Higher education leaders today must successfully connect with the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z all at once. While individuals who share an alma mater will also share many common ideals, they can be worlds apart in the ways they connect with their institutions. Meanwhile, stereotypes muddy the waters. We'll share usable insights about the actual—sometimes surprising—behaviors, preferences, values, and platforms of choice of generational cohorts and subsets, drawing on an ever-evolving AI-driven insights tool reflecting the views of 230 million consumers. And we'll share a look at comparable insights extracted specifically for one of the country's largest public research institutions, illuminating nuances and variations that go beyond generational differences.

Learning Objective 1: Differentiate between challenges of framing or positioning and challenges rooted in true generational divides and replace inherited notions about generational behaviors with up-to-date insights based on real data

Learning Objective 2: Understand options for developing and customizing data-informed audience targeting strategies and messaging toolkits

In the last 15 years, many campuses have experienced the tragedy of mass violence. From Virginia Tech to Michigan State, violence has claimed the lives of many students, faculty, and staff. Unfortunately, emergency incident preparation and crisis response are painful realities of educational institutions today. In the wake of a crisis, students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and members of the community contact the campus through all channels, asking questions, offering support, and sharing their concerns and sadness.

As advancement leaders, we may be the face of the university and champions of our institutions. Whether leading the communication strategy, or being the first person contacted by a parent, an alumnus, or a stakeholder, we must be prepared to respond during unimaginable circumstances. In this session, pairs of leaders from three institutions will provide examples, advice, and lessons learned from their own experiences to help your staff prepare for a tragedy on your campus.

Learning Objective 1: Understand how to respond if you are struck by tragedy on your campus and demonstrate where to turn for support.

Learning Objective 2: Learn what or how to communicate with the constituents who will reach out and those who will expect to hear from you.

One university, one brand, one vision, one voice -- we hear this expectation from university leadership more frequently every day. Given the current competitive environment for students, philanthropic support, and talent, colleges and universities cannot afford to operate in siloed structures of the past. We live in a new world of educational options and competing philanthropic causes. As a result, our institutions should be working from a unified approach and speaking with one voice. But most universities are not practicing this marketing strategy.

During this session, the benefits of intentional institutional unity will be debated and discussed by a panel of experts from higher education marketing, communications, and advancement and facilitated by an external agency leader. The panel will share opinions, examples, and insider perspectives from their institutions to help participants understand and address this key issue.

Learning Objective 1: Understand how leaders across the university work together to engage and advocate for an aligned brand voice and experience from their vantage point. Hear examples from schools on the path to understanding and addressing this key issue.

Learning Objective 2: Break down silos that exist among key stakeholders and communication groups to help higher ed compete in this new world of educational options and competing philanthropic causes.

Staying hopeful during challenging times can be tough. Based on the presenter’s personal and professional experience, this session will address recent ordeals that tested him and the struggles he encountered. Inspired by his conversation with the “Leading Through Crisis” panel for the recently published book, Global Exchange: Dialogues to Advance Education, we will discuss personal and institutional crises, what can be learned from them, and how to continue moving forward in the face of adversity. Based on a crisis typology utilizing personal, institutional, national, and global perspectives, we will share actionable items we can all use to weather the storm and help navigate complex crises. This session is highly interactive and focuses on interpersonal learning. Please be prepared to briefly share your own crisis response story.

Learning Objective 1: Understand how leaders across the university tackle personal and institutional crises by using actionable steps to navigate the situation.

Learning Objective 2: Learn about crisis typology including the Black Swan theory.

Presented by CASE and GG+A, the Research Symposium will feature three leaders in higher education who will examine the academic literature from a personal and professional view, helping us understand what we can learn about what traits make leaders most effective, navigating transitions at your institution and how you can work to develop a strong pipeline for leadership. Part II is an interactive, moderated discussion that will further explore how the highlighted academic research translates to the institution.

In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the use of race-conscious admissions policies at colleges and universities. The ruling has the potential to significantly alter the admissions landscape, with implications for advancement practices as well. This timely session will address how institutions are working to adapt practices and respond to their communities.

