As our article “The Library of the 21st Century” attests, the academic library continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and library administrators across higher education continue to wrestle with the question of how best to adapt their libraries to changing student and other user needs on campus. There is a lot of uncertainty about how best to revitalize the library space so that it becomes — or continues to be — student-centered, flexible, and reflective of the institution’s academic mission. At Academic Impressions, we have engaged hundreds of library directors in conversation — with us and with each other — in our annual library revitalization conference, which we founded in 2007. Recently, we sat down with two directors — Karen Clay (Library Director of Pierce Library at Eastern Oregon University) and Sara Bushong (Dean of University Libraries at Bowling Green State University) — to learn how they continued that conversation on their own campuses after the event, and what approaches they have taken to successfully modernize their own libraries to meet current user needs. In this interview, Clay and Bushong present slideshows of “before and after” photos of their academic libraries, and discuss in detail how they were able to: We […]
Eric Silva MSE Assistant Director TRIO Student Support Services at Metropolitan State University of Denver Ally Garcia EdD Assistant Dean for the Center of Equity and Student Achievement and the Director of TRIO Student Support Services at Metropolitan State University of Denver Higher education, since its inception, has been exclusive in who can pursue higher levels of learning and engagement. This oppressive truth not only has subjected students to pain and trauma, but also the faculty and staff who work within those ivory towers. In order to interrupt, and hopefully change these marginalizing spaces, it is paramount that institutions of higher learning acknowledge, assess, and devote resources and time to deconstructing practices, policies, and procedures which have been normed on the exclusionary nature of higher education. This position often toys with the theoretical question of the overall mission of higher education and its connection to serving the public good. The following work was our form of resistance to normative hiring structures within Student Affairs. Although not exhaustive, the work below may help guide you and your institution on its own journey of assessing and changing current hiring and promotion structures to truly serve the public good. The process In the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Customer service in higher education is still new and few are certain how to do it well. Here’s what our panel of experts have to say. Providing good customer service to students has become an expectation in today’s higher education environment, yet customer service in higher education is still new and few are certain how to do it well, or what the term means when placed in the context of students, faculty, and staff. To learn more about how colleges and universities are adapting the concept of service competencies to this sector, and to gather practical advice for how units and departments can navigate this shift in mindset, we turned to three acknowledged experts on customer service in higher education: These three are also the authors of the popular book Elevating Customer Service in Higher Education: A Practical Guide. Sarah Seigle. Hi Heath, Emily, Eileen. Thank you for joining us for this conversation! The first question we want to ask is: How has the way higher ed looks at customer service changed over the past 5 years? Emily Richardson. The expectation of immediate responsiveness was not around 5 years ago, and in the digital age, we now expect a response to a […]
Department Chairs Success Program Equip Your Department Chairs with the Skills, Confidence, and Support to Lead Effectively Compare Us to Other Programs Curious about how Academic Impressions stands out among leadership development programs? Download our comprehensive guide to see why institutions around the world trust us to empower their department chairs. SEE THE GUIDE Department chairs often lead with minimal formal leadership experience, facing the complexities of departmental politics and long-standing histories without structured support. Academic Impressions has empowered hundreds of department chairs globally to develop a clear leadership philosophy and essential interpersonal skills for navigating conflict and managing relationships at all levels. With the Department Chairs Success Program, your chairs will: Run More Effective and Collaborative Meetings, so they can achieve greater outcomes for their departments. Manage Negative or Resistant Faculty and Staff who may be slowing progress toward institutional priorities. Negotiate “Win-Win” Outcomes with stakeholders who have competing interests. Develop more effective, resilient chairs with the Department Chairs Success Program. What is Included in the Department Chairs Success Program? 01. Custom design session: You’ll start with a personalized design session where we work closely with you to tailor the program to the specific needs of your chairs. Together, we’ll […]
Future Trends in Higher Education A DISCUSSION SERIES SESSION 1 SESSION 2 SESSION 3 SESSION 4 Overview New technologies in higher education continue to race forward, and—from teaching, to equity and inclusion, to the student experience—they are having a profound impact on all corners of campus life. However, despite their significance, there are few discussions spaces designed for enabling leaders to connect with one another, learn from others, and share ideas around how to best prepare and respond. Join us for a free discussion-based series for discovering the technologies and trends impacting higher education across the country. You will learn about the basics of each technology and trend in order to fully understand its potential, as well as how to implement and evaluate each on your campus. In conversation with our panelists and your peers, you will explore questions like: What committees or other initiatives are others proactively putting in place to better understand and prepare their institutions for technological advances? What impact does new technology have on aspects like teaching and learning, equity and inclusion, cost, and learning outcomes? What strategies are institutions employing to evaluate impact? How are faculty and students being supported in that evaluation? The webcasts […]
FREE WEBCAST Using Metrics to Support Employee Success and Retention—A Discussion for Advancement Leaders Live Webcast: Monday, June 13, 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern Consider ways to restructure your metrics to meet changing philanthropic goals and staffing needs. Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the way many advancement professionals approached their work with donors. At the same time, the pandemic also impacted employee hiring and retention in advancement shops. Today, advancement leaders are searching for ways to stabilize their fundraising and staffing needs and are considering questions like: How do we need to adjust our metrics to meet our institution’s current needs and philanthropic goals in the wake of the pandemic? How can our approach with metrics also support employee success and retention? What steps do we need to take to make these changes and what do we hope the outcomes to be? If you are an advancement leader who is considering ways in which frontline fundraising and other metrics can not only help you achieve your philanthropy goals but also bolster individual and team success and support employee retention, we invite you to join us for this free webcast to examine these and other […]
This article is an excerpt from Sue Ohrablo’s acclaimed book High-Impact Advising: A Guide for Academic Advisors, which you can find here. 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.” […]
