Michael Baird joined RBC Capital Markets in 2003 and is a director in the municipal finance division. He specializes in structuring innovative solutions to meet the specific needs of the company’s higher education clients. He has extensive experience financing and refinancing various project-based funding programs, including all types of taxable and tax-exempt fixed- and variable-rate structures. Michael also has developed an expertise in structuring project-specific programs utilizing such techniques as net lease financing and various privatization models. Some of his clients have included the University System of Maryland, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Cleveland State University, Florida Atlantic University, University of Louisiana System, University of Colorado, and Eastern New Mexico University. Michael has more than 20 years of investment banking experience. He has participated in more than 300 taxable and tax-exempt financings, totaling more than $15 billion in aggregate principal amount. He has an MBA and a BBA in finance from Loyola College in Maryland. He currently holds his Series 7, Series 53, and Series 63 securities licenses.
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 […]
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: […]
Karen Thurmond coordinates the day-to-day operations of the general education program (core curriculum), degree audit system (DegreeWorks), and an 24/7 system for academic advising appointments (AppointmentPlus) at the University of Memphis. She has written extensively for NACADA, and recently completed work with a team to automate the graduation process at The University of Memphis. Congratulations! You just hired a new academic advisor! Whether your new advisor has just graduated from a master’s degree with a specialization in academic advising, or is making a transition from another area of higher education, is on a college campus for the first time, or is a faculty member taking on new academic advising responsibilities, they have a lot to learn. Academic advising is a wide interdisciplinary activity that will challenge them personally, professionally, academically, emotionally, and physically. How will you prepare them for this challenge? You should be waiting for your new advisor on the first day with an agenda for their development into a quality academic advisor. This agenda will include the details the advisor needs to know to answer student questions and assist students with making and meeting goals, an understanding of what quality academic advising is and how it impacts student […]
I frequently say to my friends in donor relations that I would like to find the person who invented giving societies and give them a swift punch or two. I am of the opinion that great donor recognition does not hinge on giving societies. I am also of the probably unpopular opinion that most donors are not motivated by their membership in a giving society. I have never seen statistical or empirical evidence in a single study that shows the ROI of a giving society or that the presence of recognition based giving societies moves giving upward. If someone has one, I’d pay to see it. So what am I talking about here? Let’s share some common definitions… Developing giving and recognition levels, associated benefits, and administering these benefits can be a cumbersome task. Many donor relations shops are overburdened by these ineffective practices. The multiple levels within societies create confusion and chaos for staff and donors alike. A great many of these constructs are artificial and not useful in engaging and recognizing donors. Many giving societies do not have distinct benefits and tangible value, especially in the light of quid pro quo violations and other such IRS fun. So what do […]
The academic library faces increased demand for services and the increased costs of acquisitions, digitization, and facilities upgrades, even as many institutions are trimming budgets. This has led to a growing awareness that library leaders need to devote more energy to partnering with advancement and academic leaders to raise external funds for the library. Yet because the academic library is a central resource on campus and lacks a direct alumni constituency, fundraising for the needs of the library has often been difficult. We turned to Jeffrey Trzeciak, university librarian at McMaster University, for his tips for success for other university librarians. Trzeciak spoke with us about McMaster University’s unique model that raised more than a quarter-million dollars by involving senior and reunion classes. For this article, we asked him for advice on some of the thinking that needs to underlie such an effort: Here’s what Trzeciak suggests. Partnering with Academic Leaders “We need to focus not just on our own funding needs, but also on playing a role in the fundraising for the institution as a whole — even if it means assisting in bringing in gifts that don’t directly fund the library.” Jeffrey Trzeciak, McMaster University Trzeciak stresses the importance of founding partnerships […]
By Manya C. Whitaker, PhDAssociate Professor & Chair of Education, Crown Faculty Center Director, Colorado College When I started graduate school in 2006, I had no interest in becoming a professor or joining academe. I wanted to work at a think tank researching youth development to inform public policy. But in my third year of graduate school, I was a Teaching Assistant (TA) for a developmental psychology class and everything changed. I discovered the joy of teaching and eventually petitioned to teach sections of the course. When I entered the job market, I was certain to apply to small liberal arts colleges where teaching was paramount in the job description. Ten years later, I know I made the right decision. But I also confess that in year 6, teaching started to lose its appeal and I sought new challenges. I asked my chair if I could be the associate chair to ease the workload in the department. He happily agreed, and I had my second professional epiphany—I like administrative work! I’ve always been a person who made lists and found joy in crossing each item off. I have very detailed schedules that tell me what I should be doing almost […]
Student financial literacy remains top of mind at many institutions, and for good reason. With student default rates on the rise and retention a greater challenge than it’s ever been, colleges and universities throughout the sector are looking for ways to make financial literacy education available for their student population. The University of North Texas, behind the work of Paul Goebel—Senior Director of their Student Money Management Center—is entering its tenth year in providing students a comprehensive financial literacy program, and here he offers tips and suggestions for those looking to start similar programming on campus. To build a successful financial literacy program on your campus, Paul recommends the following: Paul Goebel explains these in greater depth in this podcast: Join us Online to Learn More Join us for a recorded online training that will help increase student participation in your financial literacy programs by showing you how to: Watch the Digital Recording
In his role as Senior Vice President, Kabbaz serves as the University’s first chief enrollment and retention officer and a member of the President’s Executive Cabinet and Council of Academic Deans. Kabbaz provides leadership to the Offices of Admission, Bursar, Career Center, Enrollment Communication and Marketing, Enrollment Operations, One Stop Services, Enrollment Research and Analytics, University Registrar, Student Financial Assistance, and the Student Success Center. He also serves as co-chair for the University’s Student Success Committee. Prior to his return to Miami in May 2011, Kabbaz served as Director of Admission at the University of Richmond. He also worked for the College Board in a number of capacities, including the role of chief educational manager overseeing higher education services for the Midwest and nationally as the senior director of College and University Services for the Advanced Placement (AP) Program. Prior to the College Board, Kabbaz served as Associate Director for Admission at Miami University and in a number of admission roles at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he earned both an undergraduate degree in accountancy and his MBA. Prior to his career in higher education, he served as a staff auditor at the accounting firm KPMG. Kabbaz is an […]
Joe recently joined the team of Chicago-based nonprofit Partnership for College Completion. He advises and consults with community colleges and four-year universities who participate in the Illinois Equity in Attainment Initiative, a cohort-based program with a goal to narrow graduation gaps that persist among Black, Latinx, and low-income students across partner institutions. Prior to this role, Joe spent eight years at Loyola University Chicago engaged in student diversity initiatives. He was responsible for leading a department tasked with multicultural education, mentorship, and fostering social belonging for students from underserved communities including first-generation, students of color, LGBTQIA, and undocumented students. Joe developed expertise in cultural competency training and development for students, staff, and faculty across Loyola’s Chicago lakeside and global campuses. He also integrated a strengths-based approach to mentoring students and cultivating classroom and co-curricular spaces where marginalized students can be successful. At Loyola, Joe served on the Dreamer Committee advising the University President on policies and practices necessary to effectively meet the needs of undocumented students. He facilitated the Share the Dream Undocumented Student Ally training designed to equip stakeholders with greater fluency around issues affecting undocumented immigrants and families. Joe earned his B.S. in Marketing at Georgetown University and […]
