We understand that global affairs such as the Israel-Palestinian Conflict can feel overwhelming for some and confusing for others. We encourage our members to take care of themselves and their students and colleagues during this time of unsettling events. To learn more about what is happening we encourage you to seek out informative and nonpartisan sources of information, an example of which can be found here – https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict Over the past few weeks, a number of campuses and campus presidents have found themselves in the middle of backlash, turmoil, and/or reduced confidence from their campus community. Attempts to quickly respond to the most recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict led to clumsy or seemingly offensive messages being distributed campus wide. While there may not have been anything wrong with the message, however, the audience just did not agree with the messaging, timing, approach, or in some cases, all of the above. Often, when world issues begin to spark national debate, many of our constituents may not realize the complexity or veracity of the topic and, their expectations for widely circulated messaging is based more on anchor bias – a tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information one receives […]
Bryan Hanson is an ombuds, educator, mediator, facilitator, and leader in the field of conflict engagement. Currently, Bryan is the ombuds for the Graduate School at Virginia Tech. In this role, he works with members of the Graduate School community so they may engage in and manage conflict in a constructive way. This is achieved through conversations aimed at creating a greater understanding of the university system and a deeper awareness of productive ways to communicate the concerns related to the conflicts experienced.
Howard Gadlin retired after serving as Ombudsman and Director of the Center for Cooperative Resolution, at the National Institutes of Health since the beginning of 1999. Before that, from 1992 through 1998, he was University Ombudsperson and Adjunct Professor of Education at UCLA. He was also director of the UCLA Conflict Mediation Program and co-director of the Center for the Study and Resolution of Interethnic/Interracial Conflict. While in Los Angeles, he served as well as Consulting Ombudsman to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Prior to moving to Los Angeles Dr. Gadlin was Ombudsperson and Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Gadlin is past President of the University and College Ombuds Association and of The Ombudsman Association (TOA) and past Chair of the Coalition of Federal Ombudsmen. At present Dr. Gadlin is studying the dynamics of scientific teams and collaborations and developing new approaches to addressing conflicts among scientists. With colleagues he has written “Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide.” An experienced mediator, trainer and consultant, he has years of experience working with conflicts related to race, ethnicity and gender, including sexual harassment. He is often called in as a consultant/mediator in “intractable” disputes. […]
Kathleen A. Rinehart serves as the 9th President of Cardinal Stritch University. Prior to her appointment, she served as the General Counsel and Secretary of the Corporation for Saint Xavier University and in an Of Counsel role at Franczek Radelet. Kathleen also serves as a consultant, facilitator and conflict coach for colleges and universities across the country, assisting them with the implementation of supervisory best practices and communication tools to effectively manage departmental and other campus conflict. Kathleen is a featured speaker on higher education and dispute resolution issues at numerous local, regional and national conferences. She served on the board of directors for the National Association of Colleges and Universities (NACUA). Prior to her legal career, Kathleen was an educator and master teacher at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL, and served as the law clerk to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice (Ret.) Janine P. Geske. Kathleen received her bachelor’s degree, Juris Doctor and Master in Dispute Resolution from Marquette University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching (History) from The University of Chicago.
In her position, Shay coordinates the Restorative Justice Program. This program uses the group conferencing model and restorative mediations as an alternative sanctioning option for students who violate the student conduct code. She also provides guidance regarding university policy and procedures, referrals, coaching, group facilitation, and mediation. Before assuming her position at CSU, Shay was the manager of programs for The Conflict Center (TCC) in Denver. In this role, she coordinated the Schools, Youth-at-Risk, and Organizations/Workplace programs, taught conflict and anger management skills, facilitated restorative justice processes, provided facilitation services, and conducted workplace and community mediations.
Whether through conflicts in research groups, having to negotiate boundaries around service, or dealing with academic dishonesty in students, faculty can often be confronted with the need for difficult conversations. But even knowing there is a need, it is all too easy to avoid the hard conversations due to overwhelming emotions, discomfort with conflict, or fear of the situation escalating. Preparing for difficult conversations beforehand can therefore help faculty feel more of a sense of control over the situation as well as helping to manage their internal narrative. Join us for a one-hour training on how to prepare for difficult conversations as faculty. Drawing from Anita Kite’s work in Managing Difficult Conversations as Faculty, we will walk through the four precautions in preparation, including: You will have the chance to reflect on how you would respond to some specific scenarios, and to plan for any difficult conversations you may need to have using helpful tips and strategies.
Few academics would characterize themselves as comfortable or skilled in navigating difficult conversations. In fact, many of us go out of our way to avoid conflicts. Avoidance not only prevents problems from being resolved but can hinder opportunities to build interpersonal trust and respect within our departments. Effectively navigating difficult conversations can improve your sense of well-being, collegial relationships, the culture of your department, and your academic brand. The purpose of this video course is to help you develop the strategies and techniques required to resist the urge to avoid or fuel interpersonal conflicts and provide you with tools that will allow you to manage these situations with greater ease and confidence.
Jonathan brings more than a decade of higher education administrative experience to his position and is the former president of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. He is also a past president of the New Jersey Communication Association and a member of the editorial board of the Atlantic Journal of Communication. His research on conflict resolution was published in Mediation Quarterly, Human Communication, and Human Systems. His work on political discourse appears in the Atlantic Journal of Communication, Studies of Communication in the 2012 Presidential Campaign, and You Shook Me All Campaign Long: Music in the 2016 Presidential Election and Beyond. In addition, Jonathan studied code-switching resulting in publications found in Human Communication and Communication and Immigration. Jonathan has worked with hundreds of institutional leaders including department chairs, assistant and associate deans, and deans across the academy. His areas of expertise include effective and impactful communication, conflict resolution, and shared governance. Named to the Princeton Review’s Best 300 Professors, he has a passion for teaching a wide array of communication courses as well as a class on the social impact of rock and roll.
As a Senior Learning and Development Manager at Academic Impressions, Jess leads AI’s strategy and content development for our inclusive leadership and women’s leadership programs, creating engaging learning experiences for faculty and staff to expand their self-awareness, work effectively and mindfully with others, build high-performing teams, and collaboratively lead strategic initiatives. Prior to joining Academic Impressions full-time, Jess served as a subject matter expert and educator for Academic Impressions while serving in her role as the Assistant Dean of Students and Title IX Deputy Coordinator at Loyola University Chicago. She has worked in a variety of capacities within higher education, including student success, conflict resolution, student conduct, Title IX, and gender equity. Jess holds a BA from John Carroll University and an MA from the University of Cincinnati. She holds a certificate in Women in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead Executive Education Program and has completed Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution 40-hour Mediation Skills Training.
In a survey of professionals of higher education a few months ago, Academic Impressions found that: If asked to give their institution a letter grade for customer service, most professionals would assign a “C” or lower. There is a growing awareness among managers in higher education that customer service entails more than presenting students or internal clients with a “friendly face,” that it involves responsiveness and collaborative problem-solving. Yet most cite similar challenges to improving customer service in their office: lack of time and uncertainty on how to effectively train it. Two Resources on Training Customer Service Interviewing an array of experts who have made strides in providing customer service training in higher education or in transitioning enrollment or academic support services to a one-stop approach, Academic Impressions offers two complimentary resources: A Complimentary Publication Our recent Monthly Diagnostic, “Improving Customer Service in Higher Education,” we take a close look at the barriers to customer service and interview past and current presidents, vice presidents, and department heads in student services and enrollment management for practical advice in meeting those barriers. A Complimentary Webcast In our January 22, 2013 webcast, “Raising the Bar on Customer Service in Higher Education,” panelists Susan […]
