Search Results for: meeting

The Great Resignation or the Great Joy in Higher Education: Emerging Lessons from the Pandemic

Posted on by Brady Stanton

I. Introduction The Great Resignation, the Great Attrition, the Great Disengagement, and the Big Quit are a few of the names for the phenomenon occurring throughout different industries, including higher education.1 Higher education is not immune from this great exodus and is at a turning point as retention of faculty, administrators, and staff is more important than ever.2 What’s joy got to do with it?3 Can it drive those who work in higher education to stay, leave, or return?4 Money is not enough by itself to retain workers.5 Over the last two years, higher education, like other industries, is facing a fundamental shift in how people view their work, their employer, and their life.6 Perhaps this is an opportunity for the Great Joy: to (re)discover joy in your work; reevaluate what you want from work, be open minded, and possibly reinvent how you work, where you work, who you work with, and what you work on. This article explores the challenges higher education faces as the pandemic continues to alter attitudes on work. It then offers some strategies to (re)discover joy in work. Finally, it discusses ways to maximize joy in work. II. The Struggle Exhausted, isolated, disconnected, burnt out, […]

Incorporating Trauma-Informed Practices into the Classroom

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study in the nineties taught us the prevalence of traumatic experience in society, as well as how trauma influences lifelong learning, health, and behavior. Researchers have found correlations between high ACEs scores (indicating more traumatic experience) and learning or behavior problems, lower grades, and a higher rate of academic failure. While mental health is not a new issue to higher education, the COVID-19 pandemic and other unprecedented events have significantly impacted college student mental health and stress levels. It has therefore become increasingly vital for faculty to understand the effects of trauma and stress on the minds and behaviors of students so that they can tailor their pedagogical approach to better meet their students’ needs. Join us for a virtual training where our expert speaker Heather Rist will walk you through the effect of trauma, how it presents in the classroom, and how to implement classroom management techniques to reduce the risk of re-traumatization. You will learn to identify the signs and symptoms of trauma, as well as how to calm someone experiencing heightened trauma symptoms and to then connect them with appropriate care and resources on campus.

Engaging Transfer Students Before They Arrive

Posted on by Kenneth Soldink

NSSE’s 2009 annual report cites low participation in high-impact activities (such as study abroad, service learning, internship, undergraduate research, or senior experience) among transfer students as one measure of engagement and likely persistence. The lowest engagement was from vertical transfers (students who enter four-year institutions from community colleges). In the survey, 62% of native seniors had participated in internships, but only 43% of vertical transfers. Only 7% of vertical transfers participated in study abroad, compared with 20% among native students. Given the low numbers on engagement, we asked Kurt Thiede, vice president for enrollment management at Bucknell University, for his tips on engaging vertical transfer students early and fostering affinity for the institution from the first point of contact. Early Engagement The earlier the engagement, the more likely affinity becomes. Early engagement with prospective vertical transfers from two-year colleges can take a number of forms, from a campus visit day to a summer program. But whether you have the funding for a visit day or a summer program, it is critical to think through what to include in that experience. You will want to expose students to all aspects of life at the university — the career offices, financial aid, academic advising, […]

Fundraising Planning: Taking a Longer-Term Approach

Posted on by Kenneth Soldink

Experienced chief development officers know that budgeting and staff planning must take into consideration agreed-upon fundraising priorities and goals. We also know that fundraising plays a role in achieving the campus leader’s overall strategic vision. Since most campaigns or projects require more than one year to complete, budgeting and planning beyond a year at a time makes sense. Why don’t we actually do this? So, if we believe this works best, then why don’t we do it? Or, if we try, what gets in the way of following through on a longer-term approach? Has any of the following ever happened to you? You secured input from your team of fundraisers and written approval from the campus leader on your five-year plan and then: Given these common pitfalls, can we really commit to longer-term planning? I believe we can. But I have found that doing so requires communication, execution, focus and flexibility. Communication and relationship-building are the keys to the success of any development operation. We know this to be true when relating to our donors and other external constituents. Do we value it and demonstrate it internally within our organizations, especially during our planning process and execution? Ask yourself the following questions: […]

A Whole-Campus Approach to International Students

Posted on by Kenneth Soldink

In This Issue Does Your Curriculum Serve International Students? Recruiting and Admitting International Students: Key Considerations The Transition In: Setting International Students Up for Academic Success The Transition Out: Moving International Students into the Donor Pipeline A Letter from Amit Mrig, President, Academic Impressions May 2012. According to the Open Doors report on international education, international student enrollment has increased every year for the past 60 years. With this trend expected to continue, and international students becoming an increasingly important constituent group, it’s critical for institutions to take a more holistic view at how they’re meeting these students’ needs now and in the future. Beyond recruitment efforts, institutions need to think broadly about integration into the campus community and the academic curriculum to ensure international students persist and succeed. They also need to plant seeds for future support and giving as these students graduate and potentially return to their home countries. A holistic strategy for approaching the international student market can serve both the students and your institution well. We’ve asked experts in the field to share advice and insights into recruitment, transition, campus life, the academic curriculum, and moving international students into the donor pipeline. We hope their advice will […]

