Welcome, Faculty Introductions, Program Overview, Opening Session
Meet the faculty, review Institute highlights and learn how to get the most out of your time online.
12:45 – 1:00
Stretch Break
1:00 – 2:00
Setting the Table and Seizing the Moment
As challenging as the past two years have been, they created an opening for bolder, more meaningful conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and justice. How can we, as individuals and as a profession, use this opportunity to create lasting change in the beliefs, assumptions, and practices in university, college, and school advancement organizations, and across the broader education sector?
2:00 – 2:30
Stretch Break
2:30 – 3:30
Authentic Leadership
Leadership isn’t a title or a job, it’s an integrated, holistic state of mind. It manifests in how we talk, think, make decisions, and engage with others. The days of a leader archetype are gone, but that has left a vacuum for many rising professionals when defining who they are and how they lead. This session will explore the facets of leadership and how they’re informed by lived experience, sources of personal identity, and intersectionality.
3:30 – 3:45
Stretch Break
3:45 – 5:15
Cohort Meetings
This is the first of two small group sessions in which you and a faculty advisor will engage on a more interactive basis, exploring a range of topics on diversity, leadership, professional development, and career planning.
5:15
Conference Adjourns for The Day
11:30 – 12:30 PM
The Real Story from Executive Recruiting
Executive search can a mysterious process as experienced by candidates. It’s not always clear what the consultant’s job is, how we should engage them, or what we can expect if we’re contacted. For people from historically marginalized groups, there’s an added sense of unease about whether our candidacy will be taken seriously or if we’re simply there to add pool diversity. This confidential discussion will be led by two exceptionally accomplished leaders in the field of advancement search.
12:30 – 12:45
Stretch Break
12:45 – 1:30
Professional Development Tracks (Select One):
How to Work the Room and Develop Executive Presence
This session will define executive presence, explain why you need it, and describe some factors that drive it. We’ll discuss characteristics and traits and confer gravitas and inspire confidence in what you have to say. The session explores how communication skills, and in particular use of language, can build or distract from your credibility and influence. The conversation will encompass building your professional brand, managing symptoms of imposter syndrome, and differentiating promoting yourself from shameless self-promotion
Negotiation And Mastering Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations – and people – are part of our everyday reality. The stress of advancement work and the need to navigate social and cultural landmines requires us to think on our feet and approach conflict with intention, compassion, and strategy. From negotiations with donors to understanding your value and your worth in the market, you have goals that may not always align with your conversation partner. Learn some concrete tools that increase the likelihood of achieving your desired results.
1:30 – 1:45
Stretch Break
1:45 – 2:30
Professional Development Tracks (Select One):
Best Practices for Networking
Networking is a word that has cycled in and out of vogue. It evokes in some a hunger for connection and in others worry about feeling transactional. We’ll start by defining what networking is and isn’t, then talk about why it needs to matter to you. This session will introduce some approaches to finding allies, mentors, and sponsors, managing the unwritten rules that accompany being part of a professional community, and consider how you can adapt basic practices to suit your own personality and temperament.
Alumni Panel
Meet a few MAI alumni and hear how they used the tools and discussions of the Institute to plan, manage, and advance their careers.
2:30 – 3:00
Stretch Break
3:00 – 4:15
Cohort Meetings
This is the second of two small group sessions in which you and a faculty advisor will engage on a more interactive basis, exploring a range of topics on diversity, leadership, professional development, and career planning.
