Archives: Courses

Revitalizing Your Donor Relations Program

Revitalizing Your Donor Relations Program  November 17 – 19, 2020 | Eastern Time Improve the effectiveness of your stewardship efforts. Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Cultivating Creativity by Building Trust Within Your Team

Innovation and creativity are what higher ed needs right now to push past the challenges of 2020. Creativity requires your team to share ideas, challenge each other’s ideas, admit mistakes, and move past them. It requires risk-taking and an entrepreneurial spirit to try new things. To support a culture of creativity, you, as their leader, must create a secure and psychologically safe environment where your team feels empowered to be vulnerable. Join us online and learn how to create a culture of trust within your team that encourages them to be their most creative selves in order to solve problems. During this webcast, you will learn how to create the necessary conditions to foster a safe environment for your team to be creative. Get tips on how to: Encourage curiosity and vulnerability Normalize failure Assign credit when and where credit is due Back up your team when things go awry

Designing Creative Solutions for Your Toughest Challenges

In the current landscape of higher education, there are complex challenges that need to be solved – whether it be curriculum revisions, overcoming the enrollment cliff, or finding new ways of fundraising. In order to respond successfully to these challenges, you will need to dream what has not yet been imagined. However, this cannot be done alone. How do you ensure you have the right people and processes in place to elicit the required creativity? Join us online and learn how to effectively build and manage problem-solving groups that will allow you to harness creative ideas at a time when they are most needed. Our expert instructor will introduce you to a 3-step process that provides an effective structure for releasing and actualizing creativity. You will walk away with tips and strategies for how to: Identify the problems and issues that should be addressed through the problem-solving groups Invite the right people to participate at the right time in the process Establish a culture of respect and trust that cultivates creativity Navigate the tensions that emerge from differences in risk tolerance, supporting diverse strengths within the team, and selective implementation of ideas

Navigating Your Relationship With Your Dean: A Training for Department Chairs

As a Department Chair, one of the most important relationships you have to forge is the one with your Dean. Ideally, this relationship is built on mutual trust, healthy communication, and a shared understanding of what the department—and by extension, the College—is trying to achieve. But such a relationship takes work, and the onus is on you as the Chair to understand how to best manage up and work with your Dean to accomplish these goals. Join us for a webcast where our speaker will teach you how to effectively set up a positive relationship with your Dean. Our expert, who has served as a Department Chair for over a decade under four different Deans, will review the three key building blocks of an effective Dean-Chair working relationship and offer example-based strategies from his own experience to help you get there.

Implementing Shared Services at Your Institution

As higher education faces tighter budgets and declining enrollments, many institutions are exploring a shared services model to lower costs, make services more efficient, and reduce redundancies across campus. By making operations like finance, HR, IT, and pre- and post-award services leaner, institutions can free up resources and invest in what will distinguish their institution—academic programs and research. Despite these benefits, not everyone welcomes giving up control over their school, unit, or department, so implementation can be tricky to navigate through pushback. Join us to learn what to expect in the process of transitioning to a centralized shared services model. Ronn Kobalsh, Associate Vice President of Shared Services at University of Chicago, will steer you through the five phases of implementation and share tips on the most challenging aspects, such as: Gathering data to build your case to leadership Anticipating pushback and gaining buy-in across campus Making key decisions that will best serve your unique culture and circumstances

Building a Culture of Inclusion in Your Advancement Shop

We know that many advancement shops are looking to better engage underrepresented alumni populations, but it can be difficult to know what initial steps you should take toward incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts into your strategy. Join us to learn the best approaches to collecting qualitative information and measuring quantitative data from your alumni in order to more effectively make cultural inclusion a part of your shop’s identity. Our expert instructor will ensure that you leave the session knowing small, immediate steps you can take to impact diverse alumni engagement in your operation.

Transformational Gifts: Attaining the Gift of a Lifetime

Transformational Gifts: Attaining the Gift of a Lifetime November 12 – 13, 2020 Navigating a transformational gift can be one of the most important and impactful events for your institution. How are you engaging your top donors? Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! DAY 1 DAY 2 ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Fostering Student Belonging to Support Retention Despite the Global Pandemic

We know that a sense of belonging is a crucial factor when it comes to student success and retention—but what does that look like during a global pandemic? Join us for this virtual training to hear how our expert speaker is: Integrating lessons learned from his time working on retention at St. Cloud State University Using these lessons to inform the collaborative approach Bowling Green State University is taking to build a sense of community for students by focusing on flexibility, communication, and belonging in a socially distanced world Be part of this interactive conversation to share and brainstorm creative ways you can support student belonging through connections with faculty, staff, and other students.

Gender and Confidence: Why Higher Education Needs More Women to Advocate for Themselves and Each Other

Despite making great strides in terms of gender equity in the workplace, research indicates that women are less confident than men and are more likely to receive negative feedback when they do assert themselves. While men who are outspoken, ambitious, or decisive are viewed as good leaders, women who demonstrate these same traits are labeled brash, bossy, or lacking poise. Double standards and outdated gender norms create unique challenges for women who wish to rise. Join us for this training to learn why this happens, what you can do about it, and how you can manage gender-biased feedback from others. You will leave this training with tools that will enable you to own your confidence as a woman leader.

