Deans have one of the most difficult jobs in higher education: they must find ways to balance a variety of internal and external priorities while also setting the vision and strategy needed to keep their College competitive and relevant into an ever-changing future. Fulfilling such a complex role successfully requires strong leadership and entrepreneurial skills, many of which they have never been taught thus far in their careers.
Build the foundational leadership skills you need to create strong teams, plan and execute effectively, and position your College for success into the future.
Flagship Programs
These programs will help you:
- Motivate staff to think differently and move beyond the status quo.
- Set and execute a strategy that moves your college forward.
- Position your college competitively and in a sustainable way.
You can expect the experience to include:
- Intimate, workshop-style events with personalized attention.
- Needs-driven and thoughtfully planned programs with practical outcomes.
- Action plans and next steps to use upon returning to campus.
- Carefully-vetted instructors that are also practitioners in the field.
- A learner-centric focus designed for interaction and collaboration.
- The small-scale opportunity to truly connect with colleagues in the same position at other institutions.
IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
Fundraising for Deans
February 22, 2024 | Denver, CO
Learn to meet your philanthropic goals by partnering effectively with purpose-driven donors.
IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
Managing Difficult Faculty & Staff: A Workshop for Leaders
March 19, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
Grow your skillset in managing the difficult people who can make leadership so hard.
IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
Faculty Affairs Summit: Creating the Conditions for Faculty Belonging and Growth
March 27 -28, 2024 | Denver, CO
Join fellow Faculty Affairs leaders to explore strategies for retaining faculty and helping them thrive at your institution.
ONLINE BOOTCAMP
Leading as an Assistant/Associate Dean: An Online Bootcamp
May 21 - June 25, 2024
Learn how to confidently lead in a way that is comfortable for you, while also building trust, collaboration, and relationships with others across your college.
ONLINE BOOTCAMP
Managing Difficult Faculty & Staff: A Bootcamp for Leaders
July 9 - 30, 2024
Grow your skillset in managing the difficult people who can make leadership so hard.
IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
The Fundamentals of Leadership for New or Aspiring Leaders in Higher Education
July 15 - 16, 2024 | Minneapolis, MN
Become a more self-aware, effective, and inclusive leader.
Coaching
Deans must lead like a CEO but often without a seat at the table, nor with the skills that the job requires. The unique culture of higher education requires deans to have strong interpersonal and inclusive leadership skills, an entrepreneurial outlook, and the ability to see past daily management tasks to motivate, strategize, and lead.
Coaching for individuals and team coaching both help leaders to navigate some of their most complex challenges, including:
- Cultivating greater self-awareness for more impactful and inclusive conversations.
- Developing strategic planning skills.
- Motivating faculty and staff to move past the way “we’ve always done things.”
- Enabling faculty and staff to work across silos and partner with others on campus.
- Helping others to use conflict as a resource.
- Mitigating burnout.
Individual leadership coaching meets leaders where they are by matching them with the right coach, while team coaching can help deans across units navigate complex challenges together.
Case Study
The Situation
We were approached by the provost at an R1 institution who was looking for greater team cohesion and collaboration across multiple departments and units.
The Solution
We designed a comprehensive engagement that started with 1:1 leadership coaching to establish trust, confidence, and individual development plans.
Through team coaching paired with the individual one-on-one coaching, we helped a group of Deans develop strong interpersonal and inclusive leadership skills, an entrepreneurial outlook, and the ability to see past daily management tasks to motivate, strategize, and lead.
With greater safety and support established, we used our 5 Paths to Leadership self-assessment to develop a team profile. This profile helped the Deans to have a greater understanding of how the group made (or avoided) making decisions, and together we created a shared vision.
Results
Because of the individual and team coaching, the provost reported that there was a greater understanding of each other’s diverse work and conflict styles, strengths, and challenges. The Deans had also had developed strategies for building greater trust in each other.
As a result of the team coaching, the executives now work with each other to make more decisions (rather than their previous behavior, which had been to always turn to the senior leader), asking challenging questions of each other and as a result, achieving greater collaborations. Previously, so many decisions had been left to the senior leader to decide, but now, due to greater collaboration across units, the senior leader’s continual input is no longer necessary.
Take the next step in your role as a Chair and book a call with our Director of Coaching today!
Short-Form Trainings Covering Specific Challenges Deans Face
Defining Your Leadership Approach as Dean
Building High-Performing Teams
WEBCAST RECORDING
Retaining and Advancing Faculty from Historically Marginalized Groups: A Discussion for Faculty Affairs and Academic Leaders
Leading Your Unit Into the Future
WEBCAST RECORDING
The Balancing Act of Succession Planning in the Academy: A Discussion for Faculty Affairs & Academic Leaders
WEBCAST RECORDING
What’s Keeping Deans Up at Night: A Free Webcast for Academic Leaders
VIRTUAL TRAINING RECORDING
Identifying and Communicating the ROI of External Partnerships
Get in Touch With Us
Contact your account manager for help.
Ryan Coleman
Account Manager
ryan@academicimpressions.com
Terry Coleman
Account Manager
terry@academicimpressions.com
Yianna Kappas
Account Manager
yianna@academicimpressions.com
Breanne Holloway
Account Manager
breanne@academicimpressions.com
Roshaon Tytar
Account Manager
roshaon@academicimpressions.com
Niecie Washington
Account Manager
niecie@academicimpressions.com