about us

meet the executive board
learn about chec committees

The Coaching in Higher Education Consortium is a diverse community of professionals engaged in the art and science of coaching to empower student growth and success. By serving as collaborative change agents, we advance coaching in higher education as a practice that transforms our institutions.

Together, we:
  • Believe that coaching strengthens individuals, institutions, and communities
  • Contribute our collective experience and expertise to the development of evidence-based practices
  • Endorse scholarly projects that examine innovative coaching practices and measure student success
  • Inspire and support coaches by emphasizing personal well-being, professional development, and community engagement
  • Promote equity by advocating approaches to coaching that meet the needs of individual students
  • Share our resources to advance the practice and profession of coaching in higher education
  • Value the relational, holistic, and agency-promoting elements of coaching

The Coaching in Higher Education Consortium defines coaching as fostering individualized relationships with students that promote their agency, self-understanding, growth, effectiveness, and persistence within the realm of education and across their lifespan.

History

The Coaching in Higher Education Consortium (CHEC) was founded in the summer of 2019 after an event called the Future of Academic/Success Coaching in Higher Education: A Collaborative Visioning Summit, hosted by the University of Colorado, Boulder. Higher education coaches from across the United States came together to share, network, and learn.

The excitement felt electric in the mountain air; coaches finally felt like they had a community.

As a result of that meeting, a small group of coaches and administrators met to actualize their vision and create a  community where coaches from across higher education could connect, collaborate, develop their coaching practices, learn new skills, and find a sense of belonging. The group aspired to professionalize coaching in higher education with hopes of expanding internationally to support a global network of coaches.