Student Affairs Fundraising: Building a
Sustainable Structure

Many student affairs leaders have executed small fundraising efforts; very few have a strategic plan to gain support that can sustain or grow critical initiatives. Join us online to explore a proven model for developing a systematized fundraising operation for your student affairs division. You will leave with considerations for: Identifying fundraising priorities Structuring your fundraising operation Setting achievable goals for your department Building cross-campus relationships to meet goals

World War Z? The Impact of Multiple Generations on Campus

With more generations in the workplace than ever before, there is no shortage of jokes, social media flurry, and casual speculation about the Millennials in your team meeting or the Boomer down the hall. Interestingly, while we love to discuss these topics, very few people actually know what their differences are beyond vague stereotypes like “work ethic” and “quiet quitting.” Many of these conversations also lack the nuance that includes a judgement-free understanding of why the generations are different. This session will demystify the strengths and weaknesses of each generation, confirm that your favorite 15-year-old TikTok influencer is not a millennial, and provide you with information that you can use to navigate the varying work styles, expectations, and communication patterns that you encounter across generations in your everyday context.

Starting a Women’s Leadership Mentoring Program

Co-Authored by Faculty and Staff at the University of IdahoVanessa Sielert, Professor and Director, Lionel Hampton School of MusicKatherine Himes, Director, McClure Center for Public Policy ResearchErin Chapman, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Family and Consumer SciencesKathryn Schiffelbein, Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Outreach, College of Engineering Starting a program of any type can be daunting. Doing so with little to no experience and resources may seem impossible. Yet the importance of this work and a shared vision brought us together to create a community for women to connect and thrive. We built the Athena Women’s Mentorship Program in autumn 2018 with the support of Athena, the professional women’s organization at the University of Idaho. The intent of the Athena Mentorship Program is to promote and facilitate mentorship for women and/or female-identifying staff and faculty at all University of Idaho campuses. The program graduated its second cohort in December 2020 and launched its third cohort in January 2021, fully online. The program follows a calendar year schedule, provides monthly formal gatherings and bi-weekly informal coffee chats for mentees with mentees and mentors with mentors, and requires that mentorship partners meet monthly based on their personal schedules. The year begins with […]

Practical Strategies for Partnering with Faculty in Student Recruitment

W. Kent Barnds offers seven strategies for involving faculty in student recruitment in ways that are meaningful and effective. Here’s how to do it right. Admissions teams often ask: “How do we effectively involve faculty members in student recruitment?” This question has even more urgency now, given enrollment pressures throughout higher education. It only makes sense to look to the faculty; they remain the most credible messengers on a college campus. A LOOK AT THE DATAIn fact, in Academic Impressions’ 2013 survey on enrollment declines, 47% of the 190 institutions participating in the survey missed their enrollment targets last year–many by a significant percentage. Years ago I heard Robin Mamlet, who at the time was the dean of admissions at Stanford University, remind a room full of admissions officers that “we work for the faculty.” I’ve been guided by this idea and recognize admissions officers are an extension of the faculty, rather than vice versa. Involving faculty in recruitment activities should be guided by this premise. Admittedly, I don’t always get things right. But, based on more than 20 years of experimenting and listening, I’d like to suggest: 7 Keys to Encouraging Meaningful Involvement 1. Provide guidance, not direction.I once […]

Supervising Multigenerational Teams: Building Understanding to Support Success

Your team may have up to five generations working together, a phenomenon that is unique to our time in history. This generational diversity makes our teams stronger and more ready to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. To leverage the full strength that comes from this generational diversity, however, supervisors must first understand the value of and know how to appreciate the unique styles and preferences of each team member.   Join our facilitator and your peers across the country to share best practices and experiences for increasing all of our understanding on successfully supervising multigenerational teams. You will come away from the training with the following:  

Translating Your Student Development Services for Online Students (Webcast Recording)

