News

Adjusting Housing and Dining Operations for the Fall: Ideas from Your Peers

by Daniel Fusch

Every campus with plans to re-open in the fall is scrambling to adjust campus housing and dining services – but often, we are moving so fast and feeling so isolated that we lose the opportunity to compare notes and brainstorm solutions with our peers, or to learn from what other institutions are trying. That’s why we brought a couple dozen housing and dining services leaders together for a virtual brainstorm session. Here’s some of what they came up with. As a student life professional, you are currently planning how housing and dining operations will adjust in the fall under the “new normal” of COVID-19. Assuming your institution will host students on campus beginning in August, you will soon have to implement plans to keep students and staff safe in these shared spaces. Before moving to the implementation phase, have you stopped to discuss your plans with other housing and dining professionals to ensure the very best options are on the table? On May 20, 2020, leaders in housing and dining from just under two dozen campuses met online to discuss the issues entailed. This virtual workshop was unique in its format and was the first of an ongoing series of […]

Why Professional Development is a Strategic Priority During a Time of Rapid Change

During a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the academic workforce is distributed and opportunities for collaborative learning, networking, and sharing of ideas and successes are more limited, leadership support for professional development in higher education is more critical than ever. To come out of the crisis thriving, colleges and universities have to invest in their people. Research Report | Academic Impressions, May 2020 Historically, institutions have often frozen or cut professional development (PD) budgets during periods of financial distress, limiting their capacity for learning and identifying solutions at the very moment that capacity is most needed. Today, more than ever, institutions need to take the opposite course. Investing in PD—in your people, in their capacity and their growth—also sends a powerful leadership message. This message provides stability amid uncertainty; offers a way to move forward, keep connected and engaged, and take action; and encourages a growth mindset, even and especially in the midst of crisis. The institutions that will emerge from a time of crisis in a position to thrive will be those whose leaders and staff are empowered and equipped to think opportunistically, creatively, and with a growth mindset. During such a time, existing mindsets and […]

Finding the Silver Lining: Reframing Our Fundraising Practices During the Pandemic

by Jessica Neno Cloud, CFRE

“I’ve been a remote, work-from-home fundraiser for five years now, for a school 2,000 miles away from my home office. I see so much worry out there in higher education advancement, and I’m here to tell you, it’s going to be okay. You may have to give up some of your ideas about what’s possible and not possible, but if you’re willing, let’s explore the opportunities and reframe our fundraising practices.” So much of the debate about whether and how to engage donors right now is coming from a place of fundraiser discomfort. This discomfort needs to be examined and reframed to continue to do our jobs with compassion and effectiveness. This reframing is an important practice during traumatic situations; it can help us bring meaning to events and give us the resilience necessary to move forward. We can and should reframe the COVID-19 situation as an opportunity that will lead us to: I’ve been a remote, work-from-home fundraiser for five years now, for a school 2,000 miles away from my home office. I see so much worry out there in higher education advancement, and I’m here to tell you, it’s going to be okay. You may have to give […]

Becoming Global: Engaging Transnational Alumni, Donors, and Friends

by Gretchen Dobson

During a time of pandemic (and after), how can we keep our international, or rather, transnational alumni, donors, and friends engaged and connected? Two experts discuss. This year constituent engagement has looked different than in the recent past. While travel has ceased, virtual connections are keeping relationships warm 24/7. This is more important than ever given the impact of COVID-19 on international student mobility and recruitment. The time is now to pay closer attention to international alumni records and to identify which gaps exist.  In this article, global engagement specialist and author of International Travel Handbook: Engaging Constituents Abroad, Dr. Gretchen Dobson, speaks to Daniel Spadafore, Interim Senior Director, Office for International Advancement at Michigan State University about their best practices in engaging international alumni both at home and abroad. Together, they discuss a new way of classifying alumni, and Spadafore shares some recent stories about how Michigan State has approached their international alumni engagement practices. An Interview Dobson: In the closing chapter of my last book, Staying Global: How International Alumni Relations Advances the Agenda (EAIE, 2015), I respond to the challenge of keeping updated contact information on international alumni. I offer a recommendation that may help institutions maintain […]

How to Keep Your Eyes on the Future When There’s a Crisis in the Present

by Steve Riccio, EdD, SPHR, PCC

This is a unique and challenging time, yet it’s crucial not to remain overly consumed with the present crisis; we need to reserve time each day to think through the possibilities of how our future, and how the future of our unit and our institution can be different when we all return.   By now, you have received your fill of articles, blog posts, and invites to free webinars all offering well-intended advice on how to cope amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We have all felt the stress in all areas of our life during this unprecedented time. Despite this stress, most higher education professionals that I have spoken with have indicated that they have adapted to this “new abnormal.” The literature that has been published about this period of uncertainty has been, for the most part, both caring and useful. Psychologists and other healthcare professionals have warned us not to become too consumed with the future, given the high degree of ambiguity on what might come. In other words, focus on the present state in order to maintain a strong sense of well-being. This is certainly excellent advice, particularly for those who are suffering from increased stress and anxiety. However, […]

