Building Institutional Alignment through High-Impact Relationships

High-impact relationships between and among key campus stakeholders are often key to institutional change. (Daly, 2010). When coupled with strategic alignment to institutional priorities, these relationships super-charge change efforts. Participants in this interactive workshop will learn about one STEM-focused institution's approach to advancing campus-wide initiatives that connect to the institution's strategic plan. Participants will align their work with one or more of their institution's strategic priorities and will identify new and existing relationships that could contribute to the success of their goals.

The facilitators will present a case study of our institution's strategic change efforts, which include two teaching-oriented objectives: creating transformative classroom learning experiences and advancing education for sustainable development. The Center for Teaching and Learning launched parallel initiatives resulting in four rounds of faculty mini-grants for course design/redesign, the development of a curriculum to help faculty design and evaluate teaching projects, and a series of campus-wide teaching events that showcased the projects. Altogether, the course redesigns have reached virtually every undergraduate student via integration with general education. Now four years into the initiatives, results are emerging that point to successful change actions and opportunities for improvement. The work has captured the interest of institutional leaders and diverse faculty participants, both new and existing connections. Faculty from all cohorts endorsed "enhanced peer faculty relationships" as the most impactful element of the experience (more than the financial incentive), reinforcing the implication of a strong network of relationships across a complex institutional landscape.