As online student enrollment grows, it is critical to ensure that you are creating an engaging support environment. Current models in student affairs are primarily oriented around face-to-face, brick and mortar institutions and interactions. This webinar will give you the information you need to help you create a pathway to transition your most important student services to meet the unconventional needs of online students. Toolkit for Translating Your Services In addition to your webcast registration, you will receive a resource packet to help you as you transition student development services online, including: Articles Institutional examples Case studies

Frontline Fundraising Essentials: Outreach, Qualification, Visits, and the Ask

As a fundraising professional, you may feel unsure of how to move a prospect forward. In the early stages, how can you get the prospect’s attention and ask questions that fuel your next moves? Later in the cycle, how can you assess motivations and strategize visits that will support your asks? Join us online for a 4-part online training series that will help you create rigor in each phase of your process and offer new approaches to raise more dollars. If the following statements from each phase of the donor cultivation cycle resonate, then this series is for you: Outreach – “Getting in touch with prospects and donors is so much harder than I thought it would be, especially without a mature portfolio. I need to increase my successful contact rates and secure more visits.” Prospect Qualification – “Qualification is tough. I don’t know how to do the right research or ask the best questions in order to get the best yield from a prospect. I want to know as quickly as possible if I should include this person in my portfolio or move on.” Visits – “I have plenty of wonderful meetings with donors and prospects, but they don’t […]

Community College Finance: Maintaining Liquidity

2010. A report from Moody’s Investors Service stresses that as community colleges experience enrollment surges during this down economy, many will issue bonds as a means of raising the capital needed to provide the new construction, renovation, and technological infrastructure projects needed to meet the growing demand. As community colleges take on more debt to fund capital projects, it is going to be critical for business officers to ensure that they can maintain liquidity. We asked Cynthia Gilliam, the vice chancellor of administration and finance for the Lone Star College System and a past president of the Texas Association of Community College Business Officers, for advice on financial planning. Long-Range Financial Planning Gilliam notes that the Lone Star College System is unique in that the system is in a very strong financial position (and has just received an AAA rating from S&P), but also remarks that this didn’t happen by accident or by luck. It is the outcome of a long history of solid debt planning. “The key for us has been to have our financial advisers extremely involved in our debt planning from the get-go,” Gilliam comments. “We use them to assist us in strategy. How are we going […]

Foundations of Auditing Endowed Funds

Knowing and communicating the financial health of your endowed funds will show your donors that their gift remains in good hands, which increases the potential for further giving. Now is the perfect time to review your endowed funds to ensure they remain: Legal: In compliance with rules and regulations Possible: To be rewarded according to fund criteria Practical: Able to be administered within reasonable limits Join us for a three-hour virtual training to develop a plan of action for your next endowed funds audit. You will learn a step-by-step process to help you confirm whether your endowed funds are meeting both institutional compliance and donor intent. You will also identify potential risks and communication strategies for donors whose funds have been misspent, unspent, or are underwater. You’ll walk away with clearly defined next steps that will help you move your endowed fund audit forward.

Sarah Edwards

Dr. Sarah Edwards is a tenured professor in the Teacher Education Department and currently serves as an active participant in the administrative decision-making processes in the Academic Affairs Office at University of Nebraska Omaha. Her position is responsible for assisting the Senior Vice Chancellor in planning, directing, evaluating, and developing undergraduate academic programs; collaborating with other divisions of the University to analyze and develop recommendations in response to evolving issues; and providing leadership for developing and achieving strategic initiatives.  Those primary responsibilities include leadership for meeting the goals and objectives of the University’s strategic plan for undergraduate education; implementation and administration of policies and regulations affecting students; and leadership and facilitation for the processes of curriculum development. In addition, this position is responsible for leadership and support for Academic Learning Communities, such as the Susan Thompson Buffett Scholars and the Army and AFROTC detachments, as well as coaching and guidance for the University Honors Program, National Honors, Scholarships and Awards, and oversight and planning of the Student Honors Convocation.