At this time of continued transition in higher education, institutions are regularly welcoming new leaders at all levels. Many institutions do not have well-developed, intentional practices for fully onboarding new leaders in ways that will help them understand the culture, complexity, and wide range of responsibilities and expectations of their position. Additionally, many leaders are relatively isolated in their roles from a wide-ranging support network across their campus community. Developing a program that will impart new leaders with a clear sense of how to be successful in their role and at the institution, share resources that will support their transition, and provide intentional opportunities to build relationships can supplement what any one specific department or area is able to provide to ensure success for the new leaders on campus. Join us to learn how creating extended orientation and development programs can shorten transition periods and set a strong foundation for success. Using the Virginia Tech Academic Leaders Program and New Senior Leader Cohort as models, we will explore essential programmatic elements, learn how to make the case for such a program, and hear about pitfalls to avoid. In this training, we will cover:
Identifying and cultivating a major donor whose personal beliefs and philanthropic vision align with institutional purpose is no small task, and securing a transformational gift from such a donor is a significant accomplishment for any institution. Not only can such a gift transform the lives of current and future students, but it should also shift the ways in which the advancement shop engages with campus partners, the donors themselves, and alumni and other potential donors. Using her experience with Western Michigan University’s Empowering Futures Gift, Kristen DeVries, Vice President and Executive Director of WMU Foundation, will share how a transformational gift can motivate additional alumni and donor engagement. In this two-hour training, you will consider how to establish clear internal processes and communication methods that will allow you to use momentum from a transformational gift to inspire others to contribute to historic institutional change.
Bridging the Equity Gap in Higher Education July 31 – August 1, 2023 Build equity on your campus by focusing on retention and completion for historically marginalized students. Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! EVENT INFORMATION Check back soon for links! ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully: Audio & Visual Needs
As institutions push for more interdisciplinary research both internally and externally, faculty must also manage more complex research teams. While teams may unite around a shared project, without unified expectations for aspects like who will be an author or how to share data, collaboration can be difficult, and the research project may not be successful. Leaders of research groups from labs to interdisciplinary teams working at multiple institutions must therefore learn how to set up shared guidelines and expectations in order to manage the project from start to finish. This course is intended to help leaders of research groups of all sizes learn how to manage research projects with clear communication and intentionality. Our expert speaker will walk you through how to think about the guidelines that should be in place for peer review, authorship disputes, data management, creating a safe research environment, and collaborative research. You will also learn some common pitfalls in each of these areas and be able to use the accompanying workbook to plan out your collaboration and communication with your team.
Identifying key insights from casual but meaningful conversations with transformational donors can lead to strong relationships that provide your institution with the support it needs for generations to come. These conversations don’t always come easy. In fact, they often encompass their own unique challenges, depending on the type of donor you’re speaking to, the campus partners joining the conversation, and how well their donor experience has gone. To overcome the potential challenges within these conversations, there are phases of cultivation and stewardship in which you can become more fluent over time, such as: Join us in this panel conversation with Vice Presidents of Advancement, Dexter Bailey of California Institute of Technology, and Kristen DeVries of Western Michigan University Foundation, alongside Mitchell Spearmen, Founder and Dreamer of Gifts of a Lifetime, to discuss how they have approached conversations with ultra-high-net-worth families. You will have the opportunity to ask questions to help navigate a current phase you’re in or to ask about how to approach a specific scenario.
Bemidji State University & Northwest Technical College Workshop: Innovative Mindset Development May 10 – 11, 2023 ACCESS COURSE MATERIALS
The decision to publish a book, as opposed to articles or other, shorter pieces, is always a complex one for faculty to consider. Whether they are at the mid-career stage and able to establish a new phase of their research arc, an early-career faculty member who is publishing a book for tenure, or any faculty member hoping to share their research more broadly, the process is often opaque and time-consuming. This course is designed to help faculty to begin thinking about and planning the process of writing a book. Our speaker, Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren, has published multiple books with different audiences, ranging from other academics, to clinicians, to the general public. He will walk you through developing an idea, considering different book types and audiences, the steps required for writing, and developing strong writing habits. You will leave this course with a better sense of whether it is the right time for writing your book, how you should manage the process, and what steps you’ll need to take to get started. This course is intended for a wide range of faculty, including tenure-track, career-track, and a wide variety of disciplines. Whether you are required to write a book for […]
Conflict is difficult because it sparks an emotional response in each of us and requires us to navigate the inherent tensions that arise from differences in perspective and expectation. As a department chair, you have the responsibility to manage conflict with grace, so that you can lead by example and create a culture where conflict is viewed as healthy and productive. This is true when you’re managing a conflict you’re directly involved in, but it’s even more important when you’re called upon to help others resolve a conflict because they are finding it difficult to make progress on their own. Join us online to learn how mediation techniques can help you to facilitate productive conversations and seek resolution when faculty and/or staff are in conflict or dispute with each other. You’ll learn how to diffuse the tension that arises during conflict while also focusing on collaborative problem-solving that creates mutually acceptable solutions for all involved. You’ll learn how to:
When your institution receives a major gift, whether in the form of one single gift or through a multi-year pledge, it is important to manage that gift accurately. This includes placing the gift in its appropriate account on campus, ensuring that pledge reminders are sent out and payment secured in a timely manner, and that the donation is used according to donor intent. However, when frontline fundraisers introduce new gifts, the institutional destination and purpose of the gift can get lost in translation as it makes its way to advancement services for processing. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the processes between advancement services and frontline fundraising are sound, and that communication is consistent to prevent circumstances that can lead to loss in revenue, missed pledges, or money spent incorrectly. Join us for this online training to learn how the University of Utah created a new position to specifically address these common problems within advancement. This session will help your shop to identify and scale your current process by adopting some of Utah’s best practices to better streamline communication across these two areas.
Faculty not on the tenure track are seeking career development and leadership opportunities relevant to their unique career paths. While they share similar responsibilities as tenure-track faculty, they also face being overburdened with undervalued academic work, such as administrative and service work, that may not advance their careers and professional goals. In our video course, Becoming Part of the Great Aspiration: A Career Development Workshop for Alt-ac Faculty, Dr. Gypsy Denzine introduces the idea of “professional equity,” which includes your knowledge and expertise as well as your professional network and reputation. In this live addendum to the course, Dr. Denzine will walk you through how you can build your professional equity as a non-tenure-track faculty member by being strategic about the tasks you choose, so that they align with your values and career goals.
