Course Category: Free for All-Inclusive Members

Leading to Create Healthier Workplaces

Higher education is at its best when faculty and staff have a sense of freedom to be their best selves at work. Common causes of this lack of freedom include a fear of reprisal for sharing feedback or not feeling valued as a whole person. To create healthier workplaces that build confidence and provide a more supportive atmosphere, leaders must understand what causes their team to feel constrained, so that they can accompany them in this co-creative process of change. By applying trauma-informed and liberation psychology approaches, we will discuss how leaders can build healthier working environments that free people to be creative, innovative, and experience a deep sense of belonging. You will leave this two-hour virtual training with a deeper understanding of your own role in cultivating healthier working environments—including what motivates you to work for change and how you might bring about those changes, no matter your leadership role. You will also leave with practices and strategies to continue the self-reflection required to stay the course and walk with others, as collaborators and co-creators of new ways of being and doing.

Higher Education in America: A 4-Day Foundational Course

American higher education includes over 4000 institutions of varying size, structure, and focus, with each serving an increasingly diverse and dwindling number of traditionally college-aged students. But there are still some commonalities in how institutions are governed, financed, organized, and assessed—not to mention the fact that institutions face similar enrollment and retention challenges across the board. This course is designed to give you a broad overview of the American higher education landscape. Our expert instructor, Dr. Kelly Wesener Michael, will walk you through the different types of institutions that exist, how these institutions are typically funded, who is involved in governing both public and private universities, and how institutions set and assess the effectiveness of their mission and goals. Accompanying the course is a workbook designed to help you gain familiarity with the processes and mission of your own institution—how governance works for you, what the demographics of your student body are, where your funding comes from, and how your institution does strategic planning. This course will be highly beneficial to anyone who is new to higher education, either in a first professional role or who is transitioning to higher education from another industry. Additionally, faculty or staff whose experience […]

Evaluating Diversity in the Accreditation Process: Part II – Your Approach in the Classroom

Accreditation can be viewed as the responsibility of Institutional Research when, in fact, their input should take place in the later stages of design. On the front end, faculty have an opportunity to drive and positively impact the process of designing programs for accreditation. By doing so, faculty help to ensure that students are prepared for an increasingly diverse workforce and society, and that the programs that their institution offers lead the way when it comes to DEI. This training examines the role that faculty plays in gathering and planning course materials to ensure compliance of DEI accreditation requirements. Our expert instructor will provide both a systematic and practical approach to curriculum design and assessment that enables faculty to contribute to holistic student learning and successful accreditation reporting. This program is the second in a two-part series. The first program, Evaluating Diversity in the Accreditation Process: Part I — The Upfront Design, aims to demystify the process of reviewing, assessing, and including diversity in campus curricula. This follow-up program focuses on how to implement DEI from a pedagogical approach. It is designed specifically for faculty from all disciplines who are interested in intentionally infusing DEI into their curriculum to both […]

Evaluating Diversity in the Accreditation Process: Part I – The Upfront Design

Both university and program-level accrediting organizations are increasingly placing focus on diversity in their requirements, but that criteria can feel ambiguous, and many today are uncertain of how to ensure that their programs comply. This challenge is twofold: first, you must understand the requirements, and second, you must have knowledge of various ways to embed those requirements into curricula. The imperative behind this is not only the increasing potential that students are not legitimately prepared for a changing world and workforce, but that without diversity integrated into the program design upfront, you run the risk of criteria being added later that is not aligned with the curriculum or accurate. This program is the first in a two-part series that will demystify the process of reviewing, assessing, and including diversity in campus curricula. By participating in this event, you will learn how to evaluate opportunities for embedding accreditation requirements into curricula and see a variety of examples and approaches of what this might look like across disciplines and fields of study.

Leveraging Cultural Wealth and Community: A Discussion for Latinx Leaders in Higher Education

Latina, Latino, and Latinx (Latinx/a/o) leaders have unique knowledge, skills, strengths, and experiences to contribute to higher education, but the academy was built with systemic inequities that can undermine advancement and success. Furthermore, as a changing societal landscape puts diversity front and center, many Latinx/a/o leaders find themselves navigating challenges that peers—who do not share their Latinx/a/o identity—do not understand. In this virtual discussion, we will explore the challenges of being a Latinx/a/o leader in higher ed and how your identity impacts how you see and represent yourself. We will draw upon research in community cultural wealth as a framework for you to leverage your strengths and values in leadership positions as you navigate the intersections of the distinct worlds you occupy. This program is the first in a two-part series. While this first program is created intentionally for leaders who identify as Latinx/a/o, the second session is intended for any leader interested in creating systemic change at their institution to better support Latinx/a/o leaders.

