Archives: Courses

Foundations of Project Management

Project management helps to ensure that mission-driven initiatives in higher education are well-planned and effectively managed to achieve their desired impact and outcomes.  The difference between a well-executed and poorly-executed initiative can make all the difference in retaining faculty and staff, attracting students, generating new revenue or growing your unit’s impact within the community.  This highly practical course will introduce you to a standardized project management methodology and teach you how to use several proven tools and templates, which you can begin using immediately to advance your highest priority initiatives.  If you’re interested in learning how to define and manage the scope of work, engage meaningfully with your stakeholders and ensure the right work gets done, this course is for you.  Who Will Benefit  This course is highly recommended for anyone leading a cross-unit or cross-functional project or strategic initiative on campus.  It’s especially helpful for those new to leading initiatives, as this course will introduce you to proven project management strategies, frameworks and tools.  You don’t have to be a project manager by title to benefit from this course.    How It Works  For 5 days, you will get daily emails Monday through Friday with bite-sized videos that you can […]

Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research for National Science Foundation Grants

As of July 2023, the National Science Foundation updated the responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) requirement for all faculty and personnel who will be supported by NSF grants. The requirements state that those supported by NSF grants have a responsibility to “generate and disseminate knowledge with rigor and integrity,” and “conduct peer review with the highest ethical standards; diligently protect proprietary information and intellectual property from inappropriate disclosure; and treat students and colleagues fairly and with respect.” This course was designed to meet the new RECR requirement through a focus on peer review, authorship concerns, data management concerns, creating a safe research environment, mentorship, and collaborative research. This course is specifically designed for faculty who will be submitting grant applications through the NSF, but it may also be applicable to postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students participating in those research projects—or to those simply looking to better understand research ethics and integrity.

Cultivating an Inclusive Academic Environment – Leading in the Classroom

As a leader in professional development for higher education leaders across the world, Academic Impressions prides itself on delivering quality content that is data informed and rooted in practical application. Over the past year we have had a number of conversations with member institutions who have been seeking out inclusive leadership training for their team but have found that very few workshops speak directly to a faculty audience. In response to requests from our members we have embarked on the development of a training program that will speak directly to our faculty audience, but rather than build it in a vacuum, we have worked with campus leaders from across the country to identify key topics and develop a program structure. This next phase is our attempt to determine if what we built truly does achieve our intended outcomes.

Understanding Your Five Paths to Leadership® Assessment Results

Higher education is undergoing great change, and as leaders, we need to remain dynamic and responsive to those changes. The Five Paths to Leadership® Self-Assessment can help you to identify ways to effectively adapt your leadership style to a variety of situations and people. Thousands of leaders in higher ed have benefited from this model, which explores how one’s leadership style manifests under normal circumstances—and how it changes under stress. In this video, you’ll learn how to: This course is ideal for any Academic Impressions member who would like to learn more about their own leadership style and how it may change under stress. All members should complete the self assessment here prior to starting this course.   

Demo for Ops

Dogs, often hailed as humans’ best friends, have been the topic of many scientific studies looking into how they might boost our well-being. In this Spotlight, we’ll explain how your friendly pup can benefit your health across the board. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), an estimated 78 million dogs are owned as pets in the United States. It is unclear when dogs were first domesticated, but a studyTrusted Source published last year claims that, at least in Europe, dogs were tamed 20,000–40,000 years ago. It is likely that humans and dogs have shared a special bond of friendship and mutual support ever since at least the Neolithic period — but why has this bond been so long-lasting? Of course, these cousins of the wolves have historically been great at keeping us and our dwellings safe, guarding our houses, our cattle, and our various material goods. Throughout history, humans have also trained dogs to assist them with hunting, or they have bred numerous quirky-looking species for their cuteness or elegance.

