Welcome to the EDUCAUSE Management Program! The goal of the program is not only to help improve the management skills of those who direct people, processes, and functions within campus information resources organizations, but also to provide a broader context for considering the issues of management in higher education.
By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Evaluate personal and organizational values that align with and enhance your management goals
- Develop communication strategies that allow information to be clearly articulated to different stakeholders
- Implement strategies for maximizing performance with individuals and teams
- Execute a financial strategy that maximizes resources and manages constraints
- Employ techniques for effectively managing all elements within a project
These competencies contain most (if not all) of the following components:
- Introduction: Overview, learning objectives, and activity checklist
- Learning Materials: Readings, videos, and websites that contain the key content and information you will need to progress through the competency
- Recommended Resources: Optional readings, videos, and websites that provide additional information as well as encouragement that you read resources that are interesting and relevant to your professional development
- Activities/Assignments: Practice activities and assignments
- Reflections: Summary and highlights of current competency and a preview of what is to come
Schedule
This program will follow the schedule below in support of five competencies. All sessions will take place at 3:30–4:30 p.m. ET.
- Monday, June 1: Management Values and Decisions
- Tuesday, June 9: Group Work on Competency Assignments
- Tuesday, June 16: Organizational Communication
- Monday, June 22: Group Work on Competency Assignments
- Tuesday, June 30: Team Development and Optimization
- Tuesday, July 7: Group Work on Competency Assignments
- Tuesday, July 14: Financial Management
- Tuesday, July 21: Group Work on Competency Assignments
- Tuesday, July 28: Project Prioritization and Controls
IMPORTANT NOTE
Weekly Meetings: Once a week, we will hold a live, synchronous online meeting to discuss resources, activities, and assessments. These meetings will combine lecture, discussion, and opportunities for questions. During the program, learners are expected to dedicate approximately 5-10 hours per week (synchronous and asynchronous) to have an engaged and successful learning experience. To accommodate busy schedules, we ask that participants actively plan the time they will spend on the program each week, even on a daily basis.
Competency 1: Management Values and Decisions
The ability to make vitally important decisions is not an innate skill for managers, but rather, one that is developed over the life of a career. These decisions, both big and small, are strongly linked to the values held by each individual. Understanding your own managerial values will help you instill these values in others, cultivate relationships, and build high-functioning teams. This competency focuses on the qualities and characteristics that make managers successful. Through discussion and self-reflection, you will develop a clearer picture of what you stand for and how you can make more effective decisions.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Analyze characteristics and traits of effective managers
- Assess your management strengths and weaknesses
- Analyze strategies for promoting a more diverse and inclusive workplace environment
- Explain the importance of emotional intelligence as a management skill
- Create a plan for approaching ethical decision-making
Competency 2: Organizational Communication
Effective communication strengthens relationships throughout an organization. As a manager with supervisory experience, you will need to communicate with others who have differing communication styles. Having a clear understanding of your own style and preferences is critical in finding ways to successfully communicate with others.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Analyze communication styles used in different workplace situations
- Identify management practices that strengthen trust with internal and external partners
- Analyze strategies for negotiating and persuading others
- Discuss ways to manage interpersonal conflict in the workplace
- Demonstrate effective presentation skills using industry best practices
Competency 3: Team Development and Optimization
How do you develop a high-performing team at your institution? This is a critical question for frontline managers in higher education but one that is difficult to answer. Team development requires a commitment to selecting the right people and putting them in situations where they can be successful and motivated. It also requires an investment of time to engage with each individual and provide opportunities for growth within the context of the organization. Because of the ubiquitous nature of teams and their importance to organizational success, creating a functional, efficacious team is an important skill for managers.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Describe the value of effective teams at institutions of higher education
- Evaluate management opportunities for delegation
- Evaluate opportunities for coaching and mentoring in your current role
- Practice giving and receiving feedback
- Develop a comprehensive approach to support employee performance
- Create a plan for maximizing individual and team development
Competency 4: Financial Management
Leaders in higher education face increasing pressure to do more with less. Competition for funding is at a premium with many states slashing budgets for their colleges and universities. For this reason, managers need to have a clear understanding of financial management and budgeting. In addition to making sure individual projects stay on track, managers must be willing to fight for necessary funds to support the key initiatives of their departments. They also need to understand the differences between capital and operational expenses. Supporting the financial viability of the institution and maintaining transparency over expenditures are critical responsibilities for managers in higher education.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Develop strategies to overcome common budgeting challenges
- Identify opportunities to support the budgeting strategy of the institution
- Develop partnerships to help secure necessary funds for critical workplace initiatives
- Use leadership skills to support budgeting efforts
Competency 5: Project Prioritization and Controls
Projects allow work to get done across the institution. As a manager, you have direct oversight into the planning and implementation of project work. You have a responsibility to make sure stakeholders are informed and happy, work is completed on time and under budget, and that positive change is incorporated and embraced. Even skilled managers struggle with balancing the competing demands and limited resources at their disposal. This competency provides strategies for ensuring that work gets done efficiently and effectively across projects. You will discuss ways of maximizing your time and prioritizing tasks that reliably lead to better project outcomes.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Develop a plan for engaging key project stakeholders
- Develop strategies to maximize the efficiency of meetings and individual work
- Assess techniques for prioritizing competing demands
- Use strategic thinking to help others navigate organizational changes
- Determine critical sources of data to manage people and projects