Allen P. Splete, president emeritus of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), has been selected to receive the 16th Annual Henry Paley Memorial Award from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). The award will be presented at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, February 5, at the NAICU 2002 Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Splete will receive the award from NAICU President David L. Warren, who will be joined by Cabot Paley, wife of the late Henry Paley, and Harold Kolenbrander, president emeritus of Mount Union College.

The award was created in 1985, and named in honor of Henry Paley, who served as president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York from 1975 until 1984. It recognizes an individual who embodies the spirit of unfailing service toward the students and faculty of independent higher education. The recipient of this award has set an example for all who would seek to advance educational opportunity in the United States.

Splete served as CIC’s president from 1986 to 2000, the longest tenure of any CIC president. He joined the organization as executive vice president in 1985. CIC helps private institutions improve leadership expertise, educational programs, administrative and financial performance, and institutional visibility.

"For nearly 15 years, Allen provided CIC with strong and innovative leadership," said NAICU President David L. Warren. "He served as the catalyst for CIC’s dramatic growth over the past decade, and raised the organization’s national visibility. Under his stewardship, CIC experienced dynamic growth, nearly doubling its college and university membership to a record 472 institutions; initiated several important projects for education reform; and created cutting-edge training and services to campus leaders in a quickly changing world."

At CIC, Splete developed and implemented major projects on the academic workplace, international business, and technology and the liberal arts; oversaw a number of the council’s most significant conferences; and created a highly successful ongoing project to enhance leadership at historically black colleges.

Splete raised more than $17 million to support CIC’s work during his tenure, including major grants to support projects on service learning, college/community partnerships, and an examination of faculty roles in the context of institutional transformation.

From 1982 until he joined CIC, Splete was president of Westminster College in Pennsylvania. Prior to Westminster, he served for 12 years as vice president for academic planning and special projects at St. Lawrence University, and earlier, held a number of administrative positions at Syracuse University.

Born in West Carthage, N.Y., Splete holds a B.A. from St. Lawrence University, an M.A. from Colgate University, and a doctorate in higher education administration from Syracuse University. He and his wife Marilyn reside in Damascus, Md. They have two children: Heidi, a graduate of Colgate University and the Newhouse School of Communications, Syracuse University; and Michael, a graduate of Cornell University.