If the last five years in higher education have taught us anything, it’s that disruption is no longer episodic; it’s continuous. Financial pressure, demographic shifts, changing public expectations, advances in artificial intelligence, and growing questions about the value of higher education are no longer distant threats but daily leadership realities. We cannot predict exactly what higher education will look like in five or ten years. But we can predict this: that change will be constant, that ambiguity will be the norm, and that leaders will be asked to make high-stakes decisions with incomplete information and competing interests. That future offers profound implications for leadership development. If we continue to prepare leaders only for today’s higher education landscape, we will leave them underprepared to lead our institutions into the future. The future demands leaders who can think strategically and expansively, who can engage in anticipatory thinking, and who can navigate complexity without defaulting to fear, rigidity, or zero-sum thinking. Following are five skills that leadership programs should be teaching now. 1. Design Thinking: Encouraging “Possibility” Thinking Design thinking is, at its core, a disciplined approach to problem-solving that prioritizes curiosity, empathy, experimentation, and learning. It emphasizes divergent thinking, generating many possibilities, before moving into convergent thinking, where choices are narrowed and decisions are made. The sequencing […]
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a conflict and you wish the other person would do more? Do you want them to be more of a “partner” than an “antagonist?” Conflict in the workplace can become toxic quickly. Rather than letting it fester, create an opportunity to emerge stronger as individuals and as a team. Take a step back, drop those assumptions, and join us for this 60-minute webcast as we work through five common scenarios, such as “The Ghost Conflict” and “The Grudge Holder,” and show you how you can effectively lead yourself, and others, through to the other side.
Dr. Sahotra began his role as associate vice provost for faculty affairs in January 2025. In this role, he provides leadership in critical areas supporting faculty success and institutional excellence at UNLV. He oversees the review and alignment of department, college, and school bylaws with UNLV and NSHE policies, serving as a key liaison with the Faculty Senate Bylaws Committee and other stakeholders to enhance bylaws creation and revision processes. Haroon Sahotra also co-chairs the university’s Conflict of Interest Oversight Committee, managing academic faculty conflict of interest/conflict of commitment processes to ensure compliance with university, NSHE, and federal guidelines while driving improvements in these critical areas. In collaboration with the vice provost for faculty affairs and other campus offices, Sahotra develops and implements initiatives to support faculty recruitment, retention, and development, including resources for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. As professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sahotra has been involved in interdisciplinary research of climate change impact and hydrology with specific emphasis on applications of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) and specific focus on safeguarding and improving urban quality of life. He has also been involved in several federal- and state-sponsored research projects involving research […]
According to the Chronicle, one-fourth of private institutions do business with their trustees’ companies. Potential conflicts of interest involving board members or high-ranking officials certainly are not limited to private colleges, however; North Carolina State University’s termination of Mary Easley and the uncovering of the University of Illinois’ previous board’s interference in the admissions process each represent highly publicized examples. We asked Cindy Lawson, media relations expert and vice president for public relations and communications at DePaul University, for practical tips on what and how to communicate to the public when a conflict of interest involves a member of the board, in order to manage the impact on the institution’s reputation. Be Forthright and Specific “From my experience, the chances of an institution’s reputation remaining intact are far better when that institution is forthright and admits the conflict, shares as much information as it possibly can, and most importantly, describes the measures it is taking to ensure it doesn’t happen again, as opposed to trying to hide it, hoping that no one finds out, or worse — trying to deny it or cover it up once it is exposed.”Cindy Lawson, DePaul University In a case involving an unintentional conflict of […]
The Chronicle notes that one fourth of private institutions do business with their trustees’ companies. Further emphasizing the extent of possible conflicts of interest involving high-ranking officials at private institutions, another study (login required) notes that many presidents at US institutions with the largest endowments supplement their salaries with lucrative posts on corporate boards. We asked Lucie Lapovsky, president of Lapovsky Consulting and past president of Mercy College, for her advice on how institutional presidents can best manage institution/board relationships to either prevent a conflict of interest or minimize the negative impact if there are already existing conflicts. If Possible, Avoid the Conflict in the First Place “You’re far better off not having business relationships with your board members.”Lucie Lapovsky, Lapovsky Consulting Even if the relationship is entered into with the best of intentions, it is very difficult to terminate it if needed. Lapovsky cites the example of a construction contract with a board member’s company. It is rare in any case for a major capital project to stay on time and on budget. When the time comes for your institution to engage in difficult mid-project negotiations with the contractor, the decision of how hard to push the contractor will […]
In this workshop, you will learn strategies to help you manage and resolve various conflicts within your department or institution. You will be introduced to practical tools that address conflict in its earliest stages before it becomes a formal dispute. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to resolving conflicts. That’s why our expert instructor will present numerous scenarios and discuss the use of framing, facilitation, and other dispute-resolution tools to help you:
For many, conflict has negative connotations and is something to be feared or avoided. This reaction may arise because conflict often results from differences in values, culture, and bias. Knowing how to respectfully navigate those differences can be difficult, especially when important relationships are at stake. As a leader, there are ways you can foster an environment and create a team culture that embraces differences and resolves conflict in a positive and productive manner. Join us online to learn how to shift your team’s attitudes and culture around conflict from negative to positive. The process begins with team-building activities that provide your team an opportunity to better assess, understand and respect each other’s styles, attitudes and behaviors around conflict resolution. But the true culture shift happens when you follow through and incorporate those insights into your team’s daily operations and leadership practice. This training is designed to be highly interactive and will allow you to brainstorm and share ways you can help your team be more productive in their own work and with each other.
Join us for this optional pre-conference workshop for Practical Conflict Resolution for Leaders.
Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of designing and delivering more than 100 leadership development programs in higher education and supporting institutions as they launched dozens more. These programs have ranged from single, cohort-based initiatives to multi-layered efforts designed to shape institutional culture over time. At Academic Impressions, we’ve worked with first-time department chairs as well as with presidents rebuilding senior cabinets. We’ve partnered with well-resourced research universities as well as with small and mid-sized institutions doing the best they can with very limited capacity. The good news is that during this time, I’ve seen a growing recognition that leadership development is mission critical. More institutions are investing in helping leaders to build emotional intelligence, resolve conflict more productively, lead teams effectively, and navigate change with greater confidence. Many are also working intentionally to build pipelines for future leaders who will be ready when the moment calls. And yet, because many institutions have limited experience designing leadership development programs, a predictable set of mistakes shows up again and again. Ironically, these missteps are usually rooted in good intentions—but they ultimately undermine the very outcomes these programs are meant to achieve. Following are the five most common mistakes I see when institutions launch or attempt to sustain leadership programming. 1. Trying to Do Too Much In an effort to be comprehensive, institutions often try to cover as much […]
Faculty in the STEM disciplines can often feel unprepared to address identity-based conflict in the classroom because the themes are not embedded in the course content. Even those who want to have tough conversations regarding identity, bias, and privilege can feel inadequately equipped to facilitate a conversation when a conflict arises. You may be asking yourself: What if I say something wrong? What if I make things worse? No matter the discipline, these crucial conversations are coming up in every learning space across higher ed and avoiding them is not an option. Every instructor can prepare to notice identity-based conflict and intervene to reduce harm. Join us for a highly interactive virtual workshop that provides a supportive space to learn about the types of conflict that can arise, and how to facilitate microinterventions to confront bias and create more equitable learning environments.
