If you ask a law or medical school dean at a U.S. university about rankings, prepare to hear delighted predictions for their imminent demise. But you might hear an entirely different view from a liberal arts college president or a university vice chancellor in Europe. Ask marketing and admissions colleagues who are responsible for international recruitment, and you will hear that in parts of the world, rankings and league tables are more important than ever. Institutional research offices dedicate resources to data submission and strategy. Chief Marketing Officers and reputation managers mark their calendars to plan for release dates so they can leverage or mitigate the impact on reputation. Alumni, donors, and trustees love them when they are up, and bring concerns when they are down.

So, what sense do we make of recent headlines? What value do rankings hold for presidents, institutional planners, and reputation managers and how do they influence institutional strategy? How do advancement leaders spot future trends? Which rankings are important to which audiences? In this session, we’ll invite advancement professionals and representatives of the leading global rankings sources to share their perspectives, to sort the signals from the noise and anticipate trends for which leaders should plan.

Name, Image, and Likeness and conference realignments are just two of the signals that collegiate athletics is shifting rapidly and seems at a pivotal moment. For many schools and universities, athletics play a key role in strategies for recruitment, advancement, and reputation management. Dr. Karen Weaver, University of Pennsylvania faculty member, author, and expert on the intersection of collegiate athletics with management, media, finance and policy, teaches leaders--from presidents and trustees to executive teams and faculty scholars--about athletics. Join Weaver, and a group of advancement and athletics professionals to understand recent shifts and future trends.

Globally, sexual misconduct and harassment in the workplace have become critical, public topics of conversation. Although our culture is changing, resulting in safer, more positive work environments, problems persist. The advancement profession is no exception. Sexual misconduct and other forms of harassment have been a part of our industry for years. Many advancement staff quietly endure this intolerable behavior, particularly when perpetrated by external stakeholders including donors, board members, or volunteers. Gaps in institutional response and support for affected staff can significantly impact employee retention and performance. Addressing unwanted and unwelcome behaviors requires a multifaceted approach and broad support industry-wide, including training to empower and protect staff members, as well as transparent reporting and remediation processes. We must challenge ourselves to engage in these uncomfortable, high-stakes conversations at every level of our organizations, from team members to administration to boards.

Learning Objective 1: Develop an awareness and understanding of the prevalence of harassment in the field, particularly the challenges and nuances of dealing with problematic behavior from external stakeholders.

Learning Objective 2: Strategize how best to help lead your institution at every level to promote a safe and respectful advancement environment.

Earlier this year, the Chronicle of Higher Education  noted an emerging role on senior leadership teams in education--the Chief Experience Officer--borrowing a model in the corporate world, especially in health care and retail. The role is designed to span the design of the student experience, from point of first recruitment contact through engaged alumni.  What implications does such a role have for advancement professionals? What challenges and opportunities does it present? What can we learn from institutions that are early adopters?