Welcome to the EDUCAUSE New Managers Institute! The goal of this program is not only to help develop the foundational skills critical for managing and supervising projects, units, and people, but also to provide a broader context for considering the issues of management in higher education.
By the end of this institute, you will be able to:
- Communicate professionally and successfully with all levels of the organization
- Demonstrate effective oversight of projects and people
- Manage departmental costs to achieve organizational goals
- Manage personnel to meet departmental performance goals and objectives
- Apply leadership practices that utilize personal leadership traits and abilities
These competencies contain 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: Readings, videos, and websites that provide additional information relevant to your professional development
- Activities/Assignments: Practice activities and assignments
- Reflections: Summary and highlights of each competency and your actionable goals
Schedule
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. We ask that participants actively plan the time they will spend on the program each week, even on a daily basis. Once a week, we will hold a live, synchronous online meeting to discuss resources, activities, and projects in support of the five competencies.
All sessions will take place at 3:00 p.m. ET.
- Week 1
Monday, September 20
Wednesday, September 22 - Week 2 — Wednesday, September 29
- Week 3 — Wednesday, October 6 (Break week, no live session)
- Week 4 — Wednesday, October 13
- Week 5 — Wednesday, October 20
- Week 6 — Wednesday, October 27 (Break week, no live session)
- Week 7 — Wednesday, November 3
- Week 8 — Wednesday, November 10
Competency 1: Interpersonal Communication
As a new manager, you will need to communicate in a variety of contexts and across different organizational cultures. Communication requires understanding context, being responsive to people and situations, and being aware of your own preferences and habits. This competency allows you to explore your own communication style and find ways of working productively with others with different preferences. It will provide opportunities for practice and feedback in different professional situations and a framework for having difficult conversations, which are inevitable in a management position.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Analyze different communication styles
- Use active listening to communicate effectively with others
- Prepare for a presentation using industry best practices
- Practice communicating in difficult workplace situations
- Use techniques to manage workplace conflict
Competency 2: Project Methods, Best Practices, and Stakeholders
Project management ensures accountability with the members of a project team, outlines when deliverables need to be accomplished and helps managers maintain ownership and oversight of the critical details of a project. In this competency, you will learn more about basic project management skills and best practices. Regardless of the project goal, these skills will help you promote timely success, reduce risk, and ensure that your stakeholders are happy.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Discuss the common elements of projects
- Analyze the benefits of different project management approaches
- Identify key stakeholders for projects in higher education
- Analyze best practices for ensuring the success of projects
- Assess the importance of team dynamics on project success
- Identify strategies for maximizing productivity and efficiency
Competency 3: Cost Management
Managing costs is a critically important skill in higher education, as competing for funding is routine and initiatives need to be justified. This competency provides an introduction to cost management skills that emerging managers need to know. It also provides a high-level overview of budget planning, providing a clearer understanding of how your role supports the broader initiatives of your organization.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Examine planning approaches to budgeting
- Assess key components of cost estimating
- Identify common sources of funding in higher education
- Use budget management techniques to justify changes to funding levels
- Identify critical sources of data related to institutional budget management
Competency 4: HR Performance and Motivation
Hiring, managing performance, and ensuring employee motivation are essential responsibilities of any manager. A manager shapes, guides, and empowers their team members to meet individual and collective goals that serve the broader mission of the organization. In this competency, you will explore ways of bringing the right people into your organization and putting them in roles where they can be successful.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Assess hiring and recruitment practices to maximize a talented and diverse workforce
- Identify strategies to maximize workplace motivation and engagement
- Create effective performance goals
- Use continuous feedback and coaching to conduct performance evaluations
- Examine the importance of employee retention at higher learning institutions
Competency 5: Leadership Practices for New Managers
Leadership is more than simply completing the same tasks, but with more authority. Leaders need to answer the question, “How can I get the most out of the people on my team?” As you settle into your managerial position, you can also work to develop leadership skills. In this competency, you will explore the leadership characteristics and styles that have the greatest impact on others.
By the end of this competency, you will be able to:
- Identify characteristics and traits of effective leaders
- Discuss essential leadership principles for aspiring leaders
- Analyze different leadership styles to promote a growth mindset
- Assess ethical frameworks for making managerial decisions
- Use leadership skills to successfully navigate organizational change