Support and Retain Latinx Leaders in Higher Education: A Training for All Leaders

Latina, Latino, and Latinx (Latinx/a/o) leaders have unique knowledge, skills, strengths, and experiences to contribute to higher education, but the academy was built with systemic inequities that can undermine advancement and success. According to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, “Hispanic enrollment in higher education is expected to exceed 4.1 million students by 2026, far surpassing the growth rate of any other racial-ethnic group—by over 10%,” but Latinx/a/o leaders continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles in higher education due to historic and ongoing systemic inequities. In this virtual session, we will discuss steps you and your institution can take to create a more inclusive and equitable environment to support and retain Latinx/a/o faculty and staff. This program is the second in a two-part series. While this second program is intended for any leader interested in creating systemic change at their institution to better support Latinx/a/o leaders, the first program is intentionally for leaders who identify as Latinx/a/o to draw upon community cultural wealth and build connections to advance their leadership.

Encore and Live Q&A: Cultural Humility: A Framework to Mitigate Personal Bias

We all have biases that show up in our interactions and perceptions of others. But these biases can be problematic when they are used unconsciously or consciously to judge, misinterpret, or limit our interactions with others. How often do you pause and reflect on your social interactions and ask yourself “What did I assume about this person that was not accurate”? By reflecting and holding ourselves accountable to how biases show up in our interactions, we not only encourage our own personal growth, but we also create an opportunity to fully understand another person’s lived experience. Join us for a re-airing of the training that took place in March 2021, followed by a live Q&A with the speaker. You will understand the root cause of your biases and develop a practice that helps mitigate bias in your interactions with others. In this training, you will learn how to develop cultural humility as a framework and daily practice that helps you: Suspend judgement and be curious about other people’s perspectives and backgrounds Ask questions to aid you in reflection about your own beliefs and behaviors Interpret your interactions with others You will also explore barriers that might perpetuate your assumptions about […]

How to Maintain Trust in Teams During Transitions

The changing nature of higher education includes shifts in team membership due to turnover and re organization, leadership transitions, and evolving institutional priorities. Leaders need to understand that trust is the foundation of a productive team, especially during times of transition. To foster and maintain trust, you must first understand why it is important, recognize when changes in the team environment warrant new or different strategies, and be able to deploy strategies that ensure a foundation of trust remains even in the face of changes. In this two-hour virtual training, you will gain a deeper understanding of the concept of trust for team- building, what circumstances may necessitate action related to trust, and effective strategies to deploy when a team is experiencing transition. To accomplish this, we will explore key questions including the following:

Encore and Live Q&A: Portfolio Prioritization: Maximizing Opportunities for Your Donor Pipeline

A portfolio is the engine that drives a gift officer’s work and sets them up for future success. However, for new or seasoned professionals alike, opportunities to look at your portfolio with a different viewpoint can be highly beneficial as you seek to understand your portfolio data and prioritize donor relationships. Additionally, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions are facing a reset moment with their portfolios as they are able to travel again to meet donors in person. Join us for a re-airing of the training that took place in April 2022. You will learn how to identify key data points in your portfolio which you can then use to cultivate relationships with your donors and chart a path for success in your own portfolio management.  

Strategic Planning as a Dean: Enhance Your Unit’s Success from Start to Finish

Strategic plans typically take several months to develop and are designed to be implemented over a three- to five-year window. In contrast, the average tenure for a dean is often about three years—less than the time it takes to realize most strategic plans. Layered with the additional complexity of continual leadership transitions throughout the organization, it’s no wonder that the strategic plan of the unit often lacks momentum during development, fails to get implemented, and/or fizzles out during execution. Given the increased competitive pressure many institutions are facing, failure to realize a strategic plan can result in a large opportunity cost for the unit and/or reduce institutional credibility with external stakeholders—both of which can impede the unit’s longer-term growth and success. Join us online for a workshop that will explore how you and your unit can more effectively approach the planning, implementation, and execution of a strategic plan. You’ll discuss tips and strategies for avoiding common pitfalls that lead to the downfall of a strategic plan, and you’ll also learn how to identify the warning signs that signal that your strategic plan is struggling. More importantly, you’ll walk away with tips and strategies to help you increase the engagement and […]

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