Thursday, November 6
10:45 – 12:00 Contributed and Invited Presentations I
Leadership and Organizational Ethics
Judy Ruud, Attorney; Instructor, Management, College of Business Administration
Craig Vansandt, Associate Professor, Management, College of Business Administration; Davi W. Wilson Chair in Business Ethics, University of Northern Iowa
As one attains positions of increasing leadership, ethical responsibility takes on new dimensions. Facing and making critical decisions requires both assertiveness, what Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg calls "leaning in," and confidence. This seminar will provide women with tools and skills to more confidently and effectively analyze, make and manage ethical decisions faced in higher education and other organizations. Attention will be given to the role of ethics in crisis situations where decisions must often be made quickly, in uncertain conditions, and under significant public scrutiny. Participants in this interactive seminar will be challenged to consider how they might act when faced with diverse ethical questions, including those of "right versus right." Participants will also have the opportunity to provide feedback, share experiences, and ask questions.
Understanding Our Students: Early Identification of Risk Factors and Models to Serve Students who may be At-Risk.
Kacy Webster, Campus President; Erica Spiller, Associate Dean;
Marilyn Jerome, Professor; Kaplan University-Des Moines Campus
This session will identify common risk factors, ways to assess students' risk factors, models to support students and increase student success.
President's Panel:
Susan Spivey, Kaplan University Campus President
Dr. Marlene Sprouse, Indian Hills Community College President
This session will give you an opportunity to learn from the experience of strong leaders in a Presidential role. Panel topics will include: -Their experiences, advice for charting your future in higher education administration and what they see as the critical characteristics of a leader to be climb the administrative ladder.
Six Things Every WAY UP Leader Must Know
Debra J. (DJ) Corson, CLO; Visions Unlimited
Have you heard it said, People hate change? Not true! Every day people choose to move from one residence to another, get married, have babies…all BIG changes! However, in the work environment we don't always feel the excitement about change, do we?
To stay competitive, colleges must change--sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ones. Colleges need amazing leadership more than ever before. Women who wish to move into key leadership roles, must be able to influence change at their current position. In this session, you will learn 6 things that will help you gain some amazing results for both your organization and for you:
- 1 thing you must understand about people;
- 1 thing you must decide before you begin;
- 1 question you should always ask;
- 1 thing you must find in your own organization;
- 1 thing you must do; and
- 1 thing you should get.
1:45 – 3:00 Contributed and Invited Presentations II
Key Themes from Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead: A Book Discussion
Candace Peters, Trainer/Consultant, University of Iowa
Despite women making up 50 % of the college graduates in the U.S. for decades, men continue to hold a sizable majority of leadership roles. Join us for a discussion of key themes from Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, a 2013 book written by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook. In addition to sharing her personal story, Sandberg uses research to explain why women's progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, examines the core causes, and offers captivating, reasonable solutions to empower women to achieve their full potential. The book challenges us to move the conversation from what women can't do to what we can do, and serves as a rallying cry for us to work together to create an equal world. Participants for this session are asked to read the book prior to attending this session.
Competency-Based Education & Assessment in Higher Education: The Evidence and Process for Adoption
Chandice Covington, Dean and Vice President of School of Nursing, Kaplan University
Competency learning theorists purport humans learn best when self-driven. For over 50 years, the concept of competency based education has lain-in-wait in the backstage of higher education, not fully adopted nor embraced by the mainstream. At the same time, competency-driven approaches are touted as the future sea-change of post-modern education and a disruptive innovation sorely needed to address meeting the needs of the social milieu of the next 25 years in higher education.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance for higher education institutions that offer competency-based programs in which students learn at their own pace - but that currently do not offer federal student aid. This financial climate change produced a re-look across higher education units to consider the often disregarded innovation of competency-based education (CBE) in the pedagogy of learning and assessment of learning.. This session will describe the history, theoretical foundations, and evidence leading to the current resurgence of interest in competency-based education (CBE) and assessment. Examples of CBE approaches in higher education in the US and globally will be compared and contrasted. A review of best practices for assessing the university/college milieu and feasibility of adopting a CBE approach will be defined. Lastly, tools that promote the role of women leaders in higher education to serve as CBE disruptive innovators will be shared.
