Colleges frequently pursue partnerships with local high schools to improve college preparation and build a stronger pipeline for first-generation students, but these are often focused just on providing brief sessions either at the high school or on the college campus. Really effective partnerships involve more than just a quick one-and-done workshop. We contacted Mary Ontiveros, vice president for diversity at Colorado State University, to share lessons learned from the success of CSU’s Alliance Partnership Program and specific tips for colleges and universities looking to work in tandem with area high schools. More than Just Your Agenda: It’s About Addressing the Schools’ Needs “Don’t go in with a plan. Go in to listen. Find out what’s causing the problem, what barriers are keeping more first-generation students from attending college. Is it money? Is it lack of resources at the high school to provide sufficient counselors? Is it difficulty in getting parents involved? Is it concern over the rigor of the school’s classes and the level of college preparation? Does the school need multicultural training for their staff and instructors to help them better relate to a certain demographic? Find out what that school’s needs are. Then formulate your plan in response.” Mary […]
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 […]
At those residential institutions that are seeing enrollment growth, providing adequate student housing has rarely been more challenging. Sudden, unexpected housing overflows at residential institutions can prove both expensive and complex to manage. We turned to Lorinda Krhut, director of student housing and residence life at the University of Mississippi, for her advice on how institutions can put in place more proactive measures that will help make the process of managing housing overflows more efficient and less costly in future years. Moving Beyond Just Coping with a Housing Crisis Institutions that don’t guarantee housing for entering students have more flexibility during a surge in demand, but unexpected spikes in student housing raise difficult challenges for institutions that have a freshmen residency requirement and a limited number of beds. Solutions various institutions have tried when managing an enrollment surge include: A lottery system for returning students Contracting with off-campus apartments and living spaces, then moving upperclassmen to those facilities while charging them the same cost they would have paid for on-campus housing Krhut notes, however, that these solutions are not ideal. It’s better to have contingency plans in place before a housing crisis hits. There are two key strategies for achieving […]
Recent incidents in the news — at DePaul University and elsewhere — highlight the importance of building an effective faculty evaluation and tenure review process. While some problems are specific to faculty evaluation systems at particular institutions, most often the underlying issue is a lack of clarity on the criteria by which faculty are to be evaluated. Avoiding “Connoisseurship” Raoul Arreola, professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and author of Developing a Comprehensive Faculty Evaluation System, and Mike Theall, associate professor at Youngstown State University, offer some advice for academic leaders who want to ensure effective faculty evaluation: In the absence of clear qualifications and standards, faculty evaluation may operate according to what could be called a “connoisseurship model,” in which review depends on the taste and values of the individual committee members. It’s critical to define what type of faculty work is most important to the institution. Define Evaluation Criteria As Specifically As Possible Arreola points to “service” as an example of an area of required performance that often causes confusion. “Letting faculty know that they will be evaluated on service does not give them specific parameters for performance,” he remarks. The faculty evaluation handbook needs to […]
In working to meet the FERPA obligations of your campus, you’ll inevitably interact with board members, legal counsel, or other administrative leaders. Sometimes these leaders will call on you to release information or offer advice related to FERPA, and sometimes you must call on them in order to make a tough decision on FERPA. But managing these requests, and knowing when to ask for help, proves especially difficult when the stakes are high. Join us for this webcast to learn how to effectively manage FERPA requests from leaders while knowing when to ask legal counsel for assistance. You will leave with examples of FERPA situations you can resolve on your own and examples of situations in which you should always ask for help. Your purchase of this program includes access to the live webcast, as well as access to a website that houses a recording of the live webcast and other FERPA resources. You will be able to access the recordings and resources on the site through December 31, 2013 regardless of purchase date, so register now for this bundle! The sooner you register, the longer your access period will be. Beginning October 16, 2013, we will no longer offer […]
Out of all of the academic leaders in higher education, Deans are arguably the ones who are closest to the challenges and potential solutions of higher ed. Some of the most pressing challenges keeping deans up at night include: changing student demographics and the impending demographic cliff, how to ensure academic rigor and accessibility, faculty and staff morale and equity, and waning funding from traditional revenue sources. Join us for this free webcast to hear from two deans representing, respectively, a public, land-grant research institution as well as a small, private liberal arts college as they share their perspectives on what is keeping them up at night—as well as the practices they hope will enable their colleges and institutions to be successful in a more equitable and agile higher-ed landscape. Our speakers will discuss and invite peer insights on such topics as: You’ll leave this webinar with a greater awareness of how other higher-ed leaders strategize to surmount these issues—as well as how they address them firsthand.
