Scalable technology-based solution to shortage of promotable academics leaders
PRLog (Press Release) – Mar. 28, 2014 – SAN JOSE, Calif. — Open Doors Group (ODG), the League for Innovation in the Community College, and SoftChalk LLC today announced a scalable, technology-driven platform to address the pending leadership crisis in higher education.
The Higher Education Leadership Platform (HELP) includes webinars, cohort-based online training, coaching, consulting, and mentor matching that will accelerate the careers of entry- and mid-level managers on both the academic and business sides of colleges and universities. Silicon Valley-based, ODG is in a unique position to bring technology to bear in two ways: using technology to deliver the initiative and promoting technology as a partial solution to the challenges faced by those aspiring to upper level positions in colleges and universities.
Open Doors Group will drive the initiative. The League is offering its membership the pilot project, and SoftChalk is contributing leading edge technology for the online training part of the initiative. Products from Instructure, Inc., MentorCloud, Inc., Google, AcademicPub, Citrix, and other firms are also used in the program.
Community College Careers Accelerated Paths (CCCAP), the pilot program for the League, is a unique 8-week cohort-based skills development initiative highlighted by a midpoint intense interactive workshop at the Innovator Spotlight online conference September 24, 2014. “We are excited to partner with Open Doors Group to offer community college academic and administrative managers an opportunity to rapidly build their leadership knowledge, skills, and wisdom and thereby accelerate their careers,” commented Stella Perez, Executive Vice-President and COO for the League.
Six institutions including the League for Innovation, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) met in Washington D.C. in September 2013 to address the leadership crisis in community colleges.As well as the dearth of candidates for the top academic positions in colleges and universities, there is also a shortage of talent to move into the Vice-President level. A similar situation exists on the services side of higher education institutions. The National Association of College Stores (NACS) is seeing a shortage of people ready to take the reins at bookstores. The National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) is taking steps to groom leaders for top jobs in housing, food services, janitorial, and other critical infrastructure areas.
“Demographics is the cause. Current leaders are Seniors and Boomers. Generation X is much smaller than the Boomer generation. Also colleges are relying more on the part-time adjunct faculty who do not acquire the institutional knowledge to advance,” said Jacky Hood, ODG Alliances Director.
The League, AACC, AACT, and NACS have retreat-style leadership programs. HELP will complement these programs. HELP primarily addresses the promotion aspirations of deans, departments chairs, and others seeking advancement to Director and Vice-President levels. The pilot for the League welcomes faculty members seeking to move into management. HELP feeds the pipeline leading to upper management.
About Open Doors Group
The mission of Open Doors Group (ODG) is to increase access to education by lowering barriers for all learners. Initiatives include adoptions of affordable textbooks, College Open Textbooks, consulting to organizations on licensing and the community college market, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and more. ODG advocates affordable educational resources, open access to courses, and innovative business models for education. ODG is a project of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and brings a a Silicon Valley technology-based perspective to education opportunities. Visit ODG at https://www.opendoorsgroup.org
About the League for Innovation in the Community College
The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement. The League hosts conferences and institutes, develops web resources, conducts research, produces publications, provides services, and leads projects and initiatives with more than 800 member colleges, 160 corporate partners, and a host of other government and nonprofit agencies in a continuing effort to make a positive difference for students and communities. Information about the League and its activities is available at https://www.league.org and on Twitter at @FollowtheLeague.
About SoftChalk, LLC
SoftChalk, LLC is an award-winning provider of cutting-edge eLearning solutions that allow instructors to create powerful, professional-looking content for eLearning in K-12, higher education and corporate training. For more information, visit softchalk.com.
Contact
Jacky Hood
jacky.hood@opendoorsgroup.org
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