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Attracting Faculty Talent: A Discussion for Department Chairs

In recent years, you may have noticed that it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to attract faculty talent to your campus. Many institutions are finding that the offer of tenure is not enough. The pandemic made people rethink their priorities. Generational differences are impacting what some people value in their workplace. The social and political climate surrounding your campus also matters—a lot. So if you find that faculty are becoming more selective in where and how they grow their careers, you’re not alone.  Join us online for a one-hour discussion where we will explore the current trends impacting faculty recruitment. The conversation will be responsive to the questions asked by the attendees, but if you’re looking for an opportunity to reflect on how well you’re responding to the changing needs of your incoming faculty, this discussion is for you. Come prepared to engage in dialogue and share insights with other department chairs from across the country. 

Engaging Mid-Career Faculty: A Faculty Development Discussion

Most faculty development focuses on early-career faculty under the misguided assumption that mid-career faculty have “figured it out.” Yet mid-career faculty actually report the highest levels of dissatisfaction and are increasingly leaving higher education. Thus, institutions are noting the need to provide more comprehensive support to mid-career faculty but are unsure of how to engage this group of faculty and their unique needs.   Join us for a one-hour discussion focused on essential strategies for supporting mid-career faculty. During this time, we will discuss: 

Assess the Strategic Position of Your Department

The increasingly competitive landscape within higher ed requires department chairs to be dynamic, not passive, in how they respond to challenges and opportunities. This requires you to make important decisions that may impact your department for years to come. As a new department chair, this can feel scary since you’re still learning how to do the job, and you’re likely missing important information to make an informed decision in many scenarios.    Join us online for a one-hour discussion in which you’ll get tips for how to assess your department’s history, trends, and strategic position within the college/university. More importantly, we’ll discuss why this information is essential as a new chair. If you’re interested in learning how to fill your knowledge gaps and feel more confident about your decision-making, this discussion is for you. Topics for discussion will likely include the following:   

The New Department Chair’s Dilemma: Learning to Manage Commitments To Yourself and Others 

Shifting your role from faculty to department chair also means shifting your mindset from individual contributor to department convener, collaborator, and champion. You are now responsible for your own success, as well as for facilitating the successes of others, including faculty, staff, and students. Your reach extends beyond your department, as well, as you’re now responsible for engaging with donors, community members, accreditors, and the like. As a new chair, you now have commitments to many, and it can be difficult to know when and how to prioritize them.    Join us online for a one-hour discussion, where we will explore how to manage the various commitments and responsibilities you have across your organization. Although the conversation will be responsive to the questions asked by the attendees, we anticipate discussing the following themes:      Come prepared to engage in dialogue, ask questions, and share insights that can help you and other department chairs to confidently navigate your transition to department leader.    

Develop Your Executive Presence as Department Chair

As a department chair, you have more visibility and impact across the campus when compared to when you were simply an individual contributor as a faculty member. Given the complex and ever-changing landscape within higher ed, it’s more important than ever to demonstrate your executive presence.    Executive presence is your ability to inspire confidence at all levels within the organization. It’s the ability to inspire faculty and staff to follow you because they trust your leadership. It’s the ability to inspire confidence in your peers and senior leaders that you’re reliable and capable. However, as a new department chair, this charge can feel daunting, given everything you need to learn.   Join us online for a one-hour discussion where we will address the following questions:  Come prepared to engage in dialogue, ask questions, and share insights that can help you and other department chairs to confidently navigate your transition to department leader. 

Creating a Culture of Care

In part three of this discussion series, The Impact of Enhancing Customer Service in Higher Education, learn strategies and techniques that can be used to create a more caring culture on your campus and increase the quality of the student and employee experience. 

Managing Difficult Customers

In part two of this discussion series, The Impact of Enhancing Customer Service in Higher Education, learn techniques for diffusing common challenges that arise when managing difficult customers. You won’t make everyone happy, but you can surely try! 

Managing Student and Employee Complaints

In part one of this discussion series, The Impact of Enhancing Customer Service in Higher Education, learn techniques for managing common student and employee complaints to enhance satisfaction and retention. 

Understanding and Clarifying Faculty Mentoring Roles

As faculty navigate mentoring relationships, a number of challenges can arise as a result of expectations and roles not being as clearly defined as possible. Mentors can serve in many different roles for mentees, including coaches, confidants, teachers, guides, advocates, sponsors, and more. Mentors may even move between roles depending on the needs of their mentees. It is important therefore for mentors and mentees alike to have the same understanding of the mentoring relationship in order to avoid challenges like role confusion, role expansion, and role overreach.  Join us for a one-hour discussion focused on how to identify the potential role difficulties in mentoring relationships and how to overcome those difficulties. Drawing on the work of Katharine Stewart in Make the Most of Mentoring: Best Practices and Core Principles for Mentors and Mentees, we will:  

Writing Workshop for Advancement

As a donor relations or communications professional, you may be looking to improve your writing and considering which form of media you should use to deliver messages. Writing to donors and prospects takes a certain touch, particularly when you are competing with a world of sensory input. Not only do you have to be warm, gracious, and sincere, but you also must capture their attention and get to the point.  Join us for this virtual training to learn how to craft donor messages while also receiving real-time feedback from our expert faculty and your fellow attendees. You will leave with the practical skills to strengthen your relationship with donors by speaking to who they are.