Business Management Institute - Track 1
Earn up to 19.5 CPE Credits

Course Description

Institutions, like individuals and for-profit entities, must manage their resources to achieve strategic priorities and deliver its mission.  This session is an introduction to the higher education business model and discusses how some institutions are responding to market challenges. The role of the operating budget, financial aid leveraging, capital planning, and the endowment are also presented. Participants are encouraged to bring their own institution’s financial statements to this session.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Understand the higher education business model
• Identify major revenue and expense components for higher education institutions
• Recognize current market constraints
• Relate the business of higher education to the mission of the institution

Course Description

Enhancing your own level of accountability will assist leaders at all levels to resolve problems and increase overall personal and organizational effectiveness. This session will help participants explore various levels of accountability using the components of the QBQ – The Question Behind the Question based on the work of John G. Miller. Participants will use a case study methodology to recognize when they could be operating in a “victim loop” in order to move towards greater levels of accountability. Finally, participants will learn how to formulate questions that will assist in developing appropriate solutions to organizational problems. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Define various levels of accountability (personal, shared and organization).
• Understand the components of the QBQ – Question Behind the Question.
• Recognize components of the “victim loop” and learn how to operate in the “accountability loop.”
• Understand the types of questions to ask in order to resolve problems, increase accountability and enhance effectiveness.

Course Description

Your campus has invested in you and BMI as your professional development.  In light of our new day, post COVID 19, how will you cultivate your next steps? This interactive session lead by Diane Fennig, former Career Management Director, College Administrator, and now Search Consultant, will give you some strategies and tactics of how to get your career on track or how to re-invent yourself for your next career appointment. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Review and reflect on your career path and set important mile markers for success.
• Consider alternatives in reinventing your career and career path.
• Examine personal and career goals and verify that they remain aligned with aspirations and desired results.
• Develop intentional networking strategies to build your profile as a colleague and thought leader.

Course Description

Strengths hold the power to unlock one’s potential and facilitate personal and professional growth. Through recognizing and understanding how unique talents create power and edge, individuals can leverage these talents as strengths to consistently and productively build strength in themselves and others. By discovering individual strengths, individuals and teams discover productive ways to recognize and celebrate their talents and the talents of others, which in turn strengthens individual and team performance, as well as ultimately promotes organizational success. Join us to discover your strengths.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Define talents versus strengths.
• Understand that themes are neutral and not labels.
• Recognize that all strengths have power and opportunity.
• Learn how to recognize individual talents and productively apply them to build strengths in ourselves and others.
• Learn how to utilize the concept of “Name It, Claim It, Aim It”.
• Uncover unique ways to recognize and celebrate strengths.

Course Description

One of the most effective, yet untapped professional development tools available, is “informational interviewing.” No matter where you are in your career, having a focused conversation with a professional who works in a position, career field, or organization that interests you, can help you gain a greater perspective on your own professional pursuits. If you want to re-energize your career goals whether in-person or virtually, join this interactive session and you will leave with tips and tools ready to explore the art of informational interviewing.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Explore the benefits of informational interviewing
• Identify people to interview in the near future
• Review the key components to successfully prepare for, conduct, and follow-up on informational interviews
• Practice mock informational interviews in the role of the information seeker and the role of the interviewer

Course Description

This session introduces non-accountants to accounting concepts for higher education institutions. Topics discussed include the accounting concepts for colleges and universities, restricted versus unrestricted contribution revenue, and reading basic financial statements. Participants should bring their institutions most recent financial statements (electronically or printed) to refer to throughout the session. 

If you have any questions regarding your institutions financial statements (where to find them, what statements to bring, etc.), please contact your faculty member at [email protected].

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Understand the concepts of accounting for colleges and universities financial activities
• Relate the various current, non-current, and other accounting activities
• Identify additions and deductions to the institutional resources
• Discuss contribution revenue and its restrictions
• Read, review and analyze the three basic financial statements – the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows
• Hold your own in a budget or audit committee meeting

Course Description

Skilled evaluators should know WHAT to say and HOW to convey the feedback message to employees who are experiencing performance problems. This session will focus on the five communication elements of FRISK^® and the importance of each feedback element in addressing below-standard employee performance. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Learn how to improve communication to effect positive change in employee performance
• Identify the common elements necessary for legally sufficient documentation
• Understand ways to simplify the drafting of documentation by establishing a common framework

Course Description

Who has the real power in an organization? Hint: It’s not necessary the top boxes on an organizational chart. In this session, we’ll search for clues about who has influence, who has authority, and who has true power.  We will also discuss strategies for navigating the political behavior that occurs in most every organization.  

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Assess the sources of power inside organizations
• Analyze the factors that influence the ability to get things done
• Identify political behaviors inside of organizations
• Apply political navigation skills to common workplace issues
• Differentiate between influence and authority

Course Description

What makes a leader stand out among their peers?  Decades of research would suggest the ability to demonstrate emotional intelligence (EI).  This course will provide an overview of key EI concepts with a focus on their application to communication.  Through interactive activities you will learn simple, emotionally intelligent communication strategies to practice in your next conversation!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Identify the four domains of Emotional Intelligence (EI).
• Explore how each domain impacts communication.
• Practice identifying emotions in others.
• Practice using emotionally intelligent phrasing. 
• Identify emotionally intelligent communication strategies for immediate application. 

