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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.

Advanced Leadership Development in Higher Education

Leading in higher education is a difficult task under the best of circumstances. Shared governance, structural barriers to change, and limited discretionary funding are just a few of the many reasons why making a meaningful impact can be hard to do. But it can be done, and current and future challenges demand that we have leaders who can make substantive—not incremental—change. Join us for a one-of-a-kind program that will help you to lead for the impact you desire. We’ll examine your leadership at a personal level, share strategies for building high-performing teams, and equip you with tools that you can use to align large groups around a new direction or vision. Optional Executive Coaching: For those who choose to add on our Executive Coaching package, you will receive 6 sessions of executive coaching and will be paired with a coach who has extensive experience in higher education.   

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.  

Developing a Comprehensive Retention Plan

Join us for this longstanding, must-attend conference to develop a campus-wide retention plan that ties your mission, data, and programming together in a unified approach. Our expert speakers will share their latest insights as we continue to navigate the effects of the pandemic and changing student demographics. Whether you have a retention plan already in place or are just getting started, during this conference you will outline and build an improved retention plan under the guidance of our experts. You will leave the conference with the ability to approach retention holistically by:

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

Being a new Chief Diversity Officer has never been more challenging than it is today. In addition to the learning curve that stepping into any new leadership role brings, CDOs must also contend with the changing and even tumultuous political climate around diversity, equity, and inclusion work in higher education. Given these circumstances, it is imperative that new Chief Diversity Officers receive training and support to set them up for success in their roles. This bootcamp, which was created specifically for new and aspiring Chief Diversity Officers who have been in their positions for two years or less, is designed to do just that. Alongside a cohort of others across the nation who are also new to the CDO role, you will explore how this work aligns with your personal values, gain deeper insight into your leadership style via the Five Paths to Leadership℠ Self-Assessment, and conduct an environmental scan to help you focus your efforts and form strong partnerships at your institution. You will leave feeling better equipped to navigate the complexities of the role and effect meaningful change in the communities in which you operate. Your registration for this bootcamp includes weekly small group sessions with each of […]

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. 

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