by Shelley Seale, co-founder and Director of Content

We’re excited to introduce The Center for Higher Education Leadership! Here’s a preview of what you’ll be receiving as a member if you become a subscribing member.

The Center for Higher Education Leadership (CHEL) was formed by Terri E. Givens to provide academic leaders with information and a supportive community for improving management and leadership skills in an environment of changing demographics, financial challenges, and advances in educational technology. CHEL was born of Terri’s experiences navigating these fields and learning along her journey through academe, from professor to vice-provost and provost at universities in Texas and California.

Shelley Seale came on-board as co-founder and director of content, to oversee the newsletters, guides, and other original content from our exceptional team of contributors for the CHEL community.

Terri identified the problems faced by higher education leaders:

• Academic administrators tend to come from the faculty ranks and don’t have management experience.
• On the job training is difficult due to the many challenges facing higher ed that require knowledge of government regulations (particularly Title IX), opportunities to improve student success, and understanding of educational technology.
• Higher Ed leadership needs to take into account current trends as well as emergent technologies to augment their current thinking/understanding of the tech industry.

Terri Givens and Shelley Seale, CHEL co-founders

Many decisions about programs and purchasing are made by Deans, Vice Provosts, Vice Presidents, Provosts, and Presidents. These administrators tend to be risk averse and often rely on staff or sales people to know what the best practices are or which types of technology they should purchase. These administrators need resources that they feel confident in, that can provide unbiased information to help them not only make decisions, but to even be aware of product availability and whether they are appropriate for their type of institution.

That’s where the Center for Higher Education Leadership comes in, providing solutions for these challenges faced by administrators with a portal and products designed specifically for them.

What kinds of things will you see if you come aboard our community? Here’s a sneak peek of things to come, and what you’ll get as a CHEL subscriber member:

Higher Ed Connects newsletter. This twice-monthly newsletter will be emailed on the first and fifteenth of each month, and will be chock-full of exclusive, original content written for the CHEL community. Articles will include in-depth features on topics such as:

•    Strategic Planning
•    Faculty Development
•    Management & Leadership
•    Advising & Student Success
•    Assessment
•    Admissions & Recruitment
•    Data Analytics
•    Accreditation
•    Fundraising
•    Curriculum Development
•    Diversity

In addition, Higher Ed Connects will feature reviews of educational technology products, books, and other helpful tools for higher education leaders; and one-minute videos from Terri on these subjects.

Podcasts. You will have access to regular podcasts which explore topics in the newsletter and interviews with experienced leaders from higher ed, ed tech, and government on relevant  topics.

Webinars. You will have exclusive access to live webinars with our founder, Terri Givens, and other experts in academic administration. Our first webinar series will be Academic Management 101 for new administrators, and will be a six-week series with an hour-long webinar each week.

In-depth Guides. Six times per year, members will receive access to our original, in-depth guides written specifically for CHEL by one of our contributors. These guides will lead administrators step-by-step through the landscape of one of the topics listed above, giving specific resources, information, advice, and best practices on the topic. The guides will be available online and as a PDF download.

Community Forums. Members will have access to forums on a variety of topics where they can ask questions and share information. CHEL staff and contributors will moderate, offering access to relevant resources.

Mentoring. Beginning in the fall of 2019, members can sign up to meet with mentors—experienced higher ed administrators who have offered to work with new administrators.

Join the CHEL community today—and stop going at it alone!

This article is from our Introductory Newsletter of March 15, 2019. Read the full newsletter here!

About the author:

Shelley Seale is an award-winning journalist, author and editor based in Austin, Texas. She is a graduate of St. Edward’s University with dual degrees in Journalism and Cultural Psychology, and is a member of the American Society of Business Publication Editor. She has written for National Geographic, USA Today, The Guardian, The Week, The Telegraph, The Business Journals, International News Media Association, The Coaching Connector, Texas School Business and numerous university publications. She is also a frequent world traveler and writes about her travels at Trading Places Global.