A panel of experts will cover:

1. The issues at play in Students for Fair Admissions vs. President and Fellows of Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions vs. University of North Carolina
2. The legal implications of the Court’s ruling on admissions and financial aid policies, including scholarships and legacy admissions
3. Considerations for communication with stakeholders and community members about the ruling’s impact on institutions and ways to ensure that communications align with their institution’s mission and values.
4. The importance of leaders working closely together to collaborate on institutional response.

The world has changed, and the education industry is facing an uncertain future. The political, social media, environmental, and macroeconomic environments are increasingly turbulent in what is best described as a polycrisis: Multiple crises happening simultaneously in which the whole is even more dangerous than the sum of the parts. This evolving landscape creates new business risks that educational leaders must address. Through this session, we will inspire leaders to convert the challenges of a polycrisis into a strategic advantage for their institutions.

We will discuss three critical challenges currently facing the education industry: The education workforce, effective constituent engagement, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). You will gain insights to better navigate this polycrisis, tools to build your leadership capacity in managing it, and strategies to tackle the complex risks related to these challenges. You will also walk away with a plan to turn this polycrisis into a strategic advantage by drawing on the full range of advancement expertise at your institutions, including communications, marketing, alumni relations, fundraising, and data services.

Learning Objective 1: Articulate and implement an employee value proposition to improve workforce retention and culture

Learning Objective 2: Create better constituent feedback mechanisms to drive data-informed decisions and change

Learning Objective 3: Optimize a high sense of community belonging so DEIB becomes a clear and visible institutional imperative

Almost all universities face staffing and talent challenges in today’s post-pandemic climate, but smaller institutions in rural areas or smaller towns and cities are at an even greater disadvantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining the talent needed to drive successful, institutional fundraising programs.

During this panel, advancement leaders from Union College in Kentucky, Bennett College in North Carolina, and Northern Kentucky University will discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by institutions outside of major city centers, and the creative solutions to staffing that have allowed them to build and maintain fundraising momentum amidst the talent crisis. We will elaborate on key tactics for amplifying the success of small teams using technology and senior leadership involvement, as well as tools for accelerating the cultivation and solicitation process when working with a smaller advancement team.

Learning Objective 1: Better understand the challenges faced by institutions outside of major metro areas to attract and retain talent.

Learning Objective 2: Learn key tactics for amplifying success of small and changing teams, with technology and by senior leadership intervention.

Join us to engage in an authentic and vulnerable dialogue among leaders that will empower you to reframe the conversation and strategy around talent management toward a culture of retention and talent engagement. Structured for group coaching, feedback, and best practice sharing, this session will provide an interactive approach and participants will walk away with tactical steps you can successfully implement at your institution. We will tap into our own emotional intelligence with key thought-provoking topics for leadership roundtable conversations within your organization. We will focus on the need for employee engagement roles and programmatic initiatives as part of your organization’s culture resulting in successful and achievable talent engagement.

Learning Objective 1: Learn resources and strong data points (from Gallup research and resources) to help guide participants through the initial process of strategic planning templates, dashboards, and employee engagement metrics.

Learning Objective 2: Identify and prioritize the best strategies to influence the changes needed to improve employee engagement and foster a culture of retention, with the intention of empowering their staff and administration with a vision and a business case as to why this mindset shift is needed.

Only 4% of new college and university presidents advance to leadership from full-time advancement roles, yet many college presidents report that fundraising is one of their top priorities and consumes a significant amount of their time and energy. Based on the presenter’s recently-published doctoral dissertation and the personal experience of one new college president, this session will explore fundraising challenges and expectations that first-time college and university leaders face upon assuming the presidency.

This qualitative, multiple case study analysis was built on in-depth conversations with six presidents serving in their first presidential roles. The study explored how prepared the participants felt for fundraising work and expectations, how they engaged with their professional advancement staff in their pursuit of fundraising outcomes, how they overcame the fundraising experience gap, and what drove them to work hard at fundraising. This session will explore the answers to these questions and provide a summary of findings from this study.

Learning Objective 1: Better understand how the president/CEO perceives the need for fundraising within you organization.

Learning Objective 2: Envision ways in which you can make your working relationship and framework for collaboration with your president/CEO more effective.