Review: Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): Development for Deans and Academic Leaders: Winter Session

With smaller and smaller investments on the part of local, state, and federal dollars, institutions of higher education need to take a more proactive role in developing more partnerships with stakeholders and developing revenue streams to help fund students, research, etc. That is the purpose behind CASE. I am looking to learn all I can. I have already dealt with our development office on various initiatives and as a college (of business), we have started to "market" our development efforts through social media with limited success. Hopefully, through this conference, I will be able to develop a more strategic perspective and operational opportunities to better leverage our opportunities.

Action Items:

• Identify and Articulate Vision for Projects Appropriate for Gifts of:
• $10,000
• $100,000
• $1,000,000
• $10,000,000
• For each project identified above, be able to answer:
• Why should I care?
• Why should I believe you?
• What difference will my gift make?
• What happens if you you don't get this gift?
• Incorporate Development Vision into Newsletter(s) and Website
• Work with Development Office on Every Budget Request Item BEFORE submitting Through Normal Channels
• Meet Routinely (Monthly) with Development Office to Discuss Initiatives, Key Personnel/Stakeholders, etc.
• ALWAYS Meet with Development BEFORE Meeting with Prospect to identify roles, strategy, etc.
• ALWAYS Meet with Development AFTER Meeting with Prospect to Debrief What Happened and Next Steps
• Add Philanthropy Impact Report to Website
• Review similar websites at other institutions
• Provide Routine, Comparable Metrics
• Develop Multi-Pronged Development Approach to include Web, Social, Newsletter, etc that all Convey a Consistent Message
• Incorporate Development Activities into Strategic Plan
• Set clear (SMART) objectives
• Stewardship is Important: This should be incorporated into the planning process
• Plan to recognize and celebrate contributions methodically and in ways that are consistent with the gifts, the donor's wishes, etc.
• Identify Goals and Re-Visit Sam Pack and James Sellers, Incorporating What we've Learned Above
• When Appropriate, Include Relevant, High-Impact Students in Development Visits (i.e. Maricsa, Dominic, etc.)

Day 1: Wednesday, February 19
We were not off to a good start. We did not schedule this right so we missed the entire first day of the conference. I will discuss this with the Provost to see if it is possible to attend next time as well as I believe professional development is important.

Day 2: Thursday, February 20

8:30 – 9:30
From Our Deans' Perspective
In this moderated conversation, three Deans will discuss their road to developing their fundraising skills, how they collaborate with their Development Officer, and what they value about the opportunity to engage personally with their institution’s donors. Hear about their successes and challenges as well as lessons learned. 

• Schedule purposeful time to perform development activities and work closely with development office>See Action Items
• 1/4-1//3 of your time, as Dean, is/should be devoted to development activities with "friends", donors, and other stakeholders
• To set campaign goals:>See Action Items
• Incorporate into strategic planning process getting input from marketing, staff, students, faculty, business,... all stakeholders
• Identify where you are and where you want to go
• Tie development closely with strategic planning
• As Dean, work closely with development officers; they are the experts.>See Action Items
• Practice small asks ($1000-$5000) 15-20 times to develop ask skills
• Then move on the larger asks, leaving development efforts to focus on those smaller asks

9:45 – 10:45
Bespoke Development and the Art of Echoes
Successful, strategic Development cannot be characterized as simply a financial transition aimed at filling a need or addressing a shortfall.  While requiring thoughtfully tailored planning and rigorous and consistent implementation, success is often defined by the art and creativity that complements the science because Development is, first and foremost, about relationship building.  It is about introducing and attracting investment in and support for a vision that is compelling and engaging.  So let’s dispel some myths, build on some truths and better understand an approach to Bespoke Development that will inform all of our sessions together.

• "I've got what it takes, to take what you've got"
• Be yourself, be authentic, tell the story of the institution
• Engagement Journey
• Discovery
• Engagement
• Invitation (not robbery)
• Response
• Gift Architecture
• Celebration
• Stewardship & Delivery (and start over)
• Make it a priority to identify the top three compelling reasons people should give your your institution, college, program.
• Focus on answering the "why"? Why should they give? Why should they give to your institution?
• Be prepared to answer four questions? Have "projects" that you can whip out to share with potential donors if they offer these say "hey, what if I dropped $100,000 in your lap?" - big gifts follow big ideas...big expectations follow big gifts.

• $10,000
• $100,000
• $1,000,000
• $10,000,000
• Why should I care?
• Why should I believe you?
• What difference will my gift make?

NOTE:

• So, this occurred to me during the presentation. Given the importance of development, perhaps we could add a development component to our department head meetings. Perhaps once per month rather than each meeting. We need to make development aware of our projects (i.e. Tartan, high school business plan competition, etc)>See Action Items Described Above

• Preparing for meeting with potential donors:
• Strategy
• Research: Don't learn too much; leave yourself open to asking inquiring, engaging questions
• Briefing Notes
• Accoutrements
• Reminders
• If you want money ask for advice; if you want advice, ask for money
• MICE: Motivation, Interest, Capacity, Engagement

11:00 AM – NOON
Workshops:

Anatomy of a Successful Donor Visit
We often think of a solicitation as a singular event, a meeting where we "ask for the order." In actuality, this is more than just a transactional visit and when done right it should ensure success at every stage of the solicitation process. Strategic and generative conversations are at the heart of our work. Questioning and listening are powerful life skills. First and foremost, they should help you create productive donor relationships. Using the five stages of the solicitation process, learn how to develop questions instead of talking points that will inform your gift strategy, advance relationships, and result in a joyful, generous "Yes" to your request.

