Author: Daniel Fusch

Habits of Highly Effective Higher-Ed Professionals

by Steven Riccio, Ed.D., SPHR, PCC

Higher education does a great job educating others, but seldom do we work on ourselves. We don’t take the time to ‘sharpen the saw.’ As a result, colleges and universities are filled with very sharp people who possess rather dull blades. In a classic video vignette entitled “Big Rocks,” from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the late Stephen R. Covey invited an audience member to join him onstage for an experiment. Most know the concept of Big Rocks, but I encourage you to watch this video if you haven’t already. In the experiment, Covey asks the young female executive to fit in all the big rocks he has provided into a bucket that is over half-filled with pebbles. The pebbles depict the day-to-day tasks, emails, meetings, and emergencies that we are all faced with and that fill up our lives. At one point, the participant looks at the rock labeled “Sharpen the Saw,” rolls her eyes, and places it back onto the table. Covey, who never shied away from a teachable moment, picks up the same rock asking the audience, “Who feels they don’t have time to ‘Sharpen the Saw’?” As several hands are raised, Covey then follows with a […]

What You Need to Know Before Pursuing a Center for Innovation

by Daniel Fusch

Transcript of the Interview We interviewed Dr. Stephen Whitehead, the associate provost of innovation at California University of Pennsylvania. A lot of institutions have shared their curiosity with us about how to launch a center for innovation, and we wanted to ask one of the foremost experts what his peers should consider first. Stephen Whitehead will also be discussing this topic in more depth at the upcoming conference “Developing a Center for Innovation on Campus.” A transcript of the interview follows below the video. What do you need to know before pursuing a center for innovation? One of the big things when looking at creating a center for innovation is the feasibility of it. Every college is looking at cost and how they’re spending money. So, if the center can be tied to your strategic plan and be connected with the university’s mission, then it’s easier to go out for funds and justify the feasibility of the program. Also, what are the outcomes you expect from the center? What kinds of institutions should be thinking about this seriously? I think every campus should really be looking at the way they are engaging their communities – whether it’s the campus community or […]

Activity Based Costing: What’s the Return on it?

by Len Brazis, Director of Strategic Planning and Analysis,Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Here at Embry-Riddle, the adoption of Activity Based Costing (ABC) principles has been an evolutionary process that began on one of our residential campuses in the Fall of 2010. That campus had just finished a fiscal year with a negative operating margin of $3.3 million. A new Chancellor was installed and had been charged by the President to cut about 100 positions, eliminate at least 5 unprofitable degree programs, and cut costs operationally wherever he could to turn the campus around.  He tapped me immediately to fly out and provide him with guidance that would enable him to accomplish his charge and return to our President at the time with a strategy to turn the campus around. Understanding that I could never overcome in short order our established accrual-based accounting process, I immediately set out developing a standalone model that was grounded in ABC principles. After three days of nearly around-the-clock work, we had a new model that provided so much clarity for the new Chancellor that he immediately saw flaws in his charge. What resulted was: no program closures, only about 50 positions eliminated, expansion of student services programs […]

Report: The Skills Future Higher-Ed Leaders Need to Succeed

by Daniel Fusch

How do you lead when there is no map? When the territory is unknown? The swift pace of change and the complexity of the challenges facing our colleges and universities is immense, and is testing the abilities of our institutions’ leaders. The playbook of the past does not offer a sustainable path forward for all institutions. Continually finding new revenue sources, discounting tuition to increase enrollment or improve the academic profile of the student body, investing in new facilities to attract faculty and students, etc.—these will not be enough. Given the prevalence of adaptive challenges facing our institutions, we need a different kind of leader in higher education—leaders who can build bridges from the past to the future, taking the best of our industry and making it more relevant, competitive, and sustainable. The past and current leadership model that prizes vision, academic reputation and track record, communication and charisma, and fundraising expertise is no longer enough to meet our current and future challenges. In the “permanent whitewater” of higher education, we will need leaders who are: Drawing on extensive research and conversations with leaders across higher-ed, this 30-page paper is meant to open the conversation. We invite you to read […]

What Training Do Academic Advisors Receive?

by Daniel Fusch and Cory Phare (Academic Impressions) In March 2014, Academic Impressions surveyed 111 directors of academic advising in higher education. Here are the key findings from that survey. What Advisors Are Being Trained In NACADA has identified 5 critical skill sets for advisors, and we asked academic advising directors whether they provide training in each of these. What we found: More than 90% of directors provide some training on informational skills (including national/institutional policies and procedures such as FERPA and scheduling processes, departmental rules and resources, and curriculum) and technological skills (use of the student database, navigation and modification of student records, research and problem solving using the student database). Approximately 65% provide training in the other skill sets: relational (establishing trust, communication, questioning, mentorship), conceptual (the theory and practice of advising, student rights/responsibilities), and personal (including personal growth and professional development). However, several directors noted that when time is short, the training gets weighted heavily toward delivery of information, and the relational and conceptual skill sets receive condensed, if any, treatment. FACULTY ADVISORS Most respondents to the survey provide training for professional advisors only – not for faculty advisors. In cases where this training is available to […]