Senior-Level Educators Find Answers at PPE Institute

Senior-level administrators at colleges and universities don’t always have answers to the many questions asked of them. But with the help of the Institute of Educational Management (IEM), a two-week institute offered by the Programs in Professional Education (PPE), participants can find answers to some of those nagging questions and learn how to make better decisions on the job. Among topics examined included how to be an effective leader, balancing internal and external roles, and working as a member of a senior management team.

PPE prides itself on the heterogeneity of the institute since educators come from different types of colleges all over the country. This year’s institute attracted 100 educators from a variety of senior-level administrator positions including college presidents, provosts, vice presidents, and direct reporting officers. “Participants meet up with [others] who they don’t think they have a lot in common with and find out that the challenges [they face] are similar. However, the ways of dealing with them are different,” says Joseph Zolner, PPE’s director of higher education programs and institute cochair.

Prior to attending the institute, each IEM participant submits a challenge they are facing in his or her position. These “mini case studies” are then integrated into the curriculum to provide a source of discussion among the small study groups that meet continually throughout the institute.

One possible challenge that senior-level administrators may face in their positions is understanding the unique issues of managing a college. “Many [senior-level administrators] have been on the faculty for years,” Zolner says. “When they become vice presidents, their Ph.D.'s in traditional academic disciplines may not have prepared them to create a budget or motivate a staff.”

The lack of understanding the unique challenges facing senior level administrators leads to another issue the institute focuses on: learning how to be an effective leader by understanding how to manage a multiple constituencies, and ultimately articulating the vision for the college.

While IEM aspires to be a source of professional renewal for participants, it also hopes to break down the barrier for senior-level administrators who may feel like they can’t admit they don’t know how to do something. “We try to create a ‘safe space’ that is conducive to intellectual risk-taking and reflection for all participants. At times, they may feel unsure about what to do, but their professional roles require them to always have an answer. We try to establish a learning environment that encourages open dialogue and honest exchange, [considering] participants may feel they should know the answer but don’t,” Zolner says.

Now in its 38th year, the design of the institute has worked well to build common language, tools, and models for all members of the senior level, and many colleges and universities regularly send new staff each summer says.

Kristine Cecil, now in her third year as vice president for external relations at Carleton College in Minnesota, plans to encourage her co-workers to attend.

“There were so many different facets of the program that were important and helpful,” Cecil says. “This was an opportunity to really think, read, consider different ideas, and a chance to reflect on them and talk with people who are going through the same issues. I thought it was very useful, especially for me…being able to understand the complexity of issues colleagues struggle with is really important.”