• Solicitation Cycle
• Three Keys: Move individual closer to expected outcome and be explicit about what that outcome is; have a clear purpose and everyone knows their part; produces clear next steps that everyone is aware of and agrees on - MAKE SURE TO DO A DEBRIEF!
• Purpose: Why are you meeting? Learn about passions and interests; invite to engage/volunteer/participate; thank for previous gift(s); deliver requested information; provide stewardship report; ask for a gift (or ask to ask).
• Planning a  visit:
• Pre-visit:
• Clarifying objectives (what do we hope to accomplish?)
• Role delineation (who says what?)
• Flow of the meeting (topic sequencing, How do we adapt if the meeting does not go as planned?)
• Are you prepared for roadblocks and opportunities?
• Regarding opportunities, keep in mind that $10,000, $100,000 notes in previous session - have opportunities in mind to respond to donor inquiries.
• Seven Faces of Philanthropy:
• Communication: Doing good makes sense
• Devout: doing good for god
• Investor: Doing good is good business
• Socialite: Doing good is fun
• Altruist: Doing good feels right
• Repayer: Doing good in return
• Dynast: Doing good is family tradition
• Donor Brief:
• Biographical brief
• Giving and engagement brief

• Logistics:
• Confirm appointment 1-2 days in advance
• Arrive together if possible
• Provide and have contact information just in case
• Check weather forecast
• What if there is an issue with your meeting location?
• Visit before meeting if possible
• Get there early
• Identify two nearby alternatives
• Carry both digital and hard copy materials (if appropriate for meeting)
• During: 
• Ask open ended questions-Create a dialogue, understand their philanthropy
• What about the university do you care most about?
• What about the institution made it special for you?
• What area or program would you like to learn more about?
• Who at the school have you maintained contact with? (i.s. Faculty, Deans, President's Cabinet, Trustees)
• What are your impressions of the institution's future?
• What gifts have you made thea meant something to you?
• What is most meaningful to support-students, faculty, programs, capital?
• What organization s do you enjoy supporting with your time and/or money?
• What factors go into your philanthropic decision?
• When would you consider this gift?
• Would you prefer a pledge or an outright gift?
• When you are ready to make this gift, would you prefer to be asked by someone in particular?
• Would you like to accomplish this goal now, with current assets, or as a planned gift?
• Don't ask for money, present opportunities.
• Always ask: to participate in leadership giving society; to participate in class reunions, to join a chapter board; to join an Alumni Committee; to join a Parent Committee; to host a student send-off; when you can see them again
• Other asks: annual gift, major gift, and/or planned gift; identify or introduce other potential donors; review prospect lists; Host a gathering at home or office; speak to a class/at an event/on panel; Meet with students; Provide industry insight to faculty members
• Factors in asking: life circumstances; comfort with type of gift being solicited; other decision makers in the family; participants present in the meeting; prospect's understanding of purpose of the meeting; location of the meeting; major take away: script the flow!
• Stewardship (never, EVER seek second gift cycle until first cycle is complete):
• Express sincere gratitude for past support
• Demonstrate fulfillment of promises (or explain why they were not fulfilled)
• Share data
• Seek performance feedback
• Listen more than you talk (pause after you ask questions to give them an opportunity to speak)
• Pay attention to feedback
• Prove and pivot
• Reflect and summarize (to make sure you're on the same page)
• Build conversation (past and future)
• Post:
• Follow up:
• immediate debrief
• Contact report
• Thank you (determine whether email, letter, card)
• Timely delivery of requested information
• Plan for subsequent outreach and assign actions (NOTE: we need to re-visit Sam Pack and James Sellers)
• Actions takeaways
• Be curious
• Exercise empathy
• Understand the donor's passions and act accordingly
• Create credibility
• Relax, enjoy, and be present
• Understand timing
• Keep a balanced perspective and be adaptable
• Wear a game face
• Recognize it's not personal
• Employ discretion

12:00 – 2:00
Luncheon and Plenary, From Our Donors' Perspective 
Enjoy this rare opportunity to hear directly from remarkable philanthropists about their motivation and commitment to supporting higher education. This conversation will explore their experiences as donors, their philosophies for their philanthropy, and will offer insights into how they engage with institutions and what contributes to their decision to give. The discussion will also explore what our panelists expect from the institutions they support and their motivation to invest so generously.

• Be able to answer the question "What happens if you don't get this gift/donation?" - Bill Gates

2:15 – 3:15

Workshops:

Strategic Planning for Your Faculty 
Creating development strategy is critical to an effective fundraising effort, and is less daunting than you think. We will explore the fundamentals of how deans and development professionals can craft and execute a solid development strategy in a way that will transfer to any context.

• Introduction and overview of a plan
• Layers of a Strategic Plan:
• Vision, Mission, and Values: Aspirational - North Star
• Strategic Pillars: Areas of Focus
• Success Outcomes: Targeted Achievements
• Major Initiatives: Activity to Achieve Outcomes
• Action Plans: Work Plans (updated regularly)
• Plan>Consult>Draft>Edit>Finalize
• Group Discussion of 3 Questions
• Post It Note Exercise as a Tool for Strategic Planning
• Very similar to exercise as we identified our learning objectives for our AoL process
• Three questions were:
• What has worked well in strategic planning?
• What are the key issues in strategic planning?
• What has not worked in strategic planning?

