In a time when higher education is navigating persistent uncertainty and complex stakeholder dynamics, bold leadership isn’t just aspirational—it’s essential. This session invites you to pause and reflect: What is the future of higher ed that we want to see? How can we work toward that future? Building on the powerful themes in The Best Gift Higher Education Never Asked For, this interactive webcast will introduce practical ways to help leaders create space for meaningful, forward-looking dialogue. You’ll learn how to structure sessions that surface real concerns, mobilize your teams around a shared vision, and move from reactive planning to strategic investment. Whether you’re just beginning to rethink what’s next or are already leading change efforts on your campus, this hands-on experience will leave you equipped to initiate critical conversations with clarity, intention, and momentum. Come prepared to reflect, explore, and take the next bold step. Can’t join us live? Watch the recording and reach out to us to learn more about how we can support you in hosting these conversations on your campus.
In higher ed, there is a widely-held myth that the smartest person in the room should lead. Taking for granted that someone who is smart is also ready to lead, we often fail to take steps to develop new leaders, leaving them unprepared for the challenges ahead and more likely to derail. This is especially true now, as higher-ed leaders navigate complex challenges without a clear map forward. The tendency to fall back on tradition–to rely on “smartship” rather than effective leadership–leads to four destructive and pervasive dynamics, and Patrick Sanaghan’s book explores these four in depth and offers specific strategies for countering them. Note: This course and the associated digital copy of How Higher Ed Leaders Derail: A Survival Guide for Leaders are for the use of Dallas College employees only. Distribution of the book is strictly prohibited. If you have trouble accessing the book or completing the quiz, please contact your Partner Success Manager Breanne Holloway by clicking on “Questions about this course?” in the right-hand column.
Louisiana State University seeks to transform the culture of service and faculty leadership, beginning with mid-career faculty who bear significant research responsibilities. Given that research output and productivity hold considerable importance in academia, prioritizing leadership development within this framework ensures that the discourse is both relevant and impactful for individual faculty members and the institution alike. By investing in faculty leadership, we can expect to see tangible improvements in research outcomes, enhanced retention of vital faculty and staff, and, ultimately, a more vibrant and positive institutional culture and climate. Agenda topics are subject to change based on ongoing collaboration between LSU and Academic Impressions. Please revisit this page for updated pre-work and other information in advance of each session. August 7, 2025 | 9:00am-4:00pm (Breakfast and Lunch provided) Welcome & Introductions9:00am – 9:30am Empowered Leadership 9:30am – 10:15amThere is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. Leaders must learn to adapt to different contexts and situations without losing their authenticity or integrity; in fact, the more self-aware a leader is about their own style and approach to leadership, the more successful they will be at adapting to new people and changing realities. In this session, each participant will identify the qualities, skills, […]
Earn the only customer service certification built for higher education. In just four weeks, this blended course will equip you with practical tools to improve service culture, support front-line teams, and handle challenging interactions with empathy and professionalism. With guided reflection and peer discussion, you’ll apply what you learn directly to your campus role—no matter your department or title.
Higher education needs leaders who are versatile and self-aware. The Five Paths to Leadership® Self-Assessment provides a way for leaders to dive deep into their leadership strengths and areas for improvement, understand their teams’ needs and motivations, and communicate more effectively across the board. This self-paced course is designed to provide just-in-time support and practical tools to help you apply the Five Paths to different aspects of your leadership. We’ll cover topics ranging from leading yourself, to leading others and your team, to leading systems. Whether you’re focused on improving your own leadership in an individual or one-on-one setting or leading a large team or division, this course will help you lead more effectively and confidently in specific situations.
Higher education leaders are constantly called upon to make tough, high-stakes decisions—often without complete information, under tight timelines, and in environments marked by competing priorities. The pressure is real, and it can lead to feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of the best path forward. This self-paced course is designed to provide just-in-time support and practical tools to help you regain clarity and momentum in your decision-making. Whether you’re struggling to make an individual decision or navigating a complex decision with others, this course will equip you with both personal and collaborative strategies to move forward more confidently.
you look to move into the workplace, it is more important than ever to expand your leadership abilities in order to be successful. Although you will have learned key content and practiced skills like creativity and collaboration in your classes, employers often report that graduates do not possess the level of preparedness in leadership skills needed to be successful in their careers. This course is designed to reinforce and help you to demonstrate your ability to work in increasingly global and collaborative work environments. This course covers the following topics: This course consists of five modules encompassing leadership skills that will benefit you in the workplace. Each module includes several short videos and accompanying workbook prompts and activities, with each designed to take you about 50-75 minutes per module. We recommend pacing them out to one module per week, but you can complete the activities at your own pace!
Writing external review letters for faculty’s tenure and promotion cases is a vital piece of service to the profession. But guidelines around them can be unclear and vague. If you’ve been asked to write an external review letter, and you’re unsure of how to start, this course will help. How It Works This course incorporates written resources, labeled by topic. To view the resources in a topic, click on the topic heading. If you’re completely new to writing external review letters, it may make the most sense to go through the topics in order. If you’ve written letters before, you may want to jump to topics that are most applicable to you in the moment.
Le leadership est l’une des choses les plus difficiles à définir et pourtant, nous sommes capables de reconnaître instinctivement une bonne expérience de leadership lorsque nous en sommes témoins. Le bon leadership est difficile à définir entre autres parce qu’il peut prendre plusieurs formes.
In your early career, you don’t always have a lot of control over your schedule, and you may not get direction on how to manage a long-term project. Professionals who are open to working with the schedules of others while also advocating for their needs and setting their own schedules can develop reputations as team players and top performers. In this session, we’ll discuss how you can manage your time in an environment where you don’t always have choices over what you work on. This event is part of Developing Leadership Skills in Your Early Career to help you build leadership skills as an early leader. Learn more about the series, how it works, when the other sessions will occur, and who it was designed for.
