Search Results for: meeting

How to Use an Inclusive ROI Approach for Program Prioritization

Currently, academic leaders are rethinking their programs to meet the realities of student demands in a post-Covid environment. Some universities have sunset entire departments and programs, while others have taken programs hybrid or fully online. What is right for your division? And how do you gain faculty buy-in for the tough decisions you need to make? It is important to remember that programs are not solely measured by their monetary value; this makes program prioritization a challenging task that requires an inclusive, holistic approach tailored to the realities of each institution. Join us online to learn how to standardize the process of assessing the return on investment (ROI) of your programs across your division. Hear from our expert, Kelly Ball, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, as she demonstrates how to develop an inclusive ROI approach that accounts for mission, margin, and market. Participants will learn how to lead faculty and other stakeholders through this complex and necessary process, resulting in academic prioritization plans that create a resilient curriculum.

Strategies to Create More Engaging Online Courses (Virtual Workshop)

As we move our instruction online in response to the COVID-19 crisis, we feel immense pressure to create quality learning experiences. We find ourselves grasping for strategies to engage our students in our new online environment. “Engaging” is a buzzword that appears in our faculty meetings, higher ed articles, and social media posts, but many of us are still seeking practical examples. What does it mean to teach an engaging online course? We can break down such an online learning experience into three core components: an engaging instructor, an engaged community of peers, and engaging course materials. Our goal in quality online education is to build and foster a collaborative knowledge-building and knowledge-sharing community of learners. Join us for a workshop in which you will learn and practice strategies in all three components of engagement: Strategies to become a more engaging online instructor How to foster a knowledge-building and knowledge-sharing community How to develop and leverage engaging course materials

Finding the Silver Lining: Reframing Our Fundraising Practices During the Pandemic

Posted on by Daniel Fusch

“I’ve been a remote, work-from-home fundraiser for five years now, for a school 2,000 miles away from my home office. I see so much worry out there in higher education advancement, and I’m here to tell you, it’s going to be okay. You may have to give up some of your ideas about what’s possible and not possible, but if you’re willing, let’s explore the opportunities and reframe our fundraising practices.” So much of the debate about whether and how to engage donors right now is coming from a place of fundraiser discomfort. This discomfort needs to be examined and reframed to continue to do our jobs with compassion and effectiveness. This reframing is an important practice during traumatic situations; it can help us bring meaning to events and give us the resilience necessary to move forward. We can and should reframe the COVID-19 situation as an opportunity that will lead us to: I’ve been a remote, work-from-home fundraiser for five years now, for a school 2,000 miles away from my home office. I see so much worry out there in higher education advancement, and I’m here to tell you, it’s going to be okay. You may have to give […]

Habits of Highly Effective Higher-Ed Professionals

Posted on by Daniel Fusch

Higher education does a great job educating others, but seldom do we work on ourselves. We don’t take the time to ‘sharpen the saw.’ As a result, colleges and universities are filled with very sharp people who possess rather dull blades. In a classic video vignette entitled “Big Rocks,” from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the late Stephen R. Covey invited an audience member to join him onstage for an experiment. Most know the concept of Big Rocks, but I encourage you to watch this video if you haven’t already. In the experiment, Covey asks the young female executive to fit in all the big rocks he has provided into a bucket that is over half-filled with pebbles. The pebbles depict the day-to-day tasks, emails, meetings, and emergencies that we are all faced with and that fill up our lives. At one point, the participant looks at the rock labeled “Sharpen the Saw,” rolls her eyes, and places it back onto the table. Covey, who never shied away from a teachable moment, picks up the same rock asking the audience, “Who feels they don’t have time to ‘Sharpen the Saw’?” As several hands are raised, Covey then follows with a […]

4 Things Academic Deans Can Do to Connect Majors and Minors with Careers

Posted on by 25337pwpadmin@ai_azuread

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 […]

Advising: 3 Ways to Take the Conversation Beyond Registration

Posted on by 25337pwpadmin@ai_azuread

This article is an excerpt from Sue Ohrablo’s acclaimed book High-Impact Advising: A Guide for Academic Advisors, which you can find here. 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 […]

Report: The Skills Future Higher-Ed Leaders Need to Succeed

Posted on by Daniel Fusch

How do you lead when there is no map? When the territory is unknown? The swift pace of change and the complexity of the challenges facing our colleges and universities is immense, and is testing the abilities of our institutions’ leaders. The playbook of the past does not offer a sustainable path forward for all institutions. Continually finding new revenue sources, discounting tuition to increase enrollment or improve the academic profile of the student body, investing in new facilities to attract faculty and students, etc.—these will not be enough. Given the prevalence of adaptive challenges facing our institutions, we need a different kind of leader in higher education—leaders who can build bridges from the past to the future, taking the best of our industry and making it more relevant, competitive, and sustainable. The past and current leadership model that prizes vision, academic reputation and track record, communication and charisma, and fundraising expertise is no longer enough to meet our current and future challenges. In the “permanent whitewater” of higher education, we will need leaders who are: Drawing on extensive research and conversations with leaders across higher-ed, this 30-page paper is meant to open the conversation. We invite you to read […]

Setting and Maintaining Boundaries as Faculty to Develop Professional Well-being and Success

In Academic Impressions’ 2021 survey of higher ed faculty, staff, and administrators to understand the current state of professional development, 51% of respondents reported experiencing clinical levels of burnout. Faculty burnout comes on the heels of their being asked to do more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the additional challenges of meeting the needs of students that resulted. But faculty who learn how to set boundaries with their work and maintain a healthy integration are far more likely to continue to enjoy their work and maintain their sense of professional well-being. Join us for an interactive session on how to better develop and maintain boundaries with your work as faculty. Our expert speaker Dr. Jackie Leibsohn has served in faculty positions and leadership at all levels. She will walk you through identifying what is being added to faculty’s plates, how and when to say no to additional work, and how to survive a changing faculty environment. We will also provide resources for you to continue to practice professional well-being in your faculty role.

Handling Institutional or Program Teach-Outs with Dignity

For students and staff, institution and academic program closures often come with little warning. They can trigger shock and grief. If you’re an institutional leader, these same closures can leave you feeling disoriented and unprepared. How do you shift your focus from retaining students to getting rid of students? For something so complex, how do you ensure optimal outcomes? Join us online and learn how to prepare yourself for the shift in thinking that comes with managing a teach-out. You’ll hear from Dr. Chris Davis, who led a successful teach-out at Western International University (WIU). Upon completion of the teach-out, WIU had retained 97% of its employees and exceeded goals for both revenue and expenses. You’ll leave with tips for: How to communicate with your students and staff to reduce chaos and confusion How to question and manage expenses to meet your financial goals How to keep students and staff engaged with minimal frustration

Deans Summit: Maintaining Strategic Focus Through Financial Challenges

While higher ed is facing waning enrollments and funding paired with increasing expenses and demands, deans must lead the charge in making their colleges, schools, or units more financially viable while remaining relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape. Deans who are best prepared to meet these demands are creating a culture of creative problem-solving, efficiency, and innovation, and we have partnered with three of them to provide a collaborative space where deans can come together and strategize around their toughest challenges. Join your peers in this four-hour summit to: Think creatively about sources of funding Align programs to market demand and workforce changes Better leverage your existing resources and stakeholders Find innovative opportunities for growth Create the conditions for a more sustainable future You will hear from leading experts and explore new approaches to the crises your school or unit is facing. Infused with small group sessions and solutions-focused brainstorming throughout, you will leave this virtual training with short term strategies to survive and long-term strategies to thrive.

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