The Chronicle’s Administrative Leadership Institute
Fostering Collaboration and Resiliency to Navigate Change | October 2025
The Chronicle’s Administrative Leadership Institute
Higher education is going through a seismic change. Old ways are crumbling as value proposition is increasingly questioned in public discourse, especially amid a climate of financial scarcity and political turbulence. Student needs are changing, and the ways that people work together are transforming. With these factors influencing a declining level of trust between faculty and administration, collaboration in shared governance is suffering more than ever.
The Chronicle and Teibel Education Consulting have developed a virtual professional-development program to help administrative leaders overcome this trust gap by developing skills and sensibilities related to interpersonal collaboration. Over the course of two weeks, participants will have the opportunity to transform their practice of shared governance through collaborative workshops and guided exercises on learning how to make tough decisions, leading with resiliency, and building high-performing teams and organizations.
Please reach out to workshops@chronicle.com with any questions you may have about registration.
Program Leaders
Mary Herbert
Senior Consultant and Principal Coach
Teibel Education Consulting
Testimonials for The Administrative Leadership Institute
An excellent crash course to begin the planning process for accelerating change on your campus. I will definitely be using the resources provided to promote collaboration and help others see how their voice matters and can be a part of the positive change movement on my campus.
Assistant Vice President for Student Development, University of Dayton
The information shared over the two-day workshop has been insightful and has provided tools to enhance my approach to fostering collaboration on campus. It reminded me of the importance of working together and effectively navigating change to keep our institutions relevant in an ever-changing world.
Assistant Director, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
This leadership seminar was a transformative experience that exceeded my high expectations. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to learn from such expert panelists, engage with passionate organizers, and connect with inspiring peers. Without a doubt, this seminar has equipped me with the tools and insights needed to navigate the complexities of higher education leadership with confidence and purpose.
Dean, College of Social Sciences, Christopher Newport University
Program Agenda
Program Overview
Description
What skills enable the kind of resiliency that will allow us to guide our institutions into the next decade? How can we best orient our colleagues in the academy and administration to build a shared commitment and higher level of trust to fortify our institutions against constant pressures?
In this two-workshop series, you will learn how to cultivate trusting relationships across your teams, give feedback with compassionate directness, and declare new directions for yourself and your organization.
Key Themes
Our program will explore:
- The culture of higher ed decision-making: Navigating the complex and nuanced world of shared governance to move key initiatives forward.
- Building a culture of commitment: Learning not only how to build consensus across your teams, but also how to elevate the ways we manage our shared commitments.
- Declaring how we want to show up: Exercising the authority granted to us in our roles that mobilize our teams around a common mission.
Program Logistics
Schedule:
This two-week institute will feature the following live sessions:
Session 1: Tuesday, October 7, 12 PM - 4 PM ET
Session 2: Tuesday, October 14, 12 PM - 5 PM ET
There will also be a capstone webinar to reconvene participants in the months following the initial two-week program.
Your registration includes:
- Two half-day workshop intensives, facilitated by Teibel Education Consulting
- The Chronicle Report, Today’s Mission Critical Campus Jobs
- A Guided Leadership Development Workbook
- Access to asynchronous learning tools and a collaborative learning hub
- A capstone webinar in the months following the program
Individual registration: $1,195
Early-bird registration, before September 5: $995 with code ADMIN25
We offer a group rate for 10 or more registrants. Please reach out to workshops@chronicle.com for details.
Special Focus for 2025
Our focus in this program is oriented to navigating in these difficult times. As institutions navigate budgetary constraints, new federal mandates, and the evolving landscape of higher education, the need for strong, adaptable leadership has never been greater. In an era of heightened polarization, administrators must also make challenging decisions that balance legal compliance with deeply held values, which requires refining our leadership approach.
For these reasons, we’ve enhanced our core curriculum for 2025 with the following key themes:
Crisis Leadership and Decision-Making: Strengthen leadership skills to navigate financial uncertainty, make data-informed decisions, and communicate effectively with stakeholders during times of fiscal challenge.
Demonstrate Strategic Leadership in Financially Challenging Times: Strengthen leadership capabilities to guide institutions through economic uncertainty by making strategic, mission-driven financial decisions that balance short-term needs with long-term sustainability.
Enhance Communication and Influence for Financial Advocacy: Develop the ability to effectively communicate financial realities, mobilize support from key stakeholders, and advocate for resources in a way that builds trust and alignment across campus communities.
