or at the next membership meeting.

5. Amendments approved by the membership must also be approved by the ASHE Board of Directors.

ASHE and CAHEP Colleagues - For many years the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs has explored and debated the establishment of program guidelines. The attached document reflects the best intentions and efforts of many and, we hope, will serve as a beginning point for further discussions and implementation among our higher education leadership and administration programs. Comments and critiques are welcome. Send them to CAHEP c/o Beth Bukoski.

Document Title:
A Commitment to Quality: Guidelines for Higher Education Administration and Leadership Preparation Programs at the Masters Degree Level

Leadership Guidelines