3:30 – 4:30
Transformational Gifts
Philanthropic investments that truly shape our institutions are rare, but the work that leads to these opportunities is ongoing. In this session, we will discuss how best to build the capacity to secure transformational gifts at your institution using a framework that looks at the various elements:   The relationship with the donor, the academic leader, the vision, the business model, and extraordinary stewardship.

• Begin with Stewardship in mind
• Create a partnership with the donor
• Think about organizational wide initiatives - or sector level impact
• Top 3 traits of transformational donors:
• Relationship of 20+ years with institutions
• Have already give 2 major gives to the school
• full trust in Leadership - president, provost, board
• Top 3 reason donors give:
• project aligns with their values
• initiative is impactful in meaningful way - move the needle
• Institution is uniquely positions to solve the problem at hand
• Cornerstones of transformational gifts:
• A big idea that:>See Action Plans Above
• Excites/inspires the donor
• Addresses a need/achieves a goal/fulfills a dream
• Add to the core needs of the institution
• Required Elements
• Faculty endowments
• student scholarship/fellowship... 3 more in list
• Essential Elements
• The relationship with the donor
• Effective academic leadership
• Compelling Vision
• A realistic business model
• An extraordinary stewardship plan: All encompassing
• Relationship Requirements:
• Collaboration and partnership with donor
• High emotional awareness & intelligence
• Time and Attention: Anticipate that Development will take 1/3 of your Time.
• Intentionality (doesn't happen by accident): 
• Unique approach to each donor - not a set template
• Knowledge that there is no straight line and sometimes cannot be controlled
• Relationship - lessons learned
• Engage in the broadest sense possible
• Manage (and control) communication flow
• Constant Contact and the "Friendship" model
• Everyone Understands their "role"
• Academic Leadership-Requirements
• Academic vision/idea generation leadership
• Implementation leadership
• Thinking Broadly - CEO, Provost, VPs, Trustees, Deans
• Be nimble
• Empathy & Listening
• Academic Leadership-Lessons Learned
• Manage Frustrations Internally
• Remember Effort is Never Completely Wasted
• Engage Faculty and Other Academic Leaders Regularly
• Pace Matters
• Team Understand the Project (is Imperative) - All on the same page
• A Compelling Vision-Requirements
• Creativity & Innovative Thinking
• Engagement with Faculty and Outside Partners
• Role of Development in Building/Guiding These Ideas
• The Skill of Writing: Compelling Stories
• Selling the Idea to the Donor: Who, How, and Time Horizon
• A Compelling vision-Lessons Learned
• Strength of Relationships Drives this Conversation
• Length of Process is Important
• Need to manage toward consensus
• Understand donor influence and ownership: What is the donor's motivation?
• Electricity and Enthusiasm are key: The Sizzle and the Steak
• A Realistic Business Model-Requirements
• Organizational Discipline and Determined Commitment of Resources: Are there other costs that might be associated with a donation?
• Skills of Building a Realistic Business Model
• Absolute Transparency
• Understanding Institutional "Carrying Costs"
• Outline of Future Modeling of Endowment: 
• A Realistic Business Model-Lessons Learned
• Understand the business framework of the donor
• Prepare the academic lead
• Engage key advisers early in the process
• Be willing to say "that won't work"
• Extraordinary Stewardship-Requirements
• Commitment to Extraordinary Stewardship
• Large Investment of time and resources: Newsletter: Audience of One
• Where a newsletter is crafted to market an individual high dollar value donor
• Understanding of How to Craft Stories and Ongoing Updates
• Keeping Stewardship Fresh and Relevant for the Donor and their Families
• Key Takeaways
• Full disclaimer...Each is unique, there is no formula
• Prepare for all failures, even the ones you cant prepare for
• Be focused and disciplined
• Take time to plan with your development office and institution leadership
• Nothing substitutes for vision and idea creation from the academic leadership

8:15 – 9:00 
Recognition and Stewardship
All gifts must be recognized and any opportunity for recognition is also an opportunity for stewardship. In this session we’ll explore how to effectively involve potential supporters and past donors in the institution’s vision, ensuring that they feel meaningfully engaged and are receptive to an invitation to invest in that vision. And once you get that all important ‘yes’, we’ll address how stellar recognition and stewardship not only shows gratitude and fulfills our responsibilities but can also lead to the next gift.

• Why do people give?
• Believe in mission
• Gift can make a difference
• Personal satisfaction, enjoyment, fulfillment
• Support same causes every year
• Trust>Impact>Relationship
• Relationship Building:
• Engagement>Acknowledgement>Stewardship>Recognition>RinseRepeat
• READ: Gift Acceptance Policy
• Be Deliberate and Disciplined:
• Define Your Objectives
• Describe Stewardship Levels
• Learn What will be Meaningful to Donors
• Create a Road map
• Set Reliable Routines for Reporting
• Organize for Consistent Execution
• Timely
• Efficient
• Sensible
• Replicable
• Genuine/Authentic
• Acknowledgement
• IRS Tax Receipt (Add Relevant Photo(s) The Elicits What Their Gift Means to the Institution)
• Include Handwritten Thank You Cards from Current Students
• Stewardship: Demonstrate Impact, Transparent Reporting on Appropriate Use of Gift, Relationship Building: NOTE: Work with Wayne to develop one page infographic/brief report to use as a brag point
• Endowed Fund Reports:
• Faculty, Program, Research
• Financial Ai, Student programs, etc
• Current-Use Give Reports
• Catalyst Fun/Seed Funds
• Unrestricted Gifts
• Facility/Capital Updates
• Trusts, Deferred Gifts
• Milestone Reports
• Philanthropy Impact Report: See Slides on This One! Report Names: Add as a Web Page

9:15 – 10:15 
Ethics/Schmethics: How Tough Can It Be?
Ethical issues are more top-of-mind than ever in development. Transparency, accountability and the highest ethical standards of personal and institutional conduct are vital to our success. Review ethical issues related to our work in development and consider the tools and approaches we use to ensure we all remain on the highest ethical ground.