Lead Teams with Resilience and Adaptability: Cultivate resilience and adaptability as a leader by fostering a positive, solution-focused mindset among faculty, staff, and administrators in the face of budget constraints and organizational change.
Manage Organizational Change and Innovation Under Pressure: Apply change management strategies to lead teams through financial restructuring, process optimization, and new revenue-generating initiatives while maintaining morale and institutional effectiveness.
Foster a Culture of Transparency, Collaboration, and Accountability: Strengthen management skills to create an open, accountable decision-making process that encourages collaboration, empowers teams, and aligns financial strategies with institutional values and goals.
For these reasons, we’ve enhanced our core curriculum for 2025 with the following key themes:
Crisis Leadership and Decision-Making: Strengthen leadership skills to navigate financial uncertainty, make data-informed decisions, and communicate effectively with stakeholders during times of fiscal challenge.
Demonstrate Strategic Leadership in Financially Challenging Times: Strengthen leadership capabilities to guide institutions through economic uncertainty by making strategic, mission-driven financial decisions that balance short-term needs with long-term sustainability.
Enhance Communication and Influence for Financial Advocacy: Develop the ability to effectively communicate financial realities, mobilize support from key stakeholders, and advocate for resources in a way that builds trust and alignment across campus communities.
Lead Teams with Resilience and Adaptability: Cultivate resilience and adaptability as a leader by fostering a positive, solution-focused mindset among faculty, staff, and administrators in the face of budget constraints and organizational change.
Manage Organizational Change and Innovation Under Pressure: Apply change management strategies to lead teams through financial restructuring, process optimization, and new revenue-generating initiatives while maintaining morale and institutional effectiveness.
Foster a Culture of Transparency, Collaboration, and Accountability: Strengthen management skills to create an open, accountable decision-making process that encourages collaboration, empowers teams, and aligns financial strategies with institutional values and goals.
Workshop
Day One: Navigating Shared Governance Culture
Even the most experienced leaders can have difficulty collaborating with other leaders at their institution to jump start progress on important initiatives.
In this four-hour workshop intensive, program facilitators will break down how to navigate the culture of shared governance and introduce how to effectively manage commitments through the use of intentional language. Through interactive discussions, live polls, and break-out sessions, the learning goals for this session will include:
In this four-hour workshop intensive, program facilitators will break down how to navigate the culture of shared governance and introduce how to effectively manage commitments through the use of intentional language. Through interactive discussions, live polls, and break-out sessions, the learning goals for this session will include:
- How to collaborate using a different common sense to strengthen your institution’s ability to get things done
- How to effectively use language to make requests with clear conditions of satisfaction
- How to recognize and cultivate mood to boost productivity
Workshop
Day Two: Creating a Culture of Commitment
Once a leader can talk the talk in their role, the next step is walking the walk: implementing effective leadership skills to elevate the culture and success of their division and institution.
In this five-hour workshop intensive, participants will explore how to own the authority that has been granted to them as a leader and learn ways to positively leverage their influence to increase trust and encourage action. Through interactive discussions and breakout sessions, the learning outcomes for this session will include:
This session will also include a thought-provoking panel discussion with academic and administrative leaders, focused on real-world examples and outcomes of collaboration and shared governance.
In this five-hour workshop intensive, participants will explore how to own the authority that has been granted to them as a leader and learn ways to positively leverage their influence to increase trust and encourage action. Through interactive discussions and breakout sessions, the learning outcomes for this session will include:
- How to clearly assess trust using four lenses
- How to mobilize individuals and teams by making declarations
- How to exercise your power to disagree and commit
This session will also include a thought-provoking panel discussion with academic and administrative leaders, focused on real-world examples and outcomes of collaboration and shared governance.
Workshop
Capstone Event
Participants from the program will be invited to a networking capstone event in the months following the program to reconvene with peers, evaluate the progress made towards their commitments, and to share best practices they have learned for the path forward.
The Mission of The Administrative Leadership Institute
From the beginning, The Administrative Leadership Institute was designed to help staff leaders in higher education navigate uncertainty. As the uncertainty has grown and evolved over the past year, the skills and sensibilities at the core of the program have never been more important. Liz McMillen sat down with Howard Teibel to discuss the turbulent landscape institutions are facing, and the leadership capabilities that are vital to staying afloat and moving institutional initiatives forward.