CHERD webinars

As higher