ADMINISTRATOR SERIES

As policy, practice, tool, and technology innovations continue to grow—particularly as we move through this pandemic—what’s also increasing is the need for upper-level administrators to continue developing their skills so they can lead their institutions forward, and not just help our institutions return to normal, or even a new normal. What’s needed is the ability to lead toward a “new possible” in how we deliver learning, support students, shape finances, engage our regional education ecosystems, and so much more. The Administrator Series, a one-day, upper-level leadership event taking place on Monday, May 30, 2022, in conjunction with NISOD’s International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, brings community and technical college leaders together to explore the issues, innovation, and insights of today as they deliberate about what’s needed to drive change for tomorrow. Participants can expect a full day of engaged and interactive learning to help power the move toward this “new possible” in community and technical colleges.

Seating is limited and is reserved for upper-level administrators.

Leading Toward a New Possible in Community Colleges

There is no going back to “normal.” We’ve been through too much, learned too much, and are too motivated to help more students learn and live well than ever before. And rather than adapt to a “new normal,” this session makes the case for leaders to guide their colleges toward a new possible. To begin the journey toward this new possible, we’ll (1) confront the conflation of emergency remote learning with decades of online and blended-learning practice; (2) explore pandemic-inspired innovations from the pros and those freshly embracing digital tools; and (3) learn together from leaders, innovators, and each other as we contemplate what we want to bring forward in our own education efforts on the road ahead. Finally, we will discuss how we better connect to the aspirations and needs of our students and figure out how together we can make the new possible far better than normal ever was.

Mark Milliron, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the Teachers College, Western Governors University; Gerardo de los Santos, Director, Community College Partnerships, Western Governors University; Richard Rhodes, Chancellor, Austin Community College District; and Virginia Fraire, Vice Provost, Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, The University of Texas at El Paso

Modality Matters for Leaders: On-Ground, Online, Blended, Metaverse, and More

As we move down the road ahead, we’ll need to explore, understand, and embrace multiple modalities to reach and teach our diverse student bodies. This session explores how we can  prepare our colleges to leverage multiple modalities to power the learning journeys of our increasingly diverse student populations, including first-gen, low-income, working, parents, and more. Moreover, we’ll unpack how we can think beyond just the classroom in this work, visioning how we leverage multiple modalities to connect effectively and serve well, advise effectively, and engage strategically the students in our charge.

Mark Milliron, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the Teachers College, Western Governors University; Gerardo de los Santos, Director, Community College Partnerships, Western Governors University; Lori McNabb, Senior Consultant, Anthology/Blackboard

Model Matters for Community College Leaders: A Time for Learning Experience Design

Part of visioning the “new possible” is thinking expansively about our learning models. While 16-week semesters may work for some, other models are emerging that seem to power striving students even better. From shorter term models (e.g., 5- or 8-week terms) to competency/mastery-based learning strategies, new models of learning delivery and service—powered by multiple modalities—are changing the game for many institutions and their students. Join the conversation about how we think about and lead toward new models on the road ahead using learning experience design—a blend of ed tech, instructional design, and design thinking—to help guide the build out.

Mark Milliron, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the Teachers College, Western Governors University; Gerardo de los Santos, Director, Community College Partnerships, Western Governors University

Money Matters for College Leaders on the Road Ahead

Visioning new service and learning models matters. However, these innovations are unlikely to be stood up or maintained without a solid sustainability strategy. This session provides an opportunity for open conversation about how we can approach the very real challenges at hand, including expanding our fundraising, grant writing, and entrepreneurial partnerships.

Mark Milliron, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the Teachers College, Western Governors University; Gerardo de los Santos, Director, Community College Partnerships, Western Governors University; Richard Rhodes, Chancellor, Austin Community College District

Better Together in the New Possible

This conversation pulls together the day’s dialogs and explores the importance of inclusive and expansive internal work to build our teams capacity to innovate and lead change. Moreover, we’ll open the aperture to discuss how we build early learning, K-12, university, private college, corporate, civic, and political partnerships to power this work and scale our impact.

Mark Milliron, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the Teachers College, Western Governors University; Gerardo de los Santos, Director, Community College Partnerships, Western Governors University; Jacob Fraire, President and CEO, Texas Association of Community Colleges

Sponsored by: