Higher Ed Leaders: We have the Support & Strategies You Need

Navigating Your Path to Administration: A Panel Discussion for Aspiring Academic Administrators

As the higher education landscape evolves, so too will its body of academic administrators. The administrative structure of most institutions has grown in complexity, resulting in more potential options for those interested in academic leadership to consider. However, despite this reality, many faculty continue to view administration as “the dark side” or are unsure of […]

How to Influence Without Shaming as a Leader

It’s an unfortunate fact that harmful and biased statements occur in the workplace—and it’s all too common for leaders to respond to these scenarios in ways that shame the individuals who perpetrated that behavior. Yet, while it is important to address these situations swiftly when they occur, it is even more beneficial to repair harm […]

Essential Practices for Leaders Communicating Across Difference

Many leaders strive to create an inclusive environment for their employees, but this can be difficult to achieve without first taking time to understand how our own identity can impact our ability to engage in effective and supportive dialogue with a diverse team. Through this training’s experiential activities and small-group discussion, participants who are leading […]

Establishing a University Engagement Council to Coordinate Communication with Major Donors

Maximizing philanthropic opportunities is the underlying objective of every advancement shop. A fundamental part of ensuring this objective is achieved comes from broad engagement with major donors—which involves strategic communications and connections from various units and stakeholders on campus. To ensure that communication efforts with major donors are well organized, having information on who is […]

Building Stronger Teams with Empathy and Humility

The Covid-19 pandemic laid bare issues with retention, psychological safety, and a sense of belonging that leaders in higher education must face on their own teams. Faculty and staff thrive on strong teams with a positive, productive culture, and leaders who are empathic and humble create a team culture where it is possible to undo […]

Increasing Student Retention and Completion Rates through Proactive Advising

Many institutions are already using proactive advising to help students in danger of failing or dropping out. But are you effectively communicating with both staff and academically at-risk students to maximize your impact? Proactive advising techniques can help you to increase student retention and completion rates through improving interdepartmental communication and creating a better understanding […]

Strategies to Confidently Communicate with Students Experiencing Mental Health Challenges

As students, faculty, and staff return to campus life, the impromptu conversations that characterize in-person interactions are naturally more likely to resume. Data shows that the rate of students reporting a sense of disconnection from campus, anxiety, and depression has increased during the pandemic. Students returning to campus will need more support than ever. Front-line […]

Building, Leading, and Retaining a High-Performance Frontline Fundraising Team

A new generation of frontline fundraisers who have different values and needs, combined with a rapidly changing social environment and labor market, are making the task of selecting, developing, and retaining fundraising teams more difficult than ever. Yet we know that our ability to sustainably raise fundraising revenue year after year depends on having skilled […]

Retain Frontline Fundraisers by Fostering Inclusive Practices

When prospect and donor values around diversity, equity, and inclusion do not align with your institutional values, tension can develop in the relationship, leading to difficult conversations that can have a negative impact on frontline fundraising goals. Knowing how to effectively communicate and interact with your prospects and donors can lead to deeper relationships with […]