Spotlight on Innovation: Increasing Transfer and Completion Rates through Regional Partnerships in the SUNY Oswego Area

Posted on by Kenneth Soldink

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. Although the State University of New York at Oswego already has a strong collaboration with area community colleges, SUNY Oswego has noticed a gap in the number of students moving from two-year to four-year schools. In this north-central region of New York, three community colleges and a community organization partnered with SUNY Oswego to narrow that gap. Their goals are to increase retention and completion rates both two-year and four-year institutions, encourage more students to transfer to a four-year institution and complete a bachelor’s degree, and strengthen regional economic development in the process. The hope is that this model will provide a sustainable example of how collaboration, aligned coursework and community support can improve degree attainment on multiple levels. The Transfer Gateways and Completion Program Leaders at […]

Supporting Neurodiverse and Accessible Learning Outside of the Classroom

Much of the curriculum in higher ed is initially designed as if learners are “neurotypical” and then adapted for those who don’t meet that mold. This leads to many students seeking campus support services outside of the classroom in order to achieve academic success. Neurodiversity (or learner variability) applies to all students. Essentially, neurodiversity is the idea that neurological and learning differences among people are the result of naturally occurring variations within the human genome. Rather than looking for a cure to “fix” neurodiverse behaviors, neurodiversity focuses on accommodating and supporting the diverse population. Human brains all learn differently; therefore, neurodiversity should be regarded as the rule, not the exception. In this webcast, Dr. Elizabeth Coghill from East Carolina University will describe: How ECU’s Pirate Academic Success Center promotes the success of diverse learners by infusing the curriculum with universal design for learning principles and academic technologies, How she, her staff, and a network of peer tutors equip students to be independent and empowered learners by role modeling learning techniques and supports, and The unexpected outcomes of UDL and technology application integration, especially the role it plays when campus learning goes exclusively online.

Report: Optimizing Your Campus and Curriculum for Adult Students

Posted on by Kenneth Soldink

In this report: Most college and university administrators know the story of how demographics are shifting in this country. They don’t need the latest data from NCES — they see it every day on their campuses. Nontraditional students now make up a significant majority of college enrollment. But many institutions, especially regionally-focused public and private four-years, did not make the decision to intentionally serve this market. They are reacting to the demand as opposed to being out in front of it. Adult students have different experiences, expectations, and educational goals than traditional-age students. Institutions that successfully serve this market have retooled enrollment policies, course offerings, and student support services, and have even begun thinking of ways to earn their support as alumni. That’s why we’ve gathered a host of experts from across the institution to help you better meet the demands of this growing population. We hope their advice will be useful to you. Read the report

Making Your Campaign Successful

Posted on by Greta Bell

Meeting campaign goals in this economy remains a challenge, and recent news emphasizes how few institutions are exceeding campaign goals this year (a very different story than in 2007-08). Many institutions are just barely meeting their goals: Pace University recently celebrated the close of a seven-year capital campaign with a $100 million goal; the amount raised: $101.1 million Carleton College closed a $300 million campaign last month; the amount raised: $300.4 million The Cygnus Donor Survey (pdf link) released this summer also speaks to the continuing reticence of major donors. In this philanthropic climate, how can institutional development officers plan an effective campaign? We turned to Jim Langley, founder and president of Langley Innovations, and past vice president of advancement at Georgetown University, for his advice on campaign strategies during the recession. Fundraising by Objective While it is common to invite funding to meet dollar goals for particular categories of institutional needs (e.g., financial aid, endowing faculty, programmatic initiatives), Langley suggests that in this philanthropic climate, it is essential to fundraise by objective, not by category: An example of funding a category: setting a dollar amount to raise for financial aid An example of funding a strategic objective: identifying an enrollment target, the number […]

The Dual Role of Faculty Advising in Faculty Leadership and Student Success: A Time for Discussion

As Carol Moore notes in her article, “Advising: Meeting Student Needs?”, “only 22% of colleges have the advising function staffed by professional advisors.” At schools with professional advisors, students often encounter a well-oiled machine of advising that transitions them from their first years of college with a general advisor to more focused work with a major-specific faculty member or advisor. Students at institutions without professional advisors need that same kind of support and guidance in navigating their academic careers, and if they do not receive it, they may struggle to retain at the institution. At the majority of institutions, meanwhile, undergraduate students are too often left with faculty advisors who are neither trained nor given the time to provide appropriate advising. Join us for a one-hour facilitated discussion on the challenges of faculty advising and how to equip faculty with the skills to be successful advisors. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss how your institution prepares faculty for advising, as well as what changes you’d need to make to incorporate advising as service into promotion and tenure portfolios. The author, Carol Moore, will be present to answer your questions and share her thoughts about the changes needed to ensure student […]

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