Change is everywhere in higher education (Ceschi et al., 2017; Warr Pedersen et al., 2017). Numerous articles discuss the rate of change, impending changes, and reflection of the changes made in higher education institutions (Bouckenooghe, 2010). But very little is written on how higher education professionals support faculty and staff in coping with such change. Additionally, higher education leaders are rarely prepared to cope with the rate of change or to support their faculty and staff through the change process (Cunningham, 2006). Professional development and mentoring opportunities for higher education leaders rarely focus on such topics (Cunningham, 2006). Conversely, coping and management of change is usually learned through practice and application. Yet, many leaders struggle to adapt to the newness that changes bring to a team, workplace culture, or to themselves as individuals (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015; Mosquera et al., 2014).
Connections Are Everything: Putting Relationships at the Heart of Higher Ed
As academic leaders, we are under so much pressure to deliver—enrollment targets, strategic plans, graduation rates, AI policies, and on and on—that we can lose sight of what our students
Isis Artze-Vega, Leo M. Lambert, and Peter Felten
March 4, 2024
