Event Category: Free For All-Inclusive

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.

Strategies & Mindsets for Actualizing Your Purpose: A Discussion

Connecting your everyday work with your life’s purpose to find greater well-being contributes to improved professional satisfaction and productivity, but it requires continued reflection and iteration. Join us for a 1-hour discussion where we will further explore themes from Actualize Your Purpose: A Workshop on Improving Your Well-Being.  

Using Mediation Skills to Resolve Conflicts Between Faculty or Staff: A Training for Department Chairs 

Conflict is difficult because it sparks an emotional response in each of us and requires us to navigate the inherent tensions that arise from differences in perspective and expectation. As a department chair, you have the responsibility to manage conflict with grace, so that you can lead by example and create a culture where conflict is viewed as healthy and productive. This is true when you’re managing a conflict you’re directly involved in, but it’s even more important when you’re called upon to help others resolve a conflict because they are finding it difficult to make progress on their own.    Join us online to learn how mediation techniques can help you to facilitate productive conversations and seek resolution when faculty and/or staff are in conflict or dispute with each other. You’ll learn how to diffuse the tension that arises during conflict while also focusing on collaborative problem-solving that creates mutually acceptable solutions for all involved. You’ll learn how to: 

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.

Bridging the Equity Gap in Higher Education

Students of color, first-generation students, and low-income students typically encounter the most barriers to retention and graduation at institutions. Research shows that low-income students are less likely to return to campus after the summer, that first-generation students are less likely to graduate on time, and that Black and Latinx students are more likely to enroll part-time in college or take time away from their degrees. As universities navigate increased diversity in admissions, faculty and staff must focus on new efforts to retain and graduate undergraduate students from historically marginalized populations. Unfortunately, equity gaps in retention and completion often show that current practices are not enough to create an environment of support for historically marginalized and first-generation students. Join us for this two-day virtual conference to discuss best practices for closing the equity gap in higher education. You will have the opportunity to hear from experts on how to break down siloes, how to use pre-college programs, and how to educate faculty and staff across campus to drive student success. You will also be able to network and plan with other faculty and staff who are initiating or continuing efforts to retain and complete students from historically marginalized groups on their […]

Cultivating and Stewarding Transformational Donors: A Conversation with Vice Presidents

Identifying key insights from casual but meaningful conversations with transformational donors can lead to strong relationships that provide your institution with the support it needs for generations to come. These conversations don’t always come easy. In fact, they often encompass their own unique challenges, depending on the type of donor you’re speaking to, the campus partners joining the conversation, and how well their donor experience has gone.   To overcome the potential challenges within these conversations, there are phases of cultivation and stewardship in which you can become more fluent over time, such as:   Join us in this panel conversation with Vice Presidents of Advancement, Dexter Bailey of California Institute of Technology, and Kristen DeVries of Western Michigan University Foundation, alongside Mitchell Spearmen, Founder and Dreamer of Gifts of a Lifetime, to discuss how they have approached conversations with ultra-high-net-worth families.   You will have the opportunity to ask questions to help navigate a current phase you’re in or to ask about how to approach a specific scenario.

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.

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.  

Actualize Your Purpose: A Workshop on Improving Your Well-Being

The pandemic has fundamentally altered the way we work: remote and hybrid environments, students and colleagues in greater need of support, and demands for greater work-life balance. This is the perfect time to take stock, check in with yourself and your goals, and start creating work habits that work for you.    Join us online for an interactive workshop and discussion that will help you refocus your time, energy, and future work in realizing your purpose and professional vision. You’ll begin the workshop by assessing the current state of your well-being and reflecting on the factors that most contribute to it. You’ll then explore to what extent inherited norms shape your definition of success, so that you can create your own definition of success based on your values and the impact you want to have in the world. Finally, you’ll document a practical and tangible plan that outlines the goals and tasks you’ll need to craft the meaningful life and career you desire. 

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.