10:30 – 11:30
Workshops:

Campaign Basics for Deans
Campaigns are now ubiquitous in college and university fundraising.  What used to be periodic efforts to increase funds raised for projects or themes are now regular and sustained fundraising structures that are more frequent, pursuing larger and larger overall goals.   We will review the basic planning framework of a campaign and explore its relevancy in today’s environment.   We’ll also talk through the trends and pressures related to comprehensive campaigns in the context of national conversations about tuition, endowment size, and so forth.

• Traditional Sources of Revenue:
• Tuition
• Research Dollars
• Endowments-While Endowments can be Large, the Income is Relatively Small
• Development Funds can be a source for growth in funds
• Campaigns Accelerate Philanthropy
• Give Urgency to Strategic Priorities
• Galvanize and Inspire Donors to Raise Their Gift Sights
• Strengthen the Institutions's Visibility and Recognition
• Achieve New, Higher, Sustainable Levels of Support
• Donor Pyramid (All Categories Increase in number of contributors and size of contributions due to Capital Campaigns):
• Principal Gift Donors
• Major Gift Donors
• Annual Gift Donors
• Building a Successful Campaign:
• Culture of Philanthropy
• Expand the Base of Support
• Campaign Plan>Volunteer Leadership>Case for Support>Branding and Messaging
• Campaign Resources>Campaign Readiness>Campaign Vision and Purpose>Commitment from Leadership

• Bottom two are Silent Phase (Start Here and Work Your Way Up); Top Two are Public Phase

• Commitment from Leadership: Presidents, Chancellors, Provosts, Trustees, Senior Administrators (CFO, Deans, etc) Key Faculty, and Volunteers, 
• Identify that Team and make sure they are all on the same page
• Keys to Success: 
• 5-10 year commitment
• 1/3 of your time
• collaboration among leadership
• Campaign Vision and Purpose:
• Articulate campaign vision and purpose
• What Big Ideas will attract interest from a broad group pof supporters
• What is the scope of Advancement's Role in this effort?
• Will majority of school's fundraising priorities fit under the campaign vision and purpose?
• Campaign Readiness:
• Will constituency support a campaign?
• Is leadership prepared to lead a successful campaign
• Does institutions have resources and capabilities to be successful?
• Internal/External Factors
• Campaign Resources:
• Do you have a funding model and budget to support a campaign?
• Do you have the necessary gift officers?
• Do you have the supporting team members?
• Small Group Dinners (10-16 people): Deans, Development Officer, and Potential Donors
• Campaign Plan:
• Outlines path for success
• Determines size and scope of effort
• Prioritizes readiness efforts for the campaign: leadership, staff, campus
• Focus work on keys to success (regions, donor types, departments, gift types, etc.)
• Volunteer Leadership
• What role will volunteers play in the campaign?
• What will be the leadership gift requirements for volunteers?
• Is there a term limit to their involvement?
• How will you manage campaign volunteers?
• Volunteer expectations vs institution needs
• Make sure job descriptions exist to define roles
• Recruit Volunteers only when you are ready to use them
• Case for Support:
• Turns the campaign vision into donor opportunities
• Outlines how the institution and its constituents are transformed when the campaign is successful
• Makes a clear statement of impact a donor will influence
• Offers a compelling argument to make a significant contribution to the institution
• Less is More-Executive Level Communication (Executive Summary; Infographics)
• Make sure stories match the images
• Brand and Messaging
• What is your campaign brand and messaging?
• How does the campaign brand align with your campaign priorities?
• How does it support/compliment the university's brand and message?
• What is your brand/messaging plan?
• Build your messages to set an aspirational tone for the institution
• Convey impact towards your mission
• Ensure your branding/messaging are unique to your institution
• Not uncommon to uise third part to assist with branding discovery
• Plan a comprehensive print/web/social media strategy
• Expan Base of Support
• Connect Philanthropy to the momentum of the institution and tell great stories
• Be proud, get loud
• Don't let the campaign be a side story. It is the driver of the story.
• Celebrate ALL contributions: Time, Expertise, and Financial
• Build a Culture of Philanthropy
• A Campaign is About Transforming the Organization and more than a Dollar Goal
• Celebrate Accomplishments Related to Engagement, Performance, and overall better practice
• Make sure your entire community feels the impact of the campaign
• Practice fundraising as a team sport
• Share Philanthropic Stories at Every Opportunity
• Engage Those Directly Impacted by the Campaign Such as Students and Faculty
• Empower Volunteers, Faculty, Staff to speak to the impact of the institution
• Be ready to talk effectively about the power of participation

