In an important step to further enhance its role as the region’s provider of premier community leadership programs, The South Shore Leadership Center (SSLC) announced today it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Purdue University Northwest (PNW) to develop an expanded range of leadership programs and services designed to address the needs of private, public and not-for-profit participants.
The affiliation, which is effective Oct. 1, will benefit both the organization and the university through opportunities to jointly provide leadership development programming that enhances the economic, social and cultural well-being of residents from across the seven-county area of northwest Indiana served by the SSLC, said PNW Chancellor Thomas L. Keon.
“This partnership is a strong fit because the South Shore Leadership Center’s reach across the Northwest Indiana region closely matches the greatest area of impact of Purdue Northwest,” Keon said. “Furthermore, PNW has a significant number of faculty members at our two campuses, located in Westville and Hammond, who have extensive expertise in numerous areas of leadership, making this relationship not only geographically but intellectually gratifying.”
Under the terms of the agreement, PNW will serve as the host organization for the SSLC. The SSLC office will relocate to PNW-hosted facilities, while the center will remain an independent 501(c)3 organization. The SSLC also will seek opportunities to support and augment PNW’s research and economic development efforts across the region.
Potential opportunities between PNW and the center include: articulation among the center’s programs and the university’s academic programming and research; certification programs for LNI participants or alumni; and participation of PNW faculty in SSLC courses and programs, as well as the development of new programming.
The SSLC Board of Directors has been pursuing a partnership with a local university for the past year as a way to build upon the success of its signature Leadership Northwest Indiana (LNI) and South Shore Leadership Youth for Community Engagement (SLYCE) programs, while providing benefits to a university partner.
In addition to its partnership with PNW, the SSLC Board also named Harry J. Vande Velde III, its second President and Chief Executive Officer effective Sept. 15.
Vande Velde, a former president of the Legacy Foundation, brings extensive experience in not-for-profit management, education and development to the role. He replaces SSLC founder Keith Kirkpatrick, who stepped down in 2015. Leigh Morris has been serving as Interim President and CEO of the center since late 2015.
Kris Falzone, chair of the center’s board of directors, said Vande Velde is the right leader for a new era at the SSLC.
“Harry’s background includes all of the skill sets we were looking for – education, fundraising, financial management, community involvement and not-for-profit leadership,” she said. “He shares the board’s vision for the future and a dedication to the center’s growth as a regional leadership resource center.”
Vande Velde, a graduate of the LNI program and former member of the SSLC board, will be responsible for developing plans for the continued transformation of the center.
“This is a unique opportunity to work with a talented board of directors and an outstanding university to develop advanced leadership programming,” Vande Velde said. “I am excited about the possibilities for the SSLC’s role in continuing to move Northwest Indiana forward.”