To get the most out of your limited professional development (PD) and training budget, consider these 10 tips: SELECTING THE EVENTS AT THE EVENT ON THE WAY HOME BACK ON CAMPUS We hope these tips will prove useful at your conferences this year! Learn more about how some institutions are leveraging professional development in our report, The State of Professional Development in Higher Education.” Read the full report here. Check out an AI Conference AI conferences are unique because they are informed by our research on professional development and are designed to facilitate the kind of planning and action discussed in this article.
Jill Gaby currently serves as Associate Vice President of Advancement for Operations Management at Miami University. Since June 2023, she has held the role of Chief of Staff to the Vice President for University Advancement. In this capacity, Jill is a key member of the senior management team, collaborating with senior staff across departments to ensure effective day-to-day operations—all in support of advancing Miami’s historic $1 billion campaign, For Love. For Honor. For Those Who Will., which concludes June 30, 2027. Jill brings expertise in strategic planning, project management, process improvement, executive advising, and board and meeting management. She is known for her ability to influence decisions and foster cross-functional collaboration through trusted relationships and strategic alignment. With a flexible, solutions-oriented approach, Jill excels at adapting quickly to shifting priorities and evolving organizational needs. Prior to her current role, Jill served as Assistant Vice President for Development, Regional Programs, where she led the university’s largest team of major gift fundraisers. Her earlier roles include Senior Director of Development for Regional Programs and Director of Development for the Central and Northeast Ohio regions. Jill has been with Miami University since 2005 and has dedicated her career to higher education fundraising and […]
Dr. David Reed is the Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Florida. He has been a driving force in the university’s AI Initiative, which began when the University was gifted academia’s fastest AI supercomputer worth over $65M. Reed has led the university’s effort to expand AI throughout the university, including creating and overseeing a dozen AI working groups. UF’s goal is to provide AI education to any student, regardless of their major or previous exposure to computer programming. UF also created a university-wide undergraduate certificate in AI so that students across the university can layer AI education on top of their current major. This dramatically increases the number of students getting AI experience, as well as the breadth of disciplines in which they are being trained. Reed established and currently leads the Artificial Intelligence Academic Initiative Center (AI2 Center), which supports the training of AI faculty, new AI course development, and student engagement in AI. The AI2 Center also oversees a five-year, multi-million-dollar project to expand AI offerings at the University of Florida. UF’s model of teaching AI to everyone is called “AI Across the Curriculum.” Reed and the AI2 Center are taking this innovative model of AI education to […]
This article is an excerpt from Sue Ohrablo’s acclaimed book High-Impact Advising: A Guide for Academic Advisors Being an effective academic advisor is like being an expert juggler. It is easy to drop a ball now and then. In this article, I examine strategies to keep all the balls in the air in order to effectively support our students and help them persist toward graduation. The role of the academic advisor is complex, requiring advisors to effectively communicate with students, understand and interpret policies and procedures, follow institutional protocols, maintain student records, utilize technology, and engage in problem-solving. These activities can be categorized into three distinct skill sets: interpersonal, operational, and analytical. To deliver comprehensive advising assistance, an advisor needs to blend all of these skills. Here are some strategies for developing these essential skill sets and maximizing your effectiveness as an advisor. Interpersonal Skills I have had the privilege of interviewing numerous advisor candidates over the years, some who are aspiring to this new role, others who are experienced in the field. Most often, when asked what is the most important skill an advisor can bring to the position, prospective advisor candidates respond, “working with people.” While I’m sure they think […]