Review: AACSB Global Accreditation Conference

Well, it has been a while since I have posted. I still contend that this is a good way to take notes and keep them in mind in my duties as now, associate dean, hopefully benefiting others as well. This is the Global Accreditation Conference put on by AACSB. It is hosted in beautiful San Antonio Texas, one of my favorite cities. The River Walk is really cool. Of course, there is the Alamo, great TexMex, and so many other things to do. But, this is a working trip and we're here to learn as much as we can to help us in our accreditation journey. We're nearing the final stages and want to make sure we have all of our bases covered. My first stop was of courses the plenary session and while I think the speaker was pretty good, it was not really what I was here to see and learn about. My first "real" session was over the dreaded Assurance of Learning issue:

(A1) Exploring AoL:

First Speaker:

• Assurance of Learning can meaningfully complement other quality assurance processes
• How to setup a smart, meaningful and tailored approach towards direct and indirect measurements
• How to reduce AoL red-tape when facing large numbers of degree programs and students
• How to leverage most from AoL measurements and truly foster continuous improvement

Standards 8: Systematic, improve, demonstrate are the three key "action words" from Standard 8

How does AoL contribute to all the other things that we do to add value to our programs?

Mision:

• Knowledge, research, skills

Take data from course evaluations, pass rates/grade curves, test item analysis, program committee meeting, board of examiners, assessment plans, national student surveys, and employer surveys as input into AoL and interpret that data to inform changes to programs/courses

Direct Measurements:

• Fixed: Bachelor's' and masters theses
• Flexible: Courses where we thing something can be improved

Indirect Measurements

• QA Reports: quality officers
• In-Course data
• Surveys
• Student evaluations

Formulating Improvements

• Students as partners
• Triangulation o data sources

Closing the Loop

• "Wow, this looks a lot like action research"

NOTE: Consider tweaking course evaluations to include AoL objectives and requesting student responses as to how effectively they have learned those objectives.

They use PeerCeptiv as a peer feedback tool to improve student writing. They were able to show that peer feedback is invaluable. They also demonstrated that peer feedback was more closely aligned with feedback from experienced instructors relative to inexperienced instructors. We can use this information to think about ways to work peer evaluation into our courses.

Something else we could potentially do is to include students to evaluate AoL data. Perhaps the student advisory board? This could be interesting.

Second Speaker:

They streamlined their SLOs from 14 to 4

Prior, they were assessment exhausted

Problems:

• Assessment = Importance
• Skill
• Discipline
• Collection every semester was vital
• Student performance = Instructional Ability

Missing the mark:

• Trying to do too much
• No standardized Professes
• Data collection
• Rubrics

No communications tools

action opportunities

???

• See slide before Task 1

Task 1: Outcomes and Map

• They limited their SLOs to 5
• Streamlined assessment map
• Educated faculty at college meeting

Results: 

• Greater focus on outcomes
• More holistic measurement of outcomes

Task 2: Rubrics

• Cross-discipline development
• Committee Oversight
• Core faculty input

Results:

• Better interpretation of performance
• Stronger faculty buy-in

Task 3: Data Collection Process:

• Single Excel File
• Course Map
• Rubrics
• Data Collection Tool
• Assessment Cycle

Results:

• Clear Expectations
• Consistent Data Input
• Easier Analysis

Task 4: Results Dashboard

• Developed Comparative Dashboard (See Example Dashboard in slides)
• Shared with all faculty after each analysis cycle

Results:

• Better visibility of performance
• Faculty visualize opportunities

Taks 5: Articulated Review Process:

• Assessment Policy
• Evaluate SLOs and tools on rotating basis
• When SLO os <70% for 2 semesters:
• Data collection occurs every semester
• When SLO is >90% for 4 semesters:
• Committee re-evaluates tool
• Consider replacing SLO

Continuous Improvement Actions

• Implemented Changes
• Rubrics and Maps
• 3 courses instead of 5 for problem solving
• Assignments
• Writing instead of oral assignment for communication
• Measurement
• Weighted Teamwork rubric components

Future Work:

• Faculty better understand assessment process
• Still Needed
• Cross-core outcome improvement initiatives
• Myth busing

Key Takeaways

• Develop a holistic process
• Make process CLEAR for faculty (and tell them over and over again)
• Communicate results OFTEN
• Celebrate successes

(B1) Alternative Instructional Models & Implications for Accreditation

First Speaker:

Learning and Teaching Principles:

• Reflective Process
• Industry Connected, research informed, internationally focused, committed to excellence
• Collegially Designed, contextually delivered, continually improved
• Discipline Specific Skills, critical thinking, communications, teamwork, soci-cultural and ethical skills
• AoL closing the look to ensure the link between skills, curricula, and stakeholder needs is continually reviewed and aligned

What should fully online transformation look like? This is good content, or at least, broad aspects that should be considered as one creates online courses/programs.

• Social
• Connected
• Flexible
• Personalized
• Interactive
• Service

"Micro-masters": Certificate of 5 courses, MOOCs that serve as a standalone certificate but can be used towards their full master's degree. These courses can be taken at a fraction of the cost of their regular classes. Sounds similar to the TOOC offered by Dr. Baker in Education as a recruiting tool.

Work Integrated Learning (Experiential Learning):

• Fieldwork:
• Includes study tours and site visits as well as internships
• Industry-based projects and research activities
• Service learning
• Simulation and virtual learning
• Co-curricular work experience placements

Second Speaker:

• Increasing demand for soft skills
• Diminishing emphasis on specialist knowledge (likely to be obsolete or irrelevant for divergent professional tracks
• Awareness of the complexity of the world. Need for professionals which can integrate different views

Emergence of interdisciplinary and integrative approaches paying special attention to humanistic considerations.

