Teaching Oral History as a Response to Collective Trauma

Every student in higher education is suffering from the impacts of COVID-19, and for many this communal trauma is compounded by the fight for racial justice. No one will emerge from these experiences unaffected. While the classroom often remains one of the only constants for students facing upheaval from global, national, and regional crises, problems facing them off-campus often impede their learning. Students may experience anxiety, withdrawal, difficulty focusing and engaging, and/or trouble thinking critically. Many faculty are unprepared to respond to these concerns and unequipped to teach in times of disaster, especially when they are simultaneously living through the same catastrophic events. This workshop focuses on some ways in which coursework and campus-wide projects can encourage healing and empowerment by engaging students and other members of campus communities in active learning projects. 

Navigating Work-Life Balance as a Woman Leader in Higher Education

The stresses of the past year have hit women especially hard. From taking on extra work to helping family members and managing the logistics of remote learning for their children, women’s workload — both mental and physical — has dramatically increased during the pandemic. We have heard time and again from women that they are in need of strategies that help set healthy boundaries in their personal and professional lives.   In this 60-minute webcast presented by Melody Blake, Provost and Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs at Wesleyan College, you will learn how to manage a never-ending to-do list by prioritizing, communicating, and delegating what needs to be done. Our time will be divided between setting healthy boundaries at work and at home, as well as managing your time.   

Recruiting, Training, and Engaging Alumni Volunteers in a Digital Environment

Instructors Clarybel Peguero, Ed.D.Senior Director for Volunteer EngagementDuke Alumni Association, Duke University   Parks SmithDirector of Strategic OperationsVirginia Commonwealth University Course Highlights 1hr 41m of video instruction Downloadable resources Course Details Released 01/28/2021 Alumni volunteers are immensely valuable to institutions in both their service and giving power— they tend to give 10 times more than non-volunteers. However, COVID-19 has flipped the script on how we recruit and engage alumni volunteers. For example, in-person offerings are no longer an option. Instead, we’ve been forced into the digital world and have had to adjust in order to remain successful. In this highly interactive virtual training, our experts will guide you as you share with your peers what you have learned since we’ve entered this new reality. Together we will identify emerging best practices in the digital space regarding volunteer recruitment, training, and engagement, in order to better understand how to retain alumni volunteers. You will leave this training with the best current thinking on how to engage your volunteers during the pandemic and beyond. We Want to Hear From You! Please take a few minutes to fill out a short survey letting us know about your experience with this course.

Institute for Online Student Retention and Success

Institute for Online Student Retention and Success December 15 – 17, 2020 Learn how to retain and prepare online students for success. 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! DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 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:

Tailoring Advancement Communications to Ages and Life Stages

When you create uniform messages with mass appeal for your donors and alumni, you may actually be pleasing very few people. Have you considered segmenting your communications for a more personalized and focused marketing strategy?    Join us for this virtual training to learn how the life stages of your donors and alumni should inform your medium and your message. You will learn which messages and platforms best appeal to groups of different ages and life stages. You will have the chance to write three tailored messages during the training and discuss your work in small groups with your peers. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to work on a communication plan to support your overall strategy. 

Institute for Annual Giving

Institute for Annual Giving January 21 – 22, 2021 Hear the latest and best thinking for keeping your annual giving strategy competitive, nimble, and relevant to the current times. 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! DAY 1 DAY 2 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:

Title IX Appeal Officers: A Skills Training and Certification

As you navigate the new Title IX appeal process, you might find certain aspects difficult or confusing. Are you prepared to navigate the mandated timelines effectively? What elements of the investigative process should you focus on when reviewing your case? How do you handle situations where the judgment of your colleagues might have been compromised? You likely — and reasonably — feel a lot of responsibility for objectively determining a final decision, both to provide a fair process for the parties and to mitigate the risk of litigation for your institution. Join us online and leave with the knowledge, strategies, and skills you need to feel confident in your role as an appeal officer. During this four-hour training we will cover the required skills and attributes of an effective appeal officer and provide practical opportunities for you to explore the different grounds for appeal, including procedural irregularity, new evidence, and conflict of interest/bias. Whether you are looking to enhance your confidence as a Title IX appeal officer or as a Title IX coordinator responsible for training your appeal officers, this training is for you. Upon completion of this virtual training, you will receive a certificate of completion for your time […]

Department Chairs: Reflect, Refresh, and Plan for the New Year (Virtual Training Only)

Department chairs are under increasing pressure to manage and direct complex situations. In addition to navigating the changing landscape of higher education, you are making difficult budgetary decisions and supporting faculty under extreme duress – all while managing the effects of the pandemic on your own personal life. How can you create a plan to avoid burnout? Join us for this virtual training to get advice for how to balance all the roles of academic chairs/program directors — including that of a leader and colleague — during these challenging times. You will be given space to connect with other chairs and program directors to reignite your passion for academia and shift your focus to restorative practices. You will leave this workshop with practical strategies to help manage your load and ensure sufficient self-care.

Teaching a People-First Language Approach

Quantitative researchers and analysts commonly focus their writing exclusively on data accuracy without taking the importance of language into account. This focus on data – rather than on the people who are represented by the data – can result in material that is accurate from a methodological standpoint, but not appropriate or accessible to non-technical audiences who may consume them. Join us for a two-hour workshop with David Chrisinger, Director of the Harris Writing Program at the University of Chicago. You will learn how implementing a mandatory People-First Language Workshop for all incoming students and integrating the people-first concept into writing assignments across the school has helped students strengthen their ability to communicate their work to readers both inside and outside of the field. You will leave this “train-the-trainer” style workshop with an understanding of the people-first writing approach, along with strategies that you can use to integrate its core principles into your own curriculum.

Defining Your Role as Chief of Staff

The role of Chief of Staff in relation to the President or other leader varies on many factors, such as how new your President is to the role and how involved they want you to be with decision making. Join us for this one-hour webcast to learn how to: Determine the needs of your President Communicate the parameters of your role to stakeholders and the institution Balance the nuances of being accessible to colleagues with the sensitivities of your role