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:

Leading as an Assistant/Associate Dean: An Online Bootcamp

Leading as an Assistant/Associate Dean: An Online Bootcamp October 11 – November 13, 2023 Individual Sessions: October 11, 16, 23, 30, November 6, & 13, 2023 Welcome to the course page for your bootcamp! More information will be added as we get closer to your event, so please check back soon. Important Links Contact Moira Killoran to learn more. Welcome! This is your “one-stop shop” for all of the course materials and instructions you will need to guide you through the bootcamp. A couple of important notes to get you started: All course materials can be found in the “Access Course Materials” tab to the left. Any/all course materials you will need to prepare for the live sessions will be made available before the live session. You will also be alerted by email when they are available. Additional materials generated during the live sessions or intended as reflection after the live session will be added after the live session. Your Course Syllabus will be updated and posted weekly as you progress through the program. The Syllabus will contain specific instructions for what needs to be completed before and after each session. Please review the syllabus at the beginning and end […]

Connecting Values to the Gift: Strategies to Incorporate Families into Your Fundraising Goals

The donor’s legacy and philanthropic goals need to be carried on through their gift to your institution. Before a formal proposal is presented, or prior to a meeting that focuses on outlining the gift agreement, you need to connect the donor family’s values to your institutional goals. This process begins by aligning family engagement strategies into your institutional fundraising goals. Join us in this third installment of our Family Giving Series to potentially unlock millions of dollars in giving by building upon your approach to cultivation and stewardship with your most loyal and engaged families. By drilling into the core value of what a family holds dear, you will be able to continue deep philanthropic partnerships with donor families for generations to come.

Equipping Gift Officers to Facilitate Conversations Among Multi-Generational Families

The exercise of facilitating philanthropic conversations around values with the families you engage with is essential for the long-term philanthropic viability of your institution. However, gift officers are often not trained for this unique approach to fundraising that focuses on the family. Instead, they may often feel a natural hesitation to insert themselves into these intimate conversations—especially when there are unknowns involved, so as a result they end up forgoing relationship–building among multiple generations of the same family.    Equipping a gift officer with the knowledge of why this approach is important—and not extraneous work—can lead to more creative and meaningful gifts, trusted relationships, and a wider variety of natural opportunities for follow-up.  Join us in this second training within a three-part Family Giving Series to learn how to navigate the different perspectives and unique goals among a multi-generational family by helping them align their values to benefit your institution and increase philanthropic engagement. 

The Role of Philanthropic Conversations in Families

Transferring values, not just dollars, is the essence of philanthropic conversations in families. These conversations rarely occur with families who have the actual capacity to give, however. Whether your alumnus identifies as middle-class or is part of a family with a long-storied history with your institution, cultivating conversation among their closest familial ties is often the missing link when developing strong and sincere relationships with multiple generations. Join us in this first of a three-session series on family giving. In this training, you will gain insights into the role of philanthropic conversations within families and why it is important to bring institutional values into the familial relationships you’re stewarding.

Research & Scholarship at Mid-Career: Reboot, Reset, Reimagine

Faculty commonly struggle with research at mid-career. Some may struggle with a stagnant research agenda and reduced scholarly productivity, while others may question their commitment to the research agenda that led them to tenure. In this course, you will learn a process for resetting, rebooting, and reimagining your research and scholarship so you can get back on track and design a research plan that aligns with where and who you are at your mid-career stage. This course is designed for mid-career faculty who are seeking guidance to plan the next steps for their research, including tenured and career faculty who: To support you through this process, we will explore three paths to mid-career scholarship and research: building and leveling up your current research agenda, exploring new research strands, and developing a SOTL agenda. We will discuss the merits of each path within specific institutional contexts, as well as long-term career goals, and identify key strategies so you can move forward with a research agenda that aligns and reflects you in this current moment.

Effective Donor Cultivation Strategies for Academic Deans

Donor cultivation is a critical element of sustainable fundraising practices. Academic deans must employ strategies that are aligned with the donor’s personality, values, and philanthropic outlook to meaningfully develop the donor relationship. Without this intentional approach to donor cultivation, less strategic fundraising strategies may cause a dean to fail to build a relationship with a donor that would allow them to contribute through the institution in a way that is aligned with how they want to impact the world.  Join us for this one-hour training to learn how to use specific strategies to foster relationships with your donors in individualized ways. You will identify the key principles of donor cultivation, learn what to listen for in donor conversations, and consider different methods of donor engagement while working through real-world donor scenarios.