• Many courses are still conceived and delivered as closed (disciplinary) compartments
• There are courses intentionally designed for integrating knowledge and skills into complex tasks.

AoL says this works...but is it enough?

• Increase interdisciplinary approaches
• For example, add systems analysis and design concepts into my networking class to help introduce/reinforce what is going on in that class.
• Increase courses that are organized as a problem/project based learning principles/methods

(C3) Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement: Challenges and Opportunities

Isabelle J. Fagnot & Sara Isabel Marin Zapata

Continuous Improvement:

• Sustainable
• Improvement of services, processes, products
• Agile
• Side by side with daily business practices

• Identify>Plan>Execute>(See slides)

• Accreditation as a strategic lever for change and growth
• Embedding accreditations organizationally and strategically
• Using accreditation framework in long-term development strategy

Communicate Often, Dispel Rumors, Empowering Action, involving People in the Process

Strategi Management, Assurance of Learning, Faculty

(D1) Innovative Curricula

Business partners are invited to develop and deliver a portion of the business administration curriculum

• Core (knowledge)
• Mini Courses (skills - 2 hour courses - i.e. How to talk Stocks, The 24/7 Professional, Organizational Agility, DIgital Advertising, Data Visualization
• Guided Experiences (Ability - i.e. Atkins Investment Group, Rines Angel Investor Group, ...)

Go to employers and ask what they want to identify relevant curriculum.

The Essentials of Strategic Planning Workshop:

Document EVERYTHING. Make sure we're taking notes and communicating regularly/consistently with faculty.

Utilize both internal and external stakeholder input.

Should be considered a "living" document

Time Frame:

• Short-Term: <= 5 years
• Long-Term: 5-10 years
• Annual assessment of progress is essential

Strategy is:

• deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value
• Strategic competition between b-schools tries to entice students selectively into programs
• It is also about innovation, creativity, and a commitment to systematically remake the business school enterprise

Start by defining your own competitive advantage:

• I saw the slide and immediately thought of a SWOT analyses/Porter's Five Forces/PEST, etc

Other Key Strategic Factors:

• Leadership
• Branding
• People
• Geography
• Markets

Typical Components of a Basic Strategic Plan:

• Mission: Distinctive; build in innovation, impact, and engagement; be published; guide decisions; derived from stakeholders; reviewed and revised; appropriate to higher education; consistent with institutions mission; include intellectual contributions; specify students/geography served
• Vision: Does it describe what your organization does rather that WHY it does what it does?; Is it inspirational?; Can it be remembered easily?; Is it achievable in the next ten years? BHAG: Big Harry, Audacious Goal
• Core Values: A business school's essential and enduring tenets; a small set of general guiding principles; not to be confused with specific cultural or operating practices; not to be compromised for financial gain or short term expediency
• Goals: Goals are higher level what you want to accomplish; objectives break down the goals into smaller pieces; tactics break objectives down even further into action items (and who is going to do it); goals should be SMART
• Objectives: 
• Tactics: Provide the How to details; are short term (one year is common); are measurable; often change from year to year, while goals and objectives typically to not change from year to year; make sure you identify a responsible party

Goal>Objective>Tactic 

Create a Strategic Plan Dashboard, something similar to what we already have. Add more detail to it though to include people responsible, time frames, metrics, etc

Review: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs Conference 2018

As I've done in the past, I like to blog about conferences/training I've attended because 1) I think it might be useful to others and 2) it serves as a sort of note taking system for me. I get sick of all my paper notes everywhere and this way, I can make sure I hold on to these "notes" long after my physical notes have been lost or tossed.

This conference is for the 30th annual conference for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. They are an accrediting body for business schools who help schools like Tarleton to identify problem areas and create policies, procedures, and other solutions to insure that continuous process improvements are in place. This is my first time here but I can tell you that this one stacks up well in terms of the usefulness of the sessions.

Record Graduate Growth Rates through Faculty Led Recruitment by Dr. Griffin and Dr. Adams

This was an interesting and relevant presentation for me. As an outgoing department chair and an incoming associate dean, increasing enrollments becomes a bigger priority for not only my discipline, but now the entire college. So, how do we do that? Well, they had what I think are some good suggestions.  The reality is that it is a tough market right now. There are forces in place that are driving down graduate enrollments. This has led some school to eliminate their graduate programs. These enrollment trends have had far reaching effects. For example, reduced state appropriations, increased competition with for-profit institutions, etc. Their literature review revealed that there is a lack of articulated student recruitment plans, that the majority of faculty view recruitment as part of their job despite the fact that they also feel they are not required to engage in recruitment, that there is little in the literature the highlights the systematic process that directly involves faculty in graduate recruitment, and that there is no tangible empirical evidence in the literature that shows the impact of graduate faculty-led student recruitment.

The goal behind their research was to identify some best practices in faculty involved recruitment. Before their efforts, their two graduate programs had flat enrollments for several years.

