To be relevant in the future for our changing society and world, higher education must adapt, embrace disruption and uncertainty, and learn to navigate constant flux. With the looming demographic cliff, questions over the cost and value of a degree, financial scarcity, ideological challenges, and the politicization of education, the
The start of anything new can always be a little daunting; however, we also know that doing something worthwhile will always require effort and reaching outside our comfort zones. This is so true when preparing to launch a new program and adhere to all requirements and expectations of the state,
When you assume a new administrative position, you may quickly be consumed by learning the ropes, managing crises, implementing change, or even all these at once. So before you immerse yourself too deeply in your day-to-day work, create a foundation for a sustainable and enjoyable tenure in higher education administration.
Working in academia has long been a dream role for many scholars, practitioners, and working professionals (Larsson & Alvinius, 2019). We asked a group of leaders from institutions of higher education what compelled them to work in a college or university setting. Their responses included seeking to recreate the transformational
Institutions of higher education can play a transformative role in the economic sustainability of the regions that they call home, yet the reality of the economic development potential of an institution often doesn’t effectively translate into regional prosperity. Colleges and universities need to take the economic realities of their hometowns
Much has been written about the needs of mid-career faculty and their needs, such as their continued professional development, evolving mentoring needs, and maintaining an upward trajectory. Much of this work pertains to tenured faculty, though, leaving out the non-tenure-track faculty who make up over 50 percent of faculty nationally.
“Retention” rarely appears on those lists of higher ed jargon to avoid. While college students can identify countless unwelcoming phrases and acronyms, employees in higher education have no trouble agreeing on retention’s definition: keeping enrolled students enrolled. But when university leaders call retention the responsibility of every faculty and staff
I’ve been on enough academic search committees to know that something is broken in how hiring happens at the college level. If you’ve been through this process, on either end, I suspect you agree. But my issue isn’t with bloated HR policies or entrenched systems or the hundreds of equally
With the expansion of online programs in higher education, department faculty who work remotely can feel disconnected from their institution and from each other. While online learning brings flexibility to both faculty and students, it can also breed isolation. There is abundant literature on how faculty can create learning communities
So far this spring, I have explored the first three “essentials” for workplace mental health and well-being—protection from harm, connection and community, and work-life harmony—in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being. The authors of the framework argue that “organizational efforts to
This essay is a reflection on the complexities surrounding faculty and philanthropy. Fundraising is a part of university life that nonadministrative faculty members, especially faculty whose primary focus is undergraduate education, often have little to do with, but as budgets shrink, it is an area that all faculty members need
We may be committed to academic excellence, but when we examine our institutional data, it may show us gaps. We might see racial disparities in student, faculty, and staff diversity, retention, and graduation and promotion rates.
If you are reading this, you believe in higher education and are committed to making your program and unit as dynamic as possible. This requires hard work every day:
What are the equity stakes in student evaluations of teaching (SETs)? And how are these stakes intensified for minoritized contingent faculty in a two-tiered faculty system? This question is
Today’s environment for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) looks dramatically different than just a year ago. Several state legislatures are now asking colleges and universities to report on their