Freedom of Speech, Academic Freedom, and DEI: A Complicated Relationship

Within higher education, the debate related to the First Amendment and academic freedom—and whether or not they are a hindrance to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—continues to be a polarizing topic. During these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever that campus leaders are armed with facts as well as critical perspectives, to assist them in their ability follow the law while also creating meaningful learning environments for faculty, staff, and students. This training aims to remove the assumption that diversity initiatives struggle to coexist within the parameters of free speech and/or academic freedom. During the session, we will explore and explain areas where the priorities of DEI and academic and political leaders overlap, rather than diverge. You will come away with a greater understanding of the interrelationships among the three and of how to offer support when the values of faculty, staff, or students remain in conflict.

Building Racial & Cultural Literacy

Changing demographics in U.S. higher education are leading many of us to increase our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion to engage with students and colleagues more meaningfully. Racial identity and its intersection with other social identities play a prominent role in how individuals experience higher education as a place of work or learning. This video course is designed to increase your understanding of racial identity, power dynamics, and privilege within the higher ed context. Our expert instructor, Dr. Domonic Rollins, will help you learn the definitions of key terms, reflect on your own identity and its connection to privilege, and power, and apply your racial and cultural literacy to real-world scenarios. Accompanying this course is a workbook designed to help you put your knowledge into action.

The Key to a Chair’s Success: Situational Awareness of Your Department

This course is designed for any/all department chairs who want to develop a greater awareness and understanding of their department and its strategic position within their institution. You’ll be introduced to a four-step process called an environmental scan, which allows you to systematically research and assess your department’s history, trends, and strategic position—all of which influence the way others view and engage with you and your department. You’ll further explore how your environmental scan can help you to make better decisions, make a case, communicate effectively with your stakeholders, leverage institutional collaborations, and empower others throughout your department.

Pathways to Success: A Leadership Academy for New and Aspiring Chief Diversity Officers

Pathways to Success: A Leadership Academy for New and Aspiring Chief Diversity Officers September 21 – November 2, 2023 Individual Session Dates: September 21, 28, October 5, 12, 19, 26, & November 2, 2023 Welcome to the course page for your bootcamp! More information will be added as we get closer to your event, so please check back soon. Important Links Contact Moira Killoran to learn more. Welcome! Thank you so much for joining us on this developmental aspect of your leadership journey! Over the course of these 7 weeks, you will learn from our expert instructor as well as from your peers, and you will have the opportunity to apply what you are learning in real time. We have provided various opportunities for you to connect with a small cohort of attendees as you think and work through your vision for your own career path. Our hope is that you walk away having thoroughly explored and developed your leadership skills through reflection, discussion, and application. If you have any questions, please contact Sandra Miles, Head of Practice at Academic Impressions. Pre-Event Assignment For our third session, please be prepared to share your 5 Paths Leadership Assessment Results . Session Dates and Times:  Understanding Why You Want to Do This […]

Building Communities of Practice: Extended Orientation and Development Programs for Campus Leaders

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:  

Five Paths to Leadership Results Debrief Session

Five Paths to Leadership Results Debrief Session Learn more about your self-assessment results, what they mean, and the styles of each path — Critical Thinker, Relator, Visionary, Warrior, and Sage. Login On: June 15, 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 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:

Managing Difficult Faculty & Staff: A Bootcamp for Leaders

Managing Difficult Faculty & Staff: A Bootcamp for Leaders October 23 – November 13, 2023 Individual Sessions: October 23, 30, November 6, 13, 2023 Welcome to the course page for your bootcamp! More information will be added as we get closer to your event, so please check back soon. Important Links Contact Moira Killoran to learn more. Welcome! This bootcamp will teach you how to intervene and correct problematic performance and behavior within your team. Over the course of four weeks, our expert instructor will walk you through a four step, increasingly authoritative model that is intended to engage, set expectations, communicate consequences, and minimize the ill effect of bad behaviors on others. You will also be able to workshop strategies with your peers and discuss real challenges that you are facing. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Adams, Learning and Development Manager at Academic Impressions. Session Dates and Times: Session 1 | Engagement October 23, 2023 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET Session 2 | Management October 30, 2023 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET Session 3 | Enforcement November 6, 2023 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET Session 4 | Marginalization November 13, 2023 | 2:00 […]