1. Streamline internal processes: This was interesting and one I need to look into at Tarleton. They were finding that they would have applicants being processed for 70 some odd days, waiting for all the appropriate paperwork to arrive before granting admission into their programs. What they were finding is that students would leave, searching for other institutions due to the delays. Rather, they suggested granting conditional acceptance pending all appropriate documentation. In this way, future students would begin to identify and gain access to the university and its resources more quickly with the hope that they would cease their shopping around for other universities/programs due to the delays.
2. They also instituted a 4+1 program whereby students could earn credit towards their undergraduate degree taking graduate courses that could then also be applied towards their graduate degree if admitted into the graduate program. Students are required to take a full load of 12 hours of graduate and undergraduate courses, maintain a 3.0 and have completed at least 60 hours toward their degree. This helps to jump start students towards their graduate degree.
3. They send email blasts to undergraduate students twice a year by department to promote their graduate programs and twice a year to promote their 4+1 options. They also send email blasts out to graduate students to promote sequential degree options twice a year as well as to post course announcements in the LMS to promote sequential degree options. Lastly for graduate students, they post and email reminders to register for upcoming terms each term, five times per year. For undergraduate alumni, they send out emails to promote their graduate programs twice yearly. For graduate alumni, they send email blasts to promote their sequential degree options twice a year. Finally, for industry professionals, they present at regional and national conferences that highlight aspects of the graduate program (average 3 times per year), network at professional organization functions (average once per quarter), and share notable improvements and accomplishments with the graduate programs to advisory board member and scholars/practitioners (each term, 5 times per year). They also promote their graduate programs to those professional groups through email blasts twice per year and promote access to education (A2E) to build corporate partnerships.

This was a very useful session and I came away with several ideas that as department head, I would definitely try with my department. As the incoming associate dean, I will expand this to include the entire college. Oh, BTW, another idea they pitched was the need for drops to be processed in such a way that instructors had to approve the drop. In this way, instructors had the opportunity to evaluate a student's progress and help student's determine the best course of action as to whether or not to drop a course. We could do this but I would still want them to go through advising to make sure that others things that might be impacted, like financial aid, are considered as well.

Innovative Retention: Developing Faculty for Student Success by Ms. Myers and Ms. Friesen

Using the Composite Persistence Model (Ravai, 2003) as a guide, they talked about opportunities to retain students. They talked about the need to train faculty to identify opportunities to help retain students.

• For example, they had a professor who refused to really participate in student retention activities but, that whenever a story about a student was in the paper, would cut out the article and share that article with her student. In effect, she was creating a positive result, thus, increasing student retention without her even realizing it. Once this was shared with her, she increased her efforts to increase student retention in this manner. Essentially, cheering on students for their accomplishment (in and outside of class) in front of their peers has a positive effect on retention.
• Another way to "engage" students in to post pictures of them and faculty in class, student organizations, and other activities on the walls and on social media. This helps to create a "legacy" for students who sometimes find themselves looking for themselves in the pictures.
• Help students understand the jargon/language of the discipline. Things like LIFO/FIFO, SWOT, Elevator Speech, etc. Help them understand the language of their discipline early on so they do not get lost and out of place as they advance.
• Treat your LMS as a gathering place. Hold virtual office hours and include synchronous session to help increase student engagement. Give an assignment where students must come by your office to chat for a bit. This helps to reduce their anxiety about coming to see their instructors.
• One of the most interesting things I heard came as kind of an afterthought discussion between the presenters and audience. Periodically, faculty miss a class for whatever reason. One of the deans stated that they were going to use that as an opportunity to engage students in terms of talking to them about the resources they have on campus for studying, help with financial aid, issues with instructors, etc. I see this as a real gold mine and I think, given some forethought, could allow me to engage students in the college and help put a face on the administration and help students gain more perspective into the college, its processes, and hopefully, make them feel like more of the process themselves. I could ask them for example, what they like about the teaching styles, courses they like/don't like, what they wish were offered, etc. I could use it as an opportunity to discuss the importance of participating in student organizations, career services, etc. 

Aspiring Dean's Dinner

This was pretty good. Perhaps not as detailed as I would want but I definitely came away with a few nuggets. I was aware that the dean's role has been changing and is largely external and has a fund-raising component to it now. Turns out that really depends on the institution. But, if fund raising is in the job description, attend the CASE Conference. They evidently do all kinds of training on fund raising. Another important aspect is creating boards for funds raising and obtaining guidance. They recommended AACSB training for this which I thought was interesting. Overall, it was a good, enlightening dinner.

The Impact of Systematic Processes: Their Role in ACBSP Accreditation by 

This one was pretty interesting. Unfortunately, due to demand, we moved rooms which set the presentation back and then, due to technical difficulties, it was delayed even further. But, once it got going, it was quite interesting. They discussed taking the Baldridge approach to improving their accreditation processes. Then, they start to go through the new ACBSP standards. They overlap considerably with AACSB, though certainly, specific are different. Unfortunately, I had to leave before they were finished in order to attend the next even...which turned out to be a bust.

To be honest, then I attended several sessions that day that really did not pan out. They were focused on community colleges or were focused on other issues that simply do not impact my institution. The following day however, had several good sessions again though.

Student Retention: Strategies that Work in the College Setting by Dr. Augustine A Boakye

Student attrition might be high due to:

• Inadequate orientation
• Poor curriculum development
• Implementation of assessments
• Poor advisement and guidance
• Inadequate preparation and low self-motivation
• Personal tragedies such as health, death in family, etc.
• Work related issues
• Too much workload
• Financial problems
• Fear of failing
• Dissatisfaction with professor's approach

Faculty are the first line of defense in student retention. He advocated for what he called the EES Progressive Retention Model:

• Encourage from Day 1
• Engage students both in and outside of class regularly
• Show students you care through email when they have issues

He stressed that it was important that instructors agree and promote the mission to retain students. He also argued for hiring a participation, retention, and completion coordinator. Make sure students have access to textbooks from day 1. Finally, he stressed that administrators such as chairs, assistant/associate deans, and dean periodically visit classrooms to put a face on the administration for students and help ease any anxiety they might have regarding administrators.

