In my previous article with AI (“4 Things Academic Deans Can Do to Help Students Succeed After Graduation,” in August 2015), I offered advice on how academic deans and career professionals can collaborate to improve student career mentoring. In this follow-up article, I would like to offer four curricular strategies that can immediately improve student career prospects, by connecting more clearly what a student studies and what they aspire to do after college. Four strategies to make this happen: 1. Work directly with admissions to break the myth that specific majors lead to specific jobs. I have often found myself speaking to groups of prospective students and their parents immediately after an admissions director has literally drawn lines between specific majors and particular jobs. “If you want to be an A you should consider majoring in X,” s/he would exclaim, much to my chagrin. Parents especially like this equation, while students who are often not sure of what ‘they want to be’ usually find it uncomfortable. My subsequent presentation forcefully (and politely) breaks this myth by focusing on three simple notions: WHAT TO DO: Develop a small team that includes an academic dean, an admissions director and a career services director […]
This article is an excerpt from Sue Ohrablo’s acclaimed book High-Impact Advising: A Guide for Academic Advisors After an academic year begins, advisors can start to breathe a little easier once most of the fires have been put out, questions have been answered, schedule adjustments have been made, and students are mostly settled into their classes. The anxiety that accompanies long, fast-paced days may begin to dissipate. During this time, advisors are left scratching their heads, asking themselves, “Why can’t these students register themselves?”; “Why does this student continue to check with me even though I already gave her the information?”; and, even, on the worst days, “What is wrong with these students?” As things calm down during this period, I encourage advisors to reflect on the nature of student needs, and reconsider the dynamics involved in the student experience and the role of the academic advisor. As an advisor, there are several factors you can address to reduce a student’s continued reliance on you. These are: 1. Readiness Developmental advising involves taking a holistic approach to advising and forming partnerships with students. Students will most likely not expect to engage in a developmental advising relationship, as they often view the advisor as […]
Academic Impressions’ Five Paths to Leadership® Assessment has been leveraged in our leadership programs for years; thousands of leaders in higher ed have benefited from this dynamic model exploring how one’s leadership styles manifest under normal circumstances and how they change under stress. Having a deeper understanding of your own leadership styles in varying situations increases your self-awareness, enhances your emotional quotient, allows you to more effectively plan, communicate, strategize, and ultimately, lead. Join us to learn what your own leadership styles are, how they might change under stress, and how this can apply to your team. During the workshop, we’ll walk through:
With an uptick in issues between institutions and major donors, staying current on philanthropic naming issues is more important than ever. Having sound naming policies will help you protect your institution’s reputation and bottom line. Join us online for a two-part webcast series that will help you adjust your naming plans and policies to account for today’s complex and dynamic environment. Session 1 will share considerations for valuing your opportunities that will help you validate your approaches. Session 2 will help you update your naming policies to ensure that you meet the needs of both the donor and the institution.
Innovation spaces are giving students an opportunity to merge the classroom, their future careers, and entrepreneurial spirit all into one place. As colleges assess how to attract and retain students, these spaces foster the creative and collaborative culture of today, while forging a connection between industry and academia. In this training, you will learn how to begin defining your institution’s own innovation space. Our expert instructor from The Garage at Northwestern University will share strategies on how to begin the process, including pictures and examples. Institutions with smaller budgets or a more limited scope will also receive advice on how to scale these strategies to meet their individual needs.
Dr. Melanie Hulbert currently serves as the Sr. Executive Director of Academic Equity and Student Support at University of Alaska Anchorage. Prior to this she served as the VIce Provost for Student Success and Dean of the Honor’s College. Melanie has spent the past 20 years in higher ed as a professor of sociology and in several executive level administrative positions. She cares deeply about student success and believes that it is our role, as leaders, to create academic pathways that are equitable and tailored to each unique student’s aspirations. “Student success isn’t just a buzz word in higher education, it is a fundamental commitment to holistically meeting students where they are in their academic journey.”
Difficult colleagues come in many forms: A colleague who hijacks a meeting by dominating the conversation A leader who is overly critical of others’ ideas A project team member who leaves the work for you or takes credit for your work Confronting these difficult colleagues can feel overwhelming. How will they react? Will they hold a grudge? How do you manage authority? Join us online and learn how to communicate with and influence your difficult colleagues. You’ll learn how to target specific strategies to seven unique personality types, and you’ll leave with advice on how to respond in the moment and afterwards.
Hi there! I’m Misha, your friendly email marketing guru. By day, I’m crafting emails from Academic Impressions that make institutions and students alike do a happy dance. My mission? To spread the word on how Academic Impressions can transform your institution and boost student enrollment. Fun fact: I once set a goal to meet Sir Paul McCartney, and guess what? I turned that dream into reality. When I’m not busy perfecting emails and shaking hands with rock stars, you’ll find me jet-setting to the Caribbean, lacing up my running shoes for thrilling races, jamming out to some seriously good tunes, and diving into captivating books.
A small but growing number of colleges and universities have been adopting restorative justice (RJ) processes as an alternative (in some cases) to traditional, sanctions-focused student conduct proceedings. Taking an RJ approach requires a philosophical shift for the student conduct office – it entails new sets of questions for student conduct hearings and an alert ear for cases in which there is the possibility to restore harm that’s been done, rather than simply (or only) penalize. If a hearing indicates that restorative justice may be possible and desirable, RJ processes usually proceed to individual pre-conference meetings held with the offender and those harmed in the incident. Ultimately, if all parties are willing, the issue is dealt with through a group conference with trained facilitators. The goal of the conference is to arrive at a mutual understanding of the harm caused and a mutual agreement for how the harm will be repaired. To learn more about how to make a restorative justice program most successful, we interviewed two officials from Colorado State University, which has frequently been recognized for its restorative justice and other student conduct programs. The two officials are Paul Osincup and Melissa Emerson, the associate and assistant directors […]
CBE programs are becoming more ubiquitous in higher ed, but there is still a lot of gray area around ensuring accountability that experiential knowledge is commensurate with college-level learning. Many are still trying to answer questions like: what’s the best way to award and represent this learning and knowledge? How can we ensure an equitable experience for all students? Join us to gain a deeper understanding of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and how to implement it at your institution. Assessment evens the playing field but must meet quality standards. During this webcast, our expert, Donna Younger, will demonstrate how PLA can address high attrition rates and achievement gaps as well as encourage students to kickstart their success outside the classroom.
