Bogged down in implementing your strategic plan? Try this creative meeting design to get things moving. Successful execution of a strategic plan separates the excellent from the “pretty good.” Creating great “visions” and ennobling pictures of the future for a campus is not difficult. There are many smart, dedicated and hardworking faculty, staff and administrators throughout every campus and they have powerful aspirations. The really hard part is the implementation part, and too few institutions are good at it. Problems are inevitable during an implementation process, but they are often covered up because people are reluctant to ask for help, don’t want to appear inadequate, or are “stuck” with what they are doing and lack good solutions. Having worked on strategic planning with hundreds of campuses over the last 25+ years, I have created the following meeting design. The Strategic Planning Implementation Clinic creates the opportunity to surface the real problems and pressing challenges that campus stakeholders are facing in implementing strategic priorities, and allows leaders to tap the thinking & resources of participants to generate constructive and realistic solutions to tough problems. This meeting design: One caution: This design will only work if the campus climate feels safe enough for participants to share real organizational problems. If failure […]
While some colleges and universities are developing workplace bullying prevention programs (we’ll list examples in a minute), it is evident that we have a lot of work yet to do. And this work needs to be done; unaddressed, workplace bullying impacts the processes of tenure and promotion, the collegiality of the department, and the academic freedom of its junior members. In this article, find out what a policy should include, and what institutions have existing policies you can learn from. by Clara Wajngurt, Ph.D. What is workplace bullying? By this term, we’re referring to hostile behavior that includes repeated harrassment, physical harm, verbal abuse, or other conduct that is viewed as threatening, humiliating, intimidating, or sabotaging – behavior that interferes with the performance of the one who is being bullied. (See Namie & Namie, “Risk Factors for Becoming a Target of Workplace Bullying and Mobbing,” in M. Duffy and D. Yamada, Workplace Bullying and Mobbing in the United States, Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Press, 2018, 1-17.) These are the characteristics of workplace bullying: What Workplace Bullying Looks Like in Higher Ed Imagine the following scenarios of how workplace bullying manifests itself in an academic setting. SCENARIO AA unit director submits […]
In this series, we’ve talked about how the chief of staff can operate as an effective liaison, what qualities presidents desire in the chief of staff, and where new chiefs of staff could look for resources. Now, in our sixth article, we want to ask: What are key skills that chiefs of staff need to build in order to best handle crises on campus? In this series of articles, experienced chiefs of staff offer critical advice on managing the chief of staff role. We will share their answers to questions such as these: Contributors to this series include: We hope you will enjoy the series and share each article with your peers. If you find these articles useful, please consider attending and learning from these and other experts at these virtual trainings: Today, here is the sixth installment in our series: 6. What Skills Does the Chief of Staff Need in a Crisis? Academic Impressions. What are key skills that chiefs of staff need to build in order to best handle crises on campus? Chris Romano, Ramapo College. Here are 3 skills that are essential for chiefs of staff to have in order to best handle crises on campus: 1) Relationship management […]
READ THE WHOLE SERIES: Academic advising staff, comprised of both administrative support staff and advisors, may experience a great deal of stress and frustration as they work to manage the expectations of both students and administration. As frontline personnel, they are the first to be confronted when students experience problems and express dissatisfaction, yet they have little authority or control. By including these constituents in decision-making and planning, advising administrators are able to benefit from their diverse perspectives and maximize on the skills that each staff member brings to the department. This is particularly important because when we establish systems and procedures in response to student needs, there is frequently a risk that advising personnel will view these changes in a negative light. Advisors may anticipate that their own needs will be deprioritized as we work to meet the needs of students. For example, an edict such as “Advisors have 24-48 hours to respond to students” may cause additional stress on advisors who are already facing challenges in managing their workload. I recommend examining practices and procedures regularly, observing the impact on advising staff, and soliciting staff feedback proactively, so that you can begin to address employee needs while also […]
By Kayleigh MacPhersonExecutive Director, Scholarships and Student SupportUCLA Development Assuming leadership in a time of transition and tumult – parenting lessons that helped our team thrive during the pandemic. Returning to work from one’s first multi-month parental leave is challenging no matter the specific circumstances. Whether it is a crisis of identity, scheduling, responsibilities, time, or managing the onslaught of individual, familial, professional, and societal expectations, with parenting comes an additional literal and figurative load for nearly every aspect of our lives. Assuming a new leadership role in one’s profession can be similarly complex – like the adjustment to parenting, one becomes, at times, solely responsible for the actions of others. There may also be crises of identity, scheduling, responsibilities, time, and managing new expectations. After four months on parental leave, I returned to the office December 4, 2019, and things had changed. I had both a brand-new baby and a brand-new leadership role at my institution. I was thrilled to get back to work and hardly considered the impact my newfound parental feelings and experiences could have on my approach to leading a team. In times of uncertainty and transition, we are all tested, and history has shown us […]