How You Approach the Last Day of Class is More Important Now Than Ever

by Dr. Tasha Souza

We’ve never had a term quite like this, and how we close our classes this semester matters. For some students, their classes may have been their most consistent and stable community during this time of rapid change and abrupt isolation. This article offers tips and techniques for approaching the last day of class in ways that provide both closure and connection.  I was chatting – well, zooming actually – with a colleague who felt inclined to skip the final class session, given that students seemed so exhausted. I absolutely understand this inclination, but I suggested otherwise. I was not promoting intentional course closure due to policy or typical good practice, but because this semester is like no other we’ve experienced and students will likely be grateful for that closure. A webinar on trauma-informed pedagogy confirmed my belief in the importance of closure this semester. Let’s consider why. Your class, while inconsistently “delivered,” might have been the only consistent and stable community for students this semester. Many students had to leave their college residences and support networks. For some, the only thing in their lives that stayed the same was your presence, and that of other students in your course. As […]

5 Leadership Lessons Hidden in the Coronavirus Crisis

by Mary Hinton

Especially for those who are deliberate planners by nature, the rapid velocity and pressure of the current crisis can be turbulent. In this article, the president of the Hollins University offers higher-ed leaders the perspective of five leadership lessons or gifts that we can (re)learn in the midst of this chaotic moment. by Mary Hinton, President, Hollins University (recently President of the College of Saint Benedict) Existing in a Space of Chaos I am, by nature, a planner. As a college president, and in many other jobs I’ve held, strategic planning has been central to my work. Visioning, thoughtful deliberation and the opportunity to engage in proactive scenario planning and pitfall analysis are my favorite types of work. Suffice it to say, this year has challenged my nature in every way. Like many leaders, I find myself not only needing to rapidly think through what is best for my own campus community but also needing to react quickly to declarations and decisions coming from the federal and state governments, the state department of health, and other college leaders. For nearly everyone, and especially for those of us who thrive on deliberate planning, this season has been punishing. This crisis has […]

Creating a Safe Space in Your Class During a Crisis

You’re in class (online). Your students are in class. And all of your minds are on COVID-19, quarantine, and making ends meet. How can we as instructors step back, break down the sense of isolation and hopelessness, and use the sharing of our experiences of crisis to create a safe space for students to grow and learn?  by Marina Hofman, Ph.D., Palm Beach Atlantic University These are traumatizing times. Discouragement, uncertainty, and loss are sweeping across our nation—and our students are navigating uncharted territory in their lives. How can we connect with our students and bring them hope during this unprecedented crisis? Many of our students are distracted and scared. Many of our faculty are, too. How do we create space in our classes for both faculty and students to speak their stress and fear and find hope in moving forward together amid uncertainty? Faculty connection to students is essential for student learning and engagement even at the best of times. During this current pandemic, it is more important than ever. Safe to Be Vulnerable I made the decision early in my career to share my own story of fear, loss, and uncertainty with students. I do this in recognition […]

Student Success and Retention in the Time of Coronavirus

by Daniel Fusch

We know many of our faculty have had a big transition to make, as institutions have moved courses online rapidly in response to COVID-19—but it’s a huge transition for many of our students, too, especially those who have never taken an online course or who have limited access to the Internet now that campus is closed. What are some ways we can help students succeed and persist when plunged into this new world? On March 25, over 900 higher-ed professionals from institutions all over North America attended one of our free COVID-19 Critical Response webcasts. It was an opportunity to hear from a leading expert on student retention—and to share ideas among their peers, hearing what other institutions are doing and what you could be doing. You can sign up to get the webcast recording (and chat transcript) here, or explore our rapidly growing COVID-19 Critical Response series—some of which are free for everyone, while others are free for our members. COVID-19 has forced institutions to pivot and adapt in unprecedented ways. If you’re like most, you are laser-focused on your own campus responses and have been craving a space to connect with others, ask questions, and share ideas with […]

Call for Book Chapters: Thriving as Women in Leadership in Higher Ed

SUBMISSIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED. This is a call for submissions for brief chapters for inclusion in a new book on practical strategies for thriving as women in leadership in higher education. THRIVING AS WOMEN IN HIGHER-ED LEADERSHIP | BOOK | CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Academic Impressions, which designs and hosts the Women’s Leadership Success in Higher Education conference several times each year as well as a series of over a dozen webcasts on women’s leadership success, is soliciting chapters for a new compendium on supporting women’s leadership in higher education to be published in late 2020. For this book, we are looking for specific lessons learned, practical strategies, or essential skillsets. These are brief chapters; we are looking for text between 1,500-2,000 words. Submissions are due May 31, and we are only accepting a limited number of submissions, so we encourage you to respond quickly. SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. List of Topics This list is not exclusive or comprehensive, but we are especially interested in seeing chapters that support women in higher education in succeeding in the following areas: Impostor syndrome Perspectives from women of color How women who have power/authority can advocate for underrepresented women Authenticity in leadership/discovering your unique […]