The future of higher education leadership will not be determined by who adopts AI first, but by who consistently exercises better judgment because AI has become part of their thinking process. Every higher education leader, from Department Chair to President, is learning to lead in an environment where human capability is increasingly amplified by artificial intelligence. AI is reshaping not only teaching and learning but also the daily work of faculty, staff, and institutional leaders. The challenge is no longer simply understanding AI tools, but understanding how AI should influence leadership itself. Whether you supervise two people or two hundred, AI will continue to change the landscape of higher education institutions. People, processes, and purpose are the three dimensions of leadership that determine whether organizations successfully navigate that change. Leaders and managers who intentionally invest in their people, continuously evaluate and improve processes, and align their teams around a shared purpose create organizations that are both effective and adaptable to change. People Intentionally invest in the people you lead. Processes Continuously evaluate and improve how the work gets done. Purpose Align teams around a shared institutional mission. The central leadership question is no longer whether institutions should adopt AI; it […]
Higher ed is full of people who never had to learn leadership before they were suddenly doing it. You became department chair because your scholarship was strong. You moved into a VP role because you understood the budget model better than anyone in the room. Then, almost overnight, you were responsible for leading people, and the skills that got you promoted were not the skills the job actually required. That gap is not a personal failing. It is a structural one. Higher education trains people deeply in their discipline and rarely in leading other people. The good news is that leadership is learnable, the same way any complex skill is: through a framework you can build on, and a method you can practice. A Framework That Scaffolds Leadership At Academic Impressions, we organize leadership into four levels, each one building on the one below it. Systems Mastery Teams Mastery Interpersonal Mastery Personal Mastery Personal mastery: self-awareness, knowing your strengths and gaps, and defining what leadership means to you. Interpersonal mastery: communication, collaboration, and working through conflict, the level most people picture when they hear the word “leadership.” Teams mastery: psychological safety and the kind of trust that makes a group […]
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 […]
Dr. Sahotra began his role as associate vice provost for faculty affairs in January 2025. In this role, he provides leadership in critical areas supporting faculty success and institutional excellence at UNLV. He oversees the review and alignment of department, college, and school bylaws with UNLV and NSHE policies, serving as a key liaison with the Faculty Senate Bylaws Committee and other stakeholders to enhance bylaws creation and revision processes. Haroon Sahotra also co-chairs the university’s Conflict of Interest Oversight Committee, managing academic faculty conflict of interest/conflict of commitment processes to ensure compliance with university, NSHE, and federal guidelines while driving improvements in these critical areas. In collaboration with the vice provost for faculty affairs and other campus offices, Sahotra develops and implements initiatives to support faculty recruitment, retention, and development, including resources for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. As professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sahotra has been involved in interdisciplinary research of climate change impact and hydrology with specific emphasis on applications of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) and specific focus on safeguarding and improving urban quality of life. He has also been involved in several federal- and state-sponsored research projects involving research […]
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.
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 […]
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.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with over 100 senior teams and cabinets in higher education. Overall, the experience has been quite positive due to the intelligence, dedication, aspirations, and integrity of those veteran leaders. Unfortunately, about 10% of teams I have worked with just never performed well, despite great effort and talent. This article is an attempt to conduct a “post mortem” on the teams that just didn’t make it. These mistakes go beyond some of the essential elements of stellar team performance, such as having a shared purpose, holding each other accountable, open and trusted communication, and high levels of trust. All these are very important, but the absence of these was not responsible for these talented teams’ failures. The following five “mistakes” may sound like common sense, but they are often overlooked when leaders at colleges and universities are building their teams. For a limited time only: We have opened up our leadership content to registered users. Please login or create a free account to read the full paper. 1. The team leader falls prey to the “comfortable cloning” syndrome. “Comfortable cloning” describes our natural tendency to seek out other team members who are similar to us or who […]
Jess is a Senior Leadership Development Partner at Academic Impressions, where she leads the organization’s team development practice and serves as a core member of the coaching team. Her work spans team dynamics, organizational culture, group and individual coaching, and custom facilitation for senior leaders across higher education. Jess brings a practitioner’s lens to her work grounded in years of experience in student affairs, conflict resolution, and Title IX. Before joining Academic Impressions full-time, she served as Assistant Dean of Students and Title IX Deputy Coordinator at Loyola University Chicago and Title IX Coordinator at DePaul University, where she was also a subject matter expert for Academic Impressions. She holds a BA from John Carroll University and an MA from the University of Cincinnati, a certificate in Women in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead Executive Education Program, and completed Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution 40-hour Mediation Skills Training. She is also a trained Co-Active Coach working toward certification.
As Chief of Staff, you are often faced with implementing changes and initiatives set by the President, Board, and Executive Cabinet. Your role can be challenging especially when it comes to conflicting or disconnected initiatives. As those around you express concerns and ask questions regarding changes, it is your job to address them while also advancing the mission of the University and the goals of the Board and President. Join us for this hour-long virtual session to learn practical negotiation and communication strategies you can utilize to help implement the initiatives of your Board and President. You will leave this training feeling more confident to successfully collaborate with and support them.