Student Recruitment, Retention, and Reward: Sharing Best Practices by Dr. Cooper

There is an employee life cycle which also applies to students:

1. Attraction
2. Recruitment
3. Onboarding
4. Development
5. Retention
6. Separation

We need to practice the four E's:

• Engagement
• Experiment (challenge)
• Enthusiasm/Energy (Passion)
• Empowerment

Recruitment:

• Faculty/Student Interactions: Emails, Listening, Mentorship
• Retention: Classroom Management, List objectives and Check Off as Complete, Clear Course Expectations, Vary teaching techniques
• Reward: Grades, Feedback, Inclusion, Incentive, Job Applications

Recruiting, Retaining, and Mentoring MBA Learners with Customized Skill Development by Dr. Craig Lien

According to the World Economic Forum, the top "skills' organizations are desiring from students are not some of those "hard skills" that are so often taught. Rather, they are:

Five Keys to Successful Student Retention in the Online Environment by Dr. Tony Lyons and Dr. Natalie Walker of Colorado Technical Institute

This was one of the best sessions I attended. They broke their strategy up into five facets:

• Engaging Faculty: Emotional intelligence, Reaching out to failing students, High levels of student "touch" points

• Electrifying Technologies: Adaptive Technology (CCKF Adaptive Learning, McGraw Hill, Pearson, etc), mobile aps, mobile ready, faculty/student texting

• Innovative Curriculum and Learning Strategies

• Just-In-Time Student "touch": Coach students up and use in-class surveys to identify students needs during the semester rather than waiting until the end.

• Informative Metrics: Early alerts. This was a big one for me. Blackboard has some of these capabilities already built in. I simply have not mastered them...yet. I am very proficient when it comes to technology in general and really, pretty much so with Blackboard specifically. This is just not an area that I have place much emphases on just yet. Looks like it is time to do so.

Another point that I thought was interesting was the suggestion of scheduling early courses with the very best, most personable, engaging faculty to help attract and engage students. Schedule the tougher professors for more advanced courses where students will have much more invested in their programs and thus, will be more motivated to perform, despite the difficulties of the content in advanced classes.

From Information to Immesion: Bringing the MBA to Life in the Recruiting Process by Dr. Wieser, Fittipalli, and Thomas

Use a blog to incorporate success stories about faculty and students. Include stories about why students pursue their degree, graduate life, career development, capstone experiences, as well as faculty topics. Promote these through your social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Get students involved in order to do and create content. For me personally, I am think graduate assistant, student assistant, intern, etc to help me do this.

Allow students to "sample" classes. They allow prospective students to attend a class or two and actually participate during group activities. They:

1. Advertise the sampel classes and require that prospects register so the know who, when, and where they will have prospects in their class(es)
2. They follow up sample class with emails and/or phone calls.
3. They offer 2-4 sample classes per semester

80% of those who attend a sample class end up enrolling in their program. Consider creating a sampel Blackboard shell for prospective students.

That was about it. On the whole it was not bad. It was pretty spotty. Some sessions really were not that great while others were spot on, well done, and relevant. Perhaps most important was not so much this specific conference but rather, the spirit of self-reflection with an eye on continuous improvement. That was a clear message here and one that I took to heart.

Research: Pre-Employment Screening for Security Risk: An Exploratory Study

Schuessler, J., Hite, D. (2014). Pre-Employment Screening for Security Risk: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Applied Business and Economics (16% Acceptance Rate); (C ABDC Ranking), 16(1), 84-95. www.na-businesspress.com/jabeopen.html

As a researcher, I have always been interested in this idea of security posture. Additionally, with the idea that insider threats represent a unique threat to organizations, it occurred to me that a study examining the security posture of potential hires might be of value to organizations. So, I decided to survey students based on common employment tests such as personality and ethics tests to examine how they might relate to the strength of passwords of those individuals. The idea was that if such tests could yield some useful insight into the personal computer security posture, that organizations could gain additional insightful information regarding potential hires without requiring any additional effort. Additionally, such information could be potentially used by organizations by identifying individuals who might require additional security training if they are offered a job.

My co-author and I surveyed 122 undergraduate and graduate students, mostly business majors. Respondents answered the big five personality test as well as a work ethic instrument by Miller, Woehr, and Hudspeth (2001). As the dependent variable, we had students enter a password from one of their banking institutions into a Microsoft password checker that determines the strength of your password based on a four point scale.

Three of the dimensions of personality were found to be related to the strength of password: agreeableness, extroversion, and neuroticism. Only one dimension of the work ethic construct was found to be related to the strength of password: delay of gratification. But, the important thing to take away from this research is that since organizations already use these kinds of tests when making employment decisions, these results can be used by them to gain additional insight regarding the security training that potential hires might need.

At the time of this writing, I am completing a follow up study that includes a larger sample and a more complete dependent variable based on the security posture of an individual as well as including additional tests such as an integrity test as well as cognitive ability, other tests that organizations use when making employment decisions. So, if you are in the hunt for a job and taking an employment test, recognize that the organization may be able to glean additional information from that employment test than just your personality!