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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
In higher education, as in other sectors, managers tend to prioritize individual talent over team chemistry. This is a mistake. Consider a sports team. The individual talent of the star players isn’t enough to ensure victories for the team. The best players have to do more than just score points, block shots, or play great defense. If you watch any sport and you listen to the announcers, you’ll find a recurring concept discussed. The very best players are judged not by their individual abilities, talent, or statistics, but by how much better they make their teammates. The best quarterbacks make their receivers, running backs, and even offensive linemen better. The best safeties make their defensive compatriots better. The best point guards make their teammates better. The mark of the truly great player is that she makes her teammates better. In your office, at your college, or at your university, this means your “star players” have to do more than get along with their colleagues; they should also positively affect their abilities and attitudes. They have to lift the productivity and effectiveness of the entire team. When you realize this, it has practical implications for who you promote (and why), for how you approach […]
Partnering with higher ed leaders to increase their influence and impact. Dorine Lawrence-Hughes, JD, EDD, has been counseling and coaching leaders since 2012. As certified coach and facilitator, she provides individual coaching for leaders seeking to expand their impact, transition into new leadership roles, or level up their leadership skills to face increasingly complex challenges. Dorine also facilitates group coaching and leadership workshops for teams and organizations and specializes in executive leadership, conflict, middle management, and leadership communication. Her most recent clients include the University of Michigan Medicine health system, Kansas State University, the University of Houston-Downtown, and several government agencies. Dorine also co-created a leadership development program for women in higher education through UCLA and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC). Dorine’s own leadership experience includes serving as an Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education at the University of Michigan for 7 years where she provided strategic oversight of various cross school, cross-curricular, and co-curricular initiatives for effective teaching and learning. Prior to her work with the University of Michigan, she served as a Clinical Associate Professor with the University of Southern California. Dorine is also an attorney – licensed to practice law in California for over 20 years where […]
Tracy Wilson-Holden has been with Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Office of Research Administration since 2005. She is the Research Integrity Officer and is also responsible for overseeing research education and training. She directs the human subjects and responsible conduct of research training programs and oversees the work of the Conflict of Interests committee. Tracy is an adjunct instructor in the Department of Bioethics, teaching the graduate course “On Being a Professional Scientist”. She serves as a board member for the national organization the Association of Research Integrity Officers. In addition, she was the principal investigator of a federal grant from the Office of Research Integrity and has done peer review and taught workshops for the agency. She holds a BA in Communication Science and Disorders and a MA in Audiology, both from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to working in Research Administration, Tracy spent 11 years working as an intraoperative neurophysiologist in a private practice in Northeast Ohio and at Washington University in St. Louis.