Strategies to Strengthen Transfer Student Enrollment and Success

Strategies to Strengthen Transfer Student Enrollment and Success November 4 – 6, 2020 Learn the immediate steps you can take to improve your transfer student pathways. Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Writing Workshop for Advancement

Writing Workshop for Advancement Strengthen the voice and consistency of your communications to donors and alumni. Login On: October 15, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. ET Zoom Login Instructions JOIN ZOOM MEETING https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88682834023?pwd=MzZBTzBPTVh0RXZTVWpqNXlHbi9JUT09 Meeting ID: 886 8283 4023 Passcode: 120898 Prepare for the Workshop This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully: Agenda October 15, 2020 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern   Technology Check 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.      Welcome and Introductions 10:15 – 10:45 a.m.     Advancement Communication: The Medium and the Message 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. We will begin with a brief overview of how donor communications are transforming. In this foundational session, we will establish the importance of remaining agile to create relevant and impactful acknowledgements, solicitations, and reports.     Clarifying Your Message 11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Getting your message across while competing with all other mediums of communication is tough. The quality of your message needs to hook the recipient, be creative, and communicate what you mean. In this session, our faculty will also share strategies to combat and work through writer’s block.     Effective Messaging 12:30 […]

Reassess Your Language and Processes to Build Better Gift Agreements

Reassess Your Language and Processes to Build Better Gift Agreements October 14 – 15, 2020 Revisit your gift agreements and improve your processes to help protect your institution and donors. Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! DAY 1 DAY 2

Foundations of Title IX Investigations: Training & Certification

Foundations of Title IX Investigations: Training & Certification October 23 & 26, 2020 Approach your sexual harassment investigations with greater confidence. Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! DAY 1 DAY 2 ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Create a Culture of Cross-Campus Open Dialogue

The current Black Lives Matter movement and the fallout from COVID-19 have higher ed leaders searching for constructive ways to engage students, faculty, and staff in dialogue about difficult issues. Listening to underrepresented voices and creating space for healthy exchange is critical for building an engaged community and maintaining a positive campus climate. There are no easy answers, but campus dialogue is a tool to help start the conversation. Join us online for this two-hour workshop to learn what it means to have a culture of campus dialogue. Our experts from Case Western Reserve University will share insights and lessons learned from their experience building such a culture at their institution. You will learn how they went about increasing leadership buy-in, enhancing cross-campus collaboration, educating others about the benefits of open dialogue, and creating a formal program. We will close with an exercise to help you craft a message and align it with various stakeholder priorities so you can begin building a culture of dialogue on your own campus.

Finding the Right Career Fit as a Woman in Higher Education

Managing your career in higher education takes focus, confidence, and a willingness to work through the unique barriers we face as women. Join us for this webcast to learn: How to assess current and future opportunities to see if they are a fit for your career goals How to negotiate What steps to take if you are aspiring to a promotion We will first look at conditions in the workplace that lead to career growth to help you assess what’s working and where you might advocate for more support. Next, we will discuss how to negotiate for what you need in ways that not only benefit your career but the organization as well. Finally, we will dive into how you can best position yourself for future opportunities by tying your accomplishments to the goals of the organization.

Customer Service Skills Training: Certification for Higher Education Professionals

Customer Service Skills Training: Certification for Higher Education Professionals October 27 – 29, 2020 Gain the knowledge and skills you need to provide high quality customer service. Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Leadership Perspectives from Women Presidents

With only 30% of universities being led by women presidents, getting perspectives on how these women grew their skillsets and navigated their careers is paramount to helping aspiring women leaders attain their leadership goals. In this two-part session, you will hear two former women presidents look back on their careers and share: How they advocated for themselves How they led authentically What lessons they learned Join us for this inspiring conversation!

Test-Optional Admission: A Case Study from the University of Denver

Many institutions temporarily adopted test-optional admission processes in response to COVID-19, while others are still considering implementing it or making the switch permanent. Although the benefits of going test-optional are widely acknowledged, the process of moving to test-optional when internal stakeholders are accustomed to the traditional model can be tricky to navigate. Join us for this webcast as we hear from the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment, Todd Rinehart, about the University of Denver’s journey to become permanently test-optional. Learn the benefits of this type of admission approach, the challenges of implementation, and lessons learned—what you should anticipate and pitfalls to avoid—based on the University of Denver’s firsthand experience with a test-optional admission process.

Institute for Advanced Gift Officers: Enhancing Your Donor and Portfolio Strategy

Institute for Advanced Gift Officers: Enhancing Your Donor and Portfolio Strategy December 8 – 9, 2020 Now that you’ve mastered the fundraising essentials, learn what it takes to upgrade donors and secure more complex gifts.  Welcome to your course page for your virtual conference! We’ll be adding links to meeting rooms, schedules, social media, and course materials as they become available. Make sure to check back as it gets closer to your conference! DAY 1 DAY 2 ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Recognize Student Distress in a Virtual Environment

Mental health challenges for students will continue as classes go online. Though they may be more difficult to identify in a virtual setting, there are warning signs that faculty and staff should be aware of throughout the semester. Faculty and staff who regularly interact with students are often best positioned to see these signs of student distress and connect students with mental health providers when appropriate. In this webcast, our expert will offer guidance on identifying these signs and offer recommendations for connecting students to resources. We will specifically tackle the following objectives: Learn the risk factors and warning signs of distress, which include signs of depression, anxiety, behavior changes, and suicidal thoughts. Understand how to best intervene to support someone. Learn tips for starting the conversation, recognizing cultural considerations, and managing boundaries. Know your role and when to refer. Learn how to check your comfort and limitations and know where and when to refer on campus.