Course Description

Risk Management in higher education is always evolving as new risks come on to the horizon and begin to impact our organizations. As new risks arise, and known risks are better understood, best practices for managing those risks are continuously fine‐tuned by experience. This session will dive into some detail about some of the more challenging risk issues impacting colleges and universities today. Institutional response to the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting every organization, and there are multiple safety and risk issues involved in those responses.  Other hot topic risks include ransomware and cyber security, fraud prevention, international travel, and protecting minors.   Attendees will be encouraged to bring forward risk topics from their own experiences at their institution through an open forum for discussion.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Develop an understanding of some of the more complex risk issues in higher education, and the strategies for managing those risks.
• Review and understand the unique risk factors raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how institutions are changing for the future. 
• Review risk exposures posed by ransomware and lapses in cyber security.
• Understand the risks faced during international travel by faculty and students.
• Review the risk exposure associated with programs serving minors, and best practices for risk mitigation and youth protection.

Course Description

Every organization experiences two basic types of problems: people problems and institutional problems. Administrators and supervisors are faced with an ever-increasing abundance of adversity, miscommunication, change, low morale and diminishing resources. Professionals must be good problem solvers. Albert Einstein said, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” The best problem solvers have patience, step back to see the big picture, and consider everyone’s opinion before determining the best strategy to implement. Problems and conflicts must be dealt with in a timely manner to prevent problems from escalating throughout the organization.

This course will equip higher education professionals with the skills to identify, analyze and develop strategies for implementation to resolve problems and conflicts.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Strategically prioritize problems
• Gather pertinent facts
• Avoid the landmines
• Obtain objective input
• Employ the 5 steps of the problem-solving process

Course Description

The session on strategic planning and implementation in today’s environment will cover the components of strategic planning, variations on how it is done, illustrate examples, discuss tools for implementation and engage in group discussion and exercises.  Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences with planning, at the unit, organizational and institutional levels.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Understand the concepts of strategic planning in today’s environment
• Understand the leader’s role in strategic planning
• Learn variations on planning
• Learn tools that can be used for implementation and tracking

Joyce Lopes, Vice President Business & Financial Affairs, Western Washington University

Course Description

The strategic plan articulates an institution’s top priorities. However, university budgets tend to be incremental and allocated according to the organizational chart rather than by university priority.  This results in a tendency to maintain status quo operations rather than provide opportunities for investment in strategic priorities.  When building a budget, identifying institutional assets should be central to the process.  Fiscal decisions should align with the institution’s mission and long-term goals, investing first in strategic priorities through a transparent, intentional process.  Such a method of allocating resources helps guarantee the long-term capacity and health of the institution. This course will explore the ways to align budget with strategic priorities in a meaningful and on-going way.  Participants are encouraged to print their institutions strategic plan/priorities (electronically or printed) to refer to throughout the session.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Align our budget with our strategic priorities to improve student learning and success
• Invest in our institutional assets to ensure we are using resources efficiently and effectively
• Implement evidence-based budgeting linked to assessment, as required by WASC

Course Description

As supervisors, we often encounter individuals we find to be very difficult to communicate with due to their abrasiveness, unwillingness to listen, or negative attitudes.  Or sometimes we find ourselves in positions where we have to communicate negative information to people, such as a substandard performance evaluation or a disciplinary document.  Learn tips for improving your essential communication skills; learn how to identify the “filters” that interfere with effective communication; and most importantly, learn how to best use communication as a tool to influence changes in difficult people.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Build participant confidence by providing concrete steps and suggestions for identifying issues and motives, and engaging in face-to-face communication with difficult people
• Empower participants to control situations with difficult people with tact and skill by providing steps and considerations for preparing for and engaging in face-to-face communications with challenging individuals, including steps for the setting, use of key communication skills such as listening, summarizing for understanding, communications filters and body language.
• Tips and techniques for influencing positive changes in difficult people as well as suggestions for follow-up and prevention/minimization of future communication problems.

Course Description

This course will provide a deeper dive into to the Top Strategies for Managing your Career. Participants would leave this continued interactive session with accountability partners and a personalized plan for success drilling into the initial strategies that will work best given their personal situation and their work styles.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Review and reflection personal career path and set important personal mile markers for success.
• Define and select Accountability Partners/Mentors.
• Create a time-frame for action items related to career development.
• Write a letter to self as a reminder of the BMI Lessons.

Course Description

Insurance and Risk Management are an integral part of protecting our Colleges and Universities as they seek the achievement of strategic goals. Sooner or later, for every business officer, the dreaded topic of insurance will arise, with its confusing terminology and complex questions.

This course will provide attendees with a foundational understanding of the various risk exposures associated with higher education and how insurance provides protection and security against these exposures. Attendees will be encouraged to present real-world experiences, both personally and professionally, involving insurance and risk. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop participants will:

• Identify and understand the primary risk exposures in higher education.
• Describe the basic lines of insurance coverage and how they apply to higher education risk exposures.
• Recognize key insurance terms and potentially problematic language.
• Provide essential guidance to colleagues on the core principles of insurance and sound risk management.