Transitioning Leadership Annual Donors into Major Donors

To shift the mindset of a leadership annual donor into that of a major donor requires you to go beyond just knowing their capacity; you must also understand what the donor wants to see their gift accomplish, and how to align that specific desire with your institutional needs. This requires knowing how effective each component of your leadership giving program is and how to best manage and develop your leadership annual donors. Join us in this interactive virtual training to learn portfolio management and stewardship techniques to successfully transition leadership donors into major gift prospects. In this program, you will: Assess your leadership giving portfolio by evaluating the effectiveness of your donor strategies Identify high impact stewardship to build an authentic relationship with your leadership donors Practice productive donor conversations and key talking points, so you’re prepared for your next upgrade ask

Creating Agile Courses for an Uncertain Year

To plan for shifts in an uncertain year, many institutions are planning courses that are adaptable to online, hybrid, and face-to-face learning environments. Dr. Elizabeth Barrie from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has led an effort to pivot existing courses using Kaufman’s notion of agile learning. The agile model enables faculty to proactively design courses that are adaptable to any scenario. This model allows students to choose their own course path by using the combination of formats that works best for their lives, whether they are working full time, parenting, or pursuing double and triple majors. The framework gives students more control of their educational pace and experience while also allowing institutions to offer quality instruction and readiness for the unforeseen pivots like those we have experienced this year. Join us for a practical and interactive virtual workshop to learn how to prepare faculty to offer every course in face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats. In this two-hour workshop, you will: Learn the benefits of agile courses for the student, faculty, and institution Identify ideal courses for agile development by using a simple rubric Distinguish between HyFlex and agile course design Learn strategies and tips to develop and implement agile […]

Advocating for Yourself in Personal and Professional Relationships

Time and again we have heard the message that the impacts of working from home, homeschooling, childcare, and managing your new normal have created new areas of stress for women. Whether trying to juggle a full-time job with being a teacher to their children or finding that publishing and other career-advancement endeavors have fallen in priority, women in particular have felt the emotional, personal, and professional costs of the pandemic. Join us for this virtual training focused on how you can advocate for yourself in your personal and professional life.

Deans Summit: Maintaining Strategic Focus Through Financial Challenges

While higher ed is facing waning enrollments and funding paired with increasing expenses and demands, deans must lead the charge in making their colleges, schools, or units more financially viable while remaining relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape. Deans who are best prepared to meet these demands are creating a culture of creative problem-solving, efficiency, and innovation, and we have partnered with three of them to provide a collaborative space where deans can come together and strategize around their toughest challenges. Join your peers in this four-hour summit to: Think creatively about sources of funding Align programs to market demand and workforce changes Better leverage your existing resources and stakeholders Find innovative opportunities for growth Create the conditions for a more sustainable future You will hear from leading experts and explore new approaches to the crises your school or unit is facing. Infused with small group sessions and solutions-focused brainstorming throughout, you will leave this virtual training with short term strategies to survive and long-term strategies to thrive.

An Intersectional Approach to Supporting Neurodiverse Learners Online

Neurodiverse students are often disadvantaged in the classroom by deficit thinking, a learned mindset that defines learners by their perceived problems and can limit the success of disabled students. For learners who have other marginalized aspects of their identities, disadvantages in the classroom are compounded, and the implicit biases we hold can unintentionally disempower them and curb their academic progress. Without special care and preparation, these hindrances are further exacerbated in an online learning environment. By approaching neurodiversity from an intersectional lens and implementing strength-based practices, we can begin to promote equity, inclusion, and diversity in the classroom. Join us online and hear from Dr. Gloria Niles, Director of Distance Education at the University of Hawai’i West O’ahu. With a background in neurology and special education, she will provide practices that will help you:

Growing Your Graduate Footprint: A Conversation for Small College Leaders

As demographics shift and higher education faces declining undergraduate enrollments, many schools who have traditionally focused on undergraduate enrollment are pivoting their focus towards strengthening and growing their graduate programs. This shift can be especially challenging for smaller schools who often have fewer resources and less name recognition than their larger counterparts. During this collaborative discussion, Dr. Marcus S. Cox will share the story of how Xavier University of Louisiana was able to increase graduate student enrollment by 30% this fall – despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited budget, and a host of other challenges facing the graduate education space. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to: Connect with leaders from other small institutions Brainstorm ideas to grow and strengthen your graduate footprint in a sustainable way Get feedback from your peers about your next steps to move this work forward

5 Steps to Facilitate Your Title IX Hearing Deliberation Meetings

After the live Title IX hearing, as a hearing panelist, you have the responsibility of determining the outcome of the case. You must analyze the facts, assess the credibility of witness testimony, and maintain razor-sharp focus on your sexual harassment policy definitions—all of which require technical skills and knowledge. However, there’s also an art to these meetings. You must be able to facilitate critical conversations in a high pressure and often emotional environment about how to interpret and manage implicit bias, gut feelings, and differences in attitudes and motives. Join us online for a four-hour virtual training to learn how to balance the science and art of high-pressure deliberations and facilitate successful meetings. Our expert instructor will provide you with a five-step framework to ensure you and your decision-making peers are structuring your meetings with efficiency and respect. You will practice the framework by applying the five steps to a mock case and immersing yourself in the role of the deliberation committee. You will also walk away with tips for how to prepare the determination letter.

Fostering Student Belonging to Support Retention Despite the Global Pandemic

We know that a sense of belonging is a crucial factor when it comes to student success and retention—but what does that look like during a global pandemic? Join us for this virtual training to hear how our expert speaker is: Integrating lessons learned from his time working on retention at St. Cloud State University Using these lessons to inform the collaborative approach Bowling Green State University is taking to build a sense of community for students by focusing on flexibility, communication, and belonging in a socially distanced world Be part of this interactive conversation to share and brainstorm creative ways you can support student belonging through connections with faculty, staff, and other students.

Gender and Confidence: Why Higher Education Needs More Women to Advocate for Themselves and Each Other

Despite making great strides in terms of gender equity in the workplace, research indicates that women are less confident than men and are more likely to receive negative feedback when they do assert themselves. While men who are outspoken, ambitious, or decisive are viewed as good leaders, women who demonstrate these same traits are labeled brash, bossy, or lacking poise. Double standards and outdated gender norms create unique challenges for women who wish to rise. Join us for this training to learn why this happens, what you can do about it, and how you can manage gender-biased feedback from others. You will leave this training with tools that will enable you to own your confidence as a woman leader.

Create a Culture of Cross-Campus Open Dialogue

The current Black Lives Matter movement and the fallout from COVID-19 have higher ed leaders searching for constructive ways to engage students, faculty, and staff in dialogue about difficult issues. Listening to underrepresented voices and creating space for healthy exchange is critical for building an engaged community and maintaining a positive campus climate. There are no easy answers, but campus dialogue is a tool to help start the conversation. Join us online for this two-hour workshop to learn what it means to have a culture of campus dialogue. Our experts from Case Western Reserve University will share insights and lessons learned from their experience building such a culture at their institution. You will learn how they went about increasing leadership buy-in, enhancing cross-campus collaboration, educating others about the benefits of open dialogue, and creating a formal program. We will close with an exercise to help you craft a message and align it with various stakeholder priorities so you can begin building a culture of dialogue on your own campus.