{"id":30400,"date":"2020-09-22T20:05:23","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T20:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmil.wpengine.com\/?p=30400"},"modified":"2020-09-22T20:05:25","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T20:05:25","slug":"5-skills-for-higher-education-executive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/makemoneyinlife.com\/5-skills-for-higher-education-executive","title":{"rendered":"5 Skills for Higher Education Executive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1. Financial Acumen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2017 survey<\/a> by the consulting firm Deloitte, nearly two-thirds of college presidents ranked fundraising, alumni relations, and donor relations among their top three priorities. Respondents also said that fundraising was the most important leadership skill they needed to further develop. This is especially true for public institutions, as state and federal aid have steadily decreased since the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fundraising is certainly a critical part of the job for a college president, as private funding pays for employee salaries, faculty research, capital projects, and student financial aid. However, financial acumen is much more than fundraising. Leaders in higher education need experience in developing budgets, overseeing endowments, and\u00a0creating financial plans at a time of economic uncertainty.\u00a0You can also find the best here higher education executive search firms\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of collaborative leadership in higher education emphasizes \u201cbridging the gap\u201d among various internal and external stakeholders. Within the institution, for example, a collaborative leader would view laboratory research and classroom teaching as complementing each other rather than competing. Collaboration also means bringing departments together for opportunities to learn from each other, whether it\u2019s a better way to teach an online course or a more efficient way to clean a building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside the campus, this type of leadership involves mutually beneficial partnerships with local businesses and organizations. Collaborative initiatives could include scholarship opportunities, internship job placement programs, or ongoing conversations with government policymakers about community issues such as housing, transportation, or conservation. Colleges and universities are often among the largest employers in their communities, and a collaborative approach to leadership in higher education can reduce the stigma of the institution as an isolated \u201civory tower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Building New Leaders<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successful leaders in any industry recognize the importance of providing development opportunities for mid-career or middle-tier professionals with both the potential and the desire to take on a leadership role of their own. This helps the organization strengthen and expand its pool of candidates for leadership positions while allowing staff to progress in their careers at their current institution.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership training and mentoring programs enable leaders in higher education to empower faculty and academic staff to develop their own leadership skills. This provides two benefits: It allows current leaders to support those who have expressed interest in becoming future leaders, and it enables leadership to focus training and professional development on the most critical needs of the institution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like executives in other industries, leaders in higher education must be effective communicators. They must be comfortable engaging with a wide range of audiences both on and off-campus and in both public and private settings. Over the course of a single day, for example, a leader may meet with faculty members, employees in support roles, donors, other senior leaders at the college, government officials, current students, prospective students, members of the community, or the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are five steps to effective communication: <\/p>\n\n\n\n