White Privilege and Allyship: A 5-Day Advanced Program

Diversity, equity, and inclusion work has never been more important in higher education. Sign up for our free five-day program to learn about white privilege and allyship. New to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Start with our 101 program to lay the foundation for your learning. White Privilege in Higher Education Identify and confront white privilege in higher education to create a more equitable and inclusive community. White privilege — which results in pushing BIPOC people to the margins — has become ingrained in many of our systems and policies in higher education. When we are critically conscious of whiteness and white privilege, we can start to question and dismantle it within our institutions, thereby preventing it from continuing to disenfranchise people of color. Allyship in Higher Education Elevate voices and perspectives of historically marginalized people by becoming an ally. Allyship is an opportunity to elevate the voices and perspectives of historically marginalized people to level power dynamics and ensure that their perspectives are heard and accounted for in every interaction. If you’re interested in learning more about what allyship is and how it can benefit your organization, this video course is a great place to get started. How It Works […]

Responding to Title IX Disclosures for Faculty and Staff

During the course of your career, you will likely experience a Title IX disclosure from someone on your campus who trusts you. This course will give you the skillset to respond to a disclosure in the moment and understand the process after the initial disclosure of sexual harassment. We’ll explore your responsibilities and give you strategies to ensure safe and productive conversations when students and employees share details of sexual harassment with you. In this course you will learn how to:

Transitioning Campaign Success into Evergreen Giving Opportunities

Campaigns are long-term, effort-intensive fundraising cycles that require hard work and commitment from Advancement staff, university and volunteer leaders, and donors. When a campaign comes to a close, the institution must balance the celebration of its accomplishments and gratitude for donors with the ongoing need for philanthropic support, all in the setting of inevitable potential for staff and donor fatigue. The best practice is to couple campaign-close communications with a focused effort that capitalizes on the momentum garnered during the campaign to transition into an evergreen philanthropic marketing and communications effort. This underutilized practice showcases high potential investment opportunities – thus, keeping philanthropy alive well beyond a campaign. Creating giving opportunities beyond the close of a successful campaign does not happen by chance. It requires a coordinated effort with your marketing and communications team to ensure that they are prepared to best position your institutional needs while also celebrating the impact of the campaign and honoring the donors who helped to make it a success. Join us to learn the steps UC San Diego took in their transition to create a post-campaign evergreen giving opportunity—and how you might adapt their approach to your own unique institutional context.

Customer Service Skills Training: Certification for Higher Education Professionals

Customer Service Skills Training: Certification for Higher Education Professionals November 1 – 3, 2023 Gain the knowledge and skills you need to provide high-quality customer service in the higher education environment. 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

Creativity Without Limits: a 5 Day Program to Build and Strengthen Your Creative Muscles

Are you looking to spark your creative energy and explore new ways to develop ideas? Look no further, this 5 day program offers a unique opportunity to tap into your creative potential and unlock your imagination.   You’ll begin a journey to build and strengthen your creative muscles by participating in carefully curated activities that are designed to be fun, inspiring, and accessible to all skill levels. These activities are designed for attendees to:    How it Works For 5 days, you will get a daily email with a bite-sized video and directions for the activity. The activities range from options that can be completed quickly to others that will require that you set aside time each day (roughly 30 minutes). Don’t miss the opportunity to integrate professional development into your daily routine and to strengthen your understanding of the benefits of design thinking in your work.

Five Paths to Leadership Results Session (August 25, 2023)

Now included in membership! Academic Impressions’ Five Paths to Leadership℠ Self-Assessment has been leveraged in our leadership programs for years. Thousands of leaders in higher ed have benefited from this dynamic model that explores and reveals how one’s leadership styles manifest under normal circumstances—and how they change under stress. Having a deeper understanding of your own leadership styles in varying situations increases your self-awareness, enhances your emotional quotient, and allows you to more effectively plan, communicate, strategize, and, ultimately, lead. Join us to learn what your own leadership styles are, how they might change under stress, and how this can apply to your team. During the workshop, we’ll walk through:

5 Ways to Take Agency of Your Learning as a Leader

Higher education has grown more complex in recent years as it faces declining enrollments, contraction of the workforce, and high levels of burnout. As a leader, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to move forward. Because of this, the need to learn new approaches and perspectives to help you solve these tough problems has never been so high. However, given your competing priorities, you may feel guilty or feel that you lack the time to focus on your professional development. Perhaps you’re not certain of how to apply your learning in meaningful ways throughout the day. Too many times, higher ed leaders accept the idea that the work of their unit must come before their own learning and development. But it doesn’t have to be that way.   This video course is designed for aspiring and current leaders of any/all experience levels and it includes five short lessons that provide you with simple yet impactful actions you can take—every day—to help you advance your learning and leadership development. If you feel like everything around you is out of control, this video course will help you to grow your confidence and agency in order to feel more connected to […]

Supervision Certificate Program

Supervision Certificate Program Learn effective strategies for supervision and gain practical tools to support your team in just 4 weeks. Bookmark this page and use the links below to access the weekly trainings. Week 1: Setting up the Supervisory Relationship Week 2: Performance Management Video 1 Week 2: Performance Management Video 2 Week 3: Managing Conflict Week 4: Growing, Motivating, and Retaining Your Staff Click here to download the workbook (to be filled in while watching video trainings) Login for Week 2 & 4 Live Training On: August 17 and September 1, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. ET Live Session #1 (Thursday August 17 | 1-2 PM ET) Live Session #2 (Friday September 1 | 1-2 PM ET) Full Event Information VIEW EVENT PAGE Including: Curriculum Overview Prepare for the Workshop This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Navigating Higher Education Politics as Mid-Career Faculty: A Time for Discussion

As faculty move through the mid-career stage, they can face additional career hurdles and possibilities. Higher education feels more unstable than ever, with challenges from state legislatures to funding and tenure, struggles with student engagement and mental health, and greater numbers of faculty and staff leaving for jobs outside universities. Faculty who are able to respond to these challenges with flexibility and by generating connections on their campuses can see them as opportunities, and thus are better able to make career decisions intentionally. Join us for a one-hour discussion facilitated by Dr. Edmund Acevedo to consider what it takes to successfully navigate the politics of higher education at the mid-career stage. You will have the chance to:

Supervising Multigenerational Teams: Building Understanding to Support Success

Your team may have up to five generations working together, a phenomenon that is unique to our time in history. This generational diversity makes our teams stronger and more ready to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. To leverage the full strength that comes from this generational diversity, however, supervisors must first understand the value of and know how to appreciate the unique styles and preferences of each team member.   Join our facilitator and your peers across the country to share best practices and experiences for increasing all of our understanding on successfully supervising multigenerational teams. You will come away from the training with the following:  

Have It Your Way (or Not): Customer Service Across Generations

A college community has perhaps the most generationally diverse members of any organization. From Baby Boomers and Generation X to Millennials and Gen Z, today’s students and employees alike co-navigate university systems with vastly different expectations of how they like to be treated as customers. These varying preferences have great impact on the campus culture as a whole, as well as on the diverse knowledge and skills service providers need in order to deliver great experiences for all. This virtual training will provide you with a greater awareness of the varying preferences for customer service that exist for employees and students in college and university communities, as well as a look at how service providers can modify styles to meet expectations and enhance the university experience across generations.

World War Z? The Impact of Multiple Generations on Campus

With more generations in the workplace than ever before, there is no shortage of jokes, social media flurry, and casual speculation about the Millennials in your team meeting or the Boomer down the hall. Interestingly, while we love to discuss these topics, very few people actually know what their differences are beyond vague stereotypes like “work ethic” and “quiet quitting.” Many of these conversations also lack the nuance that includes a judgement-free understanding of why the generations are different. This session will demystify the strengths and weaknesses of each generation, confirm that your favorite 15-year-old TikTok influencer is not a millennial, and provide you with information that you can use to navigate the varying work styles, expectations, and communication patterns that you encounter across generations in your everyday context.

Five Paths to Leadership℠  Results Session – July

Five Paths to Leadership℠ Results Session Learn more about your Five Paths to Leadership℠ Self-Assessment results, what they mean, and the styles of each path — Critical Thinker, Relator, Visionary, Warrior, and Sage. Login On July 21, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. ET JOIN ZOOM MEETING Be sure to take The Five Paths to Leadership℠ Self-Assessment before the session and bring your results to the session! Take The Five Paths to Leadership℠ Self-Assessment Full Event Information VIEW EVENT PAGE Including: Agenda Overview Speaker Bios Prepare for the Workshop This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Success Managing a Hybrid Workforce

While many supervisors ‘got by’ in managing a hybrid workforce when the pandemic necessitated it, it is now a strategic recruitment and retention tool for many institutions, and frankly, it is here to stay. Despite this, training on how to manage hybrid teams successfully is woefully lacking. If we fail to learn how to best supervise our hybrid teams, we risk a lack of productivity, retention issues, and disengagement. Join our expert facilitator and your peers from across the country to share lessons learned, common challenges, and proven solutions. This virtual training will provide you with: