Selecting the Right LMS: 2 Critical Decisions

A recent Academic Impressions survey found that one third of academics are unhappy with their current learning management system (LMS), and over a third are unhappy with their institution’s process for selecting an LMS. In September, we asked Thomas Cavanagh to respond to the findings; he offered two brief checklists (which you can review here) […]

A Roadmap for Successful Academic Coaching

In a new training with Academic Impressions, Jennifer Bloom, director of the University of South Carolina’s Higher Education & Student Affairs (HESA) master’s degree program and co-author of The Appreciative Advising Revolution (2008) and Increasing Persistence: Research-based Strategies for College Student Success (2012), offers an overview of how she has applied an appreciative inquiry model […]

How One Institution is Forecasting Housing Needs and Costs

Pro forma can be an effective tool in analyzing and forecasting the financial health of any housing operation. However, few housing administrators are well-versed on developing a comprehensive pro forma model and leveraging information to make smarter decisions about: Rate increases Renovations External revenue streams Other capital investments This lack of knowledge often leads to […]

Outreach to International Alumni: The Opportunities You May Be Missing

When we asked advancement professionals in a recent, informal 7 Second Survey to note their most effective tactic for outreach to international alumni: As institutions attract a greater number of international students, host more international visits and projects, and as careers become increasingly global, it is vital to meaningfully connect with alumni living abroad and […]

How One Institution is Monetizing its Physical Assets

The Ohio State University recently monetized their parking operation — which OSU identified as a campus asset that was non-mission critical — and secured $400 million, most of which OSU invested in its endowment. As other institutions seek to counterbalance increasingly depleted revenue streams, OSU provides a key example of how to identify assets that […]

Speechwriting for Your Institution’s Leaders: Why Speeches Fail

BEFORE WRITING ANY SPEECH FOR AN ACADEMIC LEADER Speechwriter and policy analyst Chuck Toney suggests 2 crucial preparatory steps that can make all the difference between boring and compelling speeches: For specific examples, please listen to this free podcast from Chuck Toney and Academic Impressions: It’s likely that at some point we have all seen […]

Speechwriting for Campus Leaders: 2 Crucial Tips

In this audio supplement to our article “Speechwriting for Your Institution’s Leaders: Why Speeches Fail,” Chuck Toney discusses 2 crucial steps you need to take before writing any speech for your academic leaders: In the audio, Toney also provides specific examples from effective speeches. For practical advice on the nuts and bolts of speechwriting, we […]

Conversations That Matter: Approaching the Academic Calendar More Creatively

In one of our recent 7 Second Surveys, we found that: Special sessions are emerging as a key strategy for optimizing enrollment. To learn a little more about the opportunities these calendaring options present, we interviewed Ken Smith, Virginia Tech’s vice provost for resource management and institutional effectiveness, in the following 7 minute podcast. Ken […]

Title IX Checklist

The April 2011 Office of Civil Rights (OCR) “Dear Colleague” letter mandated changes for how institutions must handle reports of sexual misconduct. Recently, we conducted one of our informal 7 Second Surveys to learn whether a general sample of faculty and staff across campus were concerned about the changes and their institution’s compliance, we received […]

2 Checklists: Selecting the Right LMS

In last week’s 7 Second Survey, Academic Impressions asked academics to comment on their learning management system (LMS). 184 academics responded. What they told us: We asked Thomas Cavanagh, associate vice president of distributed learning at the University of Central Florida, to comment on the findings. Cavanagh and his team recently underwent an LMS review […]