How to Keep Your Eyes on the Future When There’s a Crisis in the Present

This is a unique and challenging time, yet it’s crucial not to remain overly consumed with the present crisis; we need to reserve time each day to think through the possibilities of how our future, and how the future of our unit and our institution can be different when we all return.   By now, […]

Why So Many Abrupt Exits for University Presidents? And How Can We Prevent Them?

At four institutions, a university president exited abruptly – in a single week in June. What causes such abrupt departures? And how can they be prevented? On June 24, 2019, campus leaders and stakeholders awoke to find out that four campus presidents (Auburn, Bennett, Marist, Mullenberg) “were out, without notice or explanation”—to quote the headline […]

John Finke

John Finke has more than 35 years’ experience in local government, nonprofit management, private sector development, and financing public private partnerships. John pioneered the American Model Approach and has used that model to finance and develop more than 1,600,000 square feet of government and university offices, 750,000 square feet of medical offices, 400,000 square feet […]

Our Lost Colleges

Amid rising public doubt about the continued accessibility of US post-secondary institutions, university leaders need to think differently about how they operate. Until that happens, our colleges will remain lost in a fog of cultural skepticism about higher education. Here are questions every institution’s leaders need to be asking. A friend’s daughter applied to 10 […]

4 Essential Leadership Competencies Department Chairs Need to Lead in the New Normal

Introduction As a higher education leader for almost 20 years and a former department chair for ten, I have witnessed time and time again how the right department leader can animate an academic program. As John C. Maxwell once said, “The reality is that 99 percent of all leadership occurs not from the top, but […]

5 Strengths Military-Connected Students Bring to Your Campus

Presenters: Recorded Webcast, Supporting Military-Connected Students for Success and Completion Each fall, as faculty, academic advisors, and others return to campus, there are fresh articles and blog posts about how to help military and veteran students. Often, these articles focus unfortunately on the “issues” that military students might bring to a campus, or the unique […]

Land Acknowledgement as an Equity Practice in Higher Education

Aya ceeki eeweemaakiki. Niila Myaamia. Neehweeta weenswiaani myaamiaataweenki. Nichole akala shima tawengi. Hello all my relatives. I am Myaamia. My Myaamia name is Neehweeta, which means she speaks. Nichole is my English name. _____________________ The Myaamia first emerged as a distinct people along the banks of the Saakiiweesiipi (St. Joseph’s River near South Bend, Indiana). […]

How One Institution Launched a DEI Plan Without a DEI Office

Co-Written by:Kinsley McNulty, Program Coordinator of Student Life, New York Institute of TechnologyDiandra Macias, Program Coordinator of Student Life, New York Institute of TechnologySamantha Mon, Assistant Director of Career Services, New York Institute of TechnologyPaul Ferrante, Assistant Director of Student Life, New York Institute of Technology This past year, the global pandemic and the Black […]

Sandi Carlisle, Ed.D.

With 29 years of experience in Student Affairs and four years in Parks & Recreation, Sandi Carlisle’s expertise includes Student Activities, Student Development, Residential Facilities, and Collegiate and Park District recreation. Dr. Carlisle served on the leadership team to build the first ever dedicated Student Recreation Center at Texas State University. Leading the Residential Facilities […]

Academic Entrepreneurship: Managing your academic program portfolio in times of disruption

We recently sat down with Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson, former Provost at Bay Path University, to discuss her recently-released book “Academic Entrepreneurship: The Art and Science of Creating the Right Academic Programs.” The following interview—which contains myriad practical suggestions for academic leaders looking to think creatively to move their divisions and institutions forward—is what materialized. 1. […]