2025 Directors Institute (Virtual)
January 7, 2025 – February 4, 2025 EST
Presented in partnership with Excelsicore Consulting, the Directors Institute is not your typical training program. We’re tailored exclusively for directors, recognizing the distinctive challenges and responsibilities you face on today’s dynamic campuses.
Amidst the whirlwind of competing priorities, the shifting landscape of higher education, and the constant pressure to innovate, renovate, and delegate for success, this program provides expertise and community to unlock your potential. This program will help participants enhance skills and knowledge; discover best practices; built capacity; prepare for tough challenges; develop a community; and explore new strategies.
Designed for emerging and seasoned leaders, the Directors Institute is tailored to directors with under five years of experience in diverse roles that center around community building, and program development.
- Early-Career Focus: Our program is tailored for early career professionals who have served in a director role for less than five years. We recognize that the transition to the director role requires a shift in leadership and management skills that don’t always come from on-the-job training.
- Key Functional Expertise: We invite professionals who specialize in student union, residential life, cultural services, fraternity/sorority life, campus recreation, international students, esports, or conference services — roles dedicated to fostering vibrant communities, and delivering dynamic programming.
Additional details about the mentors and guest faculty is available here.
Schedule
Throughout the five-week institute, participants will join weekly sessions focused on vital skills and topics and participate in real-time problem solving and cohort-driven discussions with seasoned higher education executives, directors, and leadership experts. The schedule will be:
- January 7: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastern
- January 14: 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Eastern
- January 21: 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Eastern
- January 28: 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Eastern
- February 4: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastern
The relevant, critical topics that will be addressed during the daily sessions include:
- Strategic management: provides you and your staff with clarity on your department’s goals and how you will achieve them.
- Cultural competence: engaging with DEI and creating a sense of Belonging in your workplace.
- Team dynamics: understand the framework on how to create healthy, cohesive, and inclusive teams to accomplish your department’s goals.
- Advancement and donor relations: fundraising is not just for development staff any longer; learn how to engage with doners and secure funding.
- Navigating political dynamics: internal and external politics are increasingly impacting the director’s role; learn how to navigate difficult conversations in our ever-changing industry.
Your cohort can customize the experience by choosing additional session topics, ensuring the program meets your needs.
For those pursuing credits toward the Certified Student Affairs Educator program, the 2025 Directors Institute will be eligible for a total of 10 Continuing Education Credits (4 Core CE Credits, 4 Specialty CE Credits for College Unions, and 2 Social Justice & Inclusion CE Credits).
Registration
Registration will close Thursday, January 2.
- Professional Member: $700
- Professional Nonmember: $950
If you are interested in additional one-on-one coaching opportunities, find out more here.
As a director looking to enhance your skill sets and build networks of support, we would encourage you to also consider participating in the Senior Managers Program at the 2025 ACUI Annual Conference in New York City. Additional information is available at www.acui.org/2025.