Serving Military Members and Veterans in College
Julie Heuer, Military & Veteran Student Services Coordinator, Office of the Dean of Students, University of Northern Iowa
Military members are redefining the definition of the non-traditional student. This session will provide an informative and interactive way to discover what military members on campus look like and the impact this group has on policy, college credit, and the overall campus environment. Additionally, we will discuss best practices in providing services to veterans and useful tips for female staff and administrators engaging with this population.
So You Want a Career In...
Suzette Radke, Controller, Buena Vista University
Jody Donaldson, Scholarship and Alumni Officer, Kirkwood Community College;
Summer Vaselaar, Director of Financial Aid, Kaplan University
Patti J Rust, Senior Associate Registrar, University of Northern Iowa
Numerous opportunities exist within higher educational institutions yet knowing how best to prepare for, and enter, certain areas often is unclear. Panel participants will give a brief overview of the path they have traveled to reach the positions they hold after which they will offer insights on a number of questions. Questions considered include: What does a typical day look like? What are minimum degree requirements for careers in these fields? What job experiences are transferable among areas? What are the most important job skills and personality qualities for success? Audience questions and interaction are encouraged throughout the discussion.
3:15 – 4:30 Contributed and Invited Presentations III
Cracking the glass ceiling: A phenomenological study of women administrators in higher education.
Lori Jarmon, Program Manager, University of Iowa
Women administrators in higher education, despite their significant numbers, have been of little concern to researchers. While legislative policies have helped women in higher education, women in higher education still experience large disparities in salary, promotion, and prestige. These invisible barriers, that often keeps women down are referred to as the glass ceiling, was the focus of this study and will be shared in this session. If your goal is a senior leadership position in higher education this session will reveal actionable items that you can do to break through the glass ceiling. It requires hard work but is obtainable with proper guidance, support, and strategic planning.
Embracing and Fostering Leadership Opportunities for Faculty and Staff
Dr. Bill Ruud, President, University of Northern Iowa
As an institutional head, the president has the opportunity to cultivate faculty and staff leadership opportunities. President Ruud, UNI's 10th president, will share what steps he can take, and what each of you can do in higher education to embrace leadership opportunities and promote others. Details about how institutional heads can identify, assist and promote women and others into leadership positions will be shared. All will be encouraged to promote professional growth and empower others to take ownership of their career paths. Experiences, taking risks, and ideas to promote oneself for future leadership positions will be shared.
Transparency and Compliance with Federal and State Regulations and Accountability within Today's Higher Education Landscape.
Janice Friedel, Associate Professor, School of Education, Iowa State University
This session will explore the ever-changing landscape of Higher Education in today's country. Exploration of the types of regulatory oversight and governmental initiatives that impact sectors of higher education will occur.
Getting Your Roles and Goals in Harmony
Debra J. (DJ) Corson, CLO, Visions Unlimited
We all have the same number of hours in a day so how come some people seem to flourish and others seem to flounder? Join this session if you:
- Can laugh at yourself (you MUST have a sense in humor in life!)
- Are willing to use strategies provided in the session to make desired changes in your life (wouldn't want to waste your time learning something you won't use!)
- Enjoy meeting and learning from others (because this session is lively!)
- To get where you want to be, you must chart your course, you must learn how to navigate the waters, you must have the right tools, and you must learn from lessons along the way. Are you ready to sail?
Friday, November 7
8:45 – 10:00 Contributed and Invited Presentations IV
Product: YOU! Personal Branding for the New Age
Crystal Ford, Director of Career Services, Kaplan University
Personal branding and impression management are vital in this technology driven, competitive world. Do you have what it takes to stand out in this day and age? Product: YOU! Personal Branding for the New Age will explore different tips and tricks to assist in highlighting your best qualities.