Leading in Today’s Academy: A Discussion Series for Provosts & Faculty Affairs Leaders Explore critical issues shaping your work as a Provost or Faculty Affairs leader. SESSION 1 SESSION 2 SESSION 3 SESSION 4 Overview Now more than ever, it is a challenging environment in which to be a Provost or VP for Faculty Affairs. Hiring and retaining a diverse faculty body, combating issues of disengagement and faculty climate, constant leadership turnover at multiple levels, and the pressure to maintain competitive and relevant offerings in a compressed enrollment market are all challenges that academic leaders must navigate on a daily basis. In light of these challenges, Provosts and Faculty Affairs leaders—otherwise lone wolves on their campuses—are in greater need than ever of spaces where they can connect with peers across the nation, discuss common challenges, and exchange ideas. Join us for an ongoing discussion series designed specifically for Provosts and Faculty Affairs leaders. Each month, we’ll convene a group of panelists to discuss important and complex issues that are shaping your work as an academic leader, such as: Rethinking promotion & tenure Fostering faculty engagement and belonging Developing academic leaders within your institution Academic program innovation Advancing your DEI mission […]
Gender bias in higher education can lead us to prize men’s voices over women’s and to value authoritarian and transactional leadership over transformational, collaborative leadership. Yet collaboration is key to meeting the complex challenges our departments and institutions of higher education now face. So let’s explore: How best can men and women work together to develop this critical leadership trait that has traditionally been considered “feminine”? by Rosalind Spigel, Organizational Development Consultant and Leadership Coach, Spigel Consulting Previous articles in this series: In this series we are looking at leadership traits, how they are deployed and recognized differently for men and women, and how gender bias impedes women’s advancement within our colleges and universities. In this fourth article, we’ll take a close look at collaboration. We’ll examine: Why Collaboration is So Critical Remember that memo distributed by a now ex-employee of Google, criticizing diversity and defending the skewed percentage of male coders? After debunking the former employee’s false claim that men were inherently better coders for “biological” reasons, senior leaders at Google also argued that the coder “had fundamentally misunderstood what skills were needed…such as collaboration, creativity and teamwork” (Swinson, 2018, p. 332). While there are many differences between the Google campus and […]
Most meetings simply don’t work and are a waste of precious time. Unfortunately, many higher education leaders spend much of their professional lives in these unproductive meetings. Higher education runs on thousands of daily meetings including committees, task forces, departmental meetings, and so on. When was the last time you participated in an engaging, productive meeting where you felt that it was a great use of your time and attention? When’s the last time you looked at your meeting calendar and said to yourself, “I am really looking forward to Tuesday’s committee meeting!” Here are 10 practical tips for improving your meetings, based on Academic Impressions’s powerful Meeting Diagnostic Tool (MDT): 1. To Lead or Facilitate? Senior leaders often ask, “Should I facilitate or fully participate in the meeting?” We have found that trying to be the leader as well as the facilitator is not a good idea. Facilitators move the group towards good decisions, use good processes, and are neutral. Often, a leader cannot be neutral about where a decision is going. Attendees know this and will wait until the leader signals his or her desired decision. We suggest that the leader appoint a neutral facilitator; this will allow the […]
Best Places to Grow Showcasing Innovative and Impactful Higher Education Leadership & Professional Development Programs We’re proud to announce the honorees of our Best Places to Grow initiative—an opportunity to celebrate higher education departments and institutions leading the way in professional and leadership development. These campuses don’t just support growth, they champion it. Through bold, intentional programs, they empower faculty, staff, and students to thrive in their roles, innovate in their fields, and grow as leaders. Their commitment fosters cultures of creativity, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Best Places to Grow is our way of spotlighting those investing in people and transforming what’s possible in higher education. Join us in recognizing the institutions that are truly the Best Places to Grow. Explore the Honorees Campus-Wide Leadership Development Academic Leadership Development Senior Leader and Team Development Campus-Wide Leadership Development Best Campus-Wide Leadership Development Program Honoring the institution that goes above and beyond to provide leadership. The 2025 recognition goes to… The University of Texas at Dallas Learn about Their Program Expand We are excited to recognize the BRIGHT Leaders program at the University of Texas at Dallas, a professional development initiative dedicated to growing leadership potential across campus. Their program’s guiding philosophy, […]
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, […]
