A Year in Crisis: Lessons in Communication Learned as a Department Chair

Introduction We have just passed the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this experience may have provided opportunities for us to learn and grow, it has also taught us there are critical elements of our life and work where no substitute is sufficient. One of these elements is communication. The extreme safety measures of […]

Persistent Tension in Academic Leadership and How to Make it Productive

Leadership is hard Let’s face it, leadership is hard and exhausting. Leadership was hard before the Covid-19 pandemic, and the additional complexities that leaders have been facing over the past year have been significant. Leaders at all levels are increasingly finding themselves making more decisions more quickly, with more significance, and with less information. The […]

The Power of A Coaching Mindset and Its Impact on Leadership in Higher Ed

Coaching and leadership have not always been discussed together. For many leaders, coaching is somewhat of a mystery. I would like to share my journey of discovering coaching as a powerful leadership development tool that has transformed the way I lead, and how I was motivated to become a leadership coach. I will try to […]

University Comprehensive Naming Reviews

During the last decade, a few high-profile donor stories throughout the country have heightened public awareness of university namings. In response, “reputational risk” or “morality” clauses started popping up more frequently in university gift agreements. These clauses generally stipulate that an institution can remove a naming should the institution’s association with the name prove problematic […]

Integrating Internationalization Strategies and DEI Initiatives at US Universities: What’s to be Gained?

Introduction Until recently at many US universities, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and internationalization programs were considered to be separate undertakings responding to different university goals. Today collaboration between the two is still the exception to the rule. This article makes a case for more and stronger collaboration between DEI and internationalization by considering what […]

FLIPping the Script on Course Design: Integrating UDL and Student Centeredness into the Course Design Table

By Dr. Leslie Madsen, Teresa Focarile, Dr. Tasha Souza, Dr. Lisa Berry After the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted the spring 2020 semester, Boise State University faculty looked toward an uncertain fall with some trepidation. Because students might have to quarantine for weeks or miss several classes due to illness, instructors realized they would not only […]

Identifying Opportunities in Your Department’s DEI Strategy: One Alumni Department’s Perspective

Are you wanting to create more opportunities for diversity, equity, and inclusion for your constituents, but not sure where to begin? Here’s how one Alumni Relations and Development Office started. We started from the bottom At California University of Pennsylvania, our Office of Alumni Relations has been working collaboratively with departments across campus to paint […]

Navigating a virtual provost search during the pandemic

The below piece tells the story of Cal State Fullerton’s experience conducting a provost search virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The story is written from two perspectives: the first from the institution’s Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion and Search Committee Chair; and the second from the now sitting provost. By sharing their […]

Back to the Future of Alumni Relations

By Kathy Edersheim President, Impactrics Social distancing and isolation brought on by the pandemic have proven the importance of community and connection, the very priorities for alumni relations. As the vaccine rolls-out and we look forward to a new normal, it is the perfect moment for alumni associations to assess the challenges and, yes, opportunities […]

Using Thinking Aloud Strategies to Create Equity in Distance Learning

By Prof. Dr. Eugene AllevatoWoodbury University In education, equity means to ensure that every student has an equal chance for success based on their specific needs. Due to the recent pandemic, the transition to distance learning has caused the achievement gap to widen requiring new tools and strategies to reduce barriers, especially to underrepresented groups. […]