Beyond the Buzz - Universal Design for Learning Addressing Equity, Opportunity and Challenge
Christina Curran; Associate Professor, Special Education, UNI College of Education; and Director of T2 PAL: Technology and Teachers - Promoting Accessible Learning
Despite a variety of possible barriers, there are growing numbers of diverse students including those with disabilities, international students, and students from diverse ethnic and racial minority groups entering colleges and universities. Once in college outcomes can be differential. Gaps in graduation and retention rates, as well as degree completion rates are often a reality for these students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an established best practice framework to proactively address roadblocks to learning and success. The need for responsive and flexible practices throughout elementary, secondary and college classrooms, is critical if higher education is to be accessible, equitable and appropriately challenging for all those enter these doors. This session will feature critical elements, practices, technology considerations, resources, and interdisciplinary advocacy necessary to move beyond the buzz of UDL in K-12 education and on college campuses.
Navigating Internal Politics
Allison York, Dean, Kirkwood Community College
Do you aspire to be part of your institution's succession plan? Do you see barriers to advancement your institution's internal politics? Explore features of the institutional landscape, the strategic personal choices and the professional planning that promote competence, courage and savvy thinking as you position yourself for advancement despite the obstacles. Leave this session with an outline for action.
Trending Technologies for Higher Ed Professionals
Lori Seawel, Instructional Designer and Technology Coordinator
Farah Kashef, Faculty Technology Integration Specialist/College of Ed; ITS-Educational Technology, University of Northern Iowa
Bring your favorite device (laptop, tablet, iPhone or Android smartphone) for this hands-on session. We'll acquaint you with an easy-to-use desktop video conferencing tool; an online learning service to help you learn software, design, and business skills to achieve your personal and professional goals; and a website where you can access award-winning lessons on numerous topics, as well as create your own lessons around educational videos on You Tube, to introduce new topics to learners in an exciting, curiosity-inspiring way. This tool allows for adding quiz-like questions, discussion topics and other materials to supplement the online videos to make them interactive.
10:15 – 11:30 Contributed and Invited Presentations V
Charting Your Course Toward Successful Meetings: Enhanced Meeting Management = Improved Leadership
Jill Rhea, Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, Buena Vista University
Do you hate wasting your time in senseless meetings? Are you at a loss when asked to run a meeting? Do you believe there must be better means to get things accomplished in collaborative ways? This session may be for you! Through an interactive approach, this session will address the importance of effective meeting management; describe the connection between strong leadership and strong meeting management skills; and, using current research and applications, offer practical suggestions to enhance your meeting experiences.
Transforming Undergraduate General Education Courses at U Iowa: The TILE-Constellation project
Cornelia Lang, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa
Professor Lang will describe her inspiration for and development of a pilot project to transform part of the general education curriculum in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Iowa. TILE-Constellation courses are a new type of multi-disciplinary general education courses that bring together a "constellation" of faculty from different departments to focus on a common theme. These courses are taught in an "active-learning" environment where students interact with each other and also with the course faculty. These courses are taught in classrooms where students are arranged in small teams at round tables to facilitate these interactions and to build student success skills in critical thinking, collaboration and communication.
Two TILE-Constellation courses will being offered at University of Iowa in 2014-2015: Origins of Life in the Universe (involves faculty from the departments of Physics & Astronomy, Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Anthropology) and People and Environment: Technology, Culture and Social Justice, taught by faculty from Anthropology, Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies, Geography, Urban Planning and Engineering. These courses both fulfill general education requirements and are filled by primarily first and second year undergraduates. These students will greatly benefit from the skills fostered and intellectual development by studying at the intersection of many disciplines.
Professor Lang will describe the assessment and outcomes of the first year of this transformative activity at University of Iowa and also the opportunities for professional development and leadership through this kind of activity.
Relationships: the Heart of Leadership
Deb Oliver, Associate Professor and Director of MBA and the Master of Strategic Leadership Program, Mt. Mercy University
Speaking from experiences working in a relationship-based profession, we will talk about the importance of intentionally building genuine relationships with colleagues and partners at all levels as a strategy for career growth and institutional success.
Estate Planning Considerations for Women Today
Teresa Hoffman, Waterloo Attorney and Estate Planner
This session will cover current estate planning and inheritance tax laws. It will review planning options and alternatives to minimize transfer costs while maximizing administrative alternatives to insure that lifetime and estate affairs are in order to meet individual needs. The presenter will have specific ideas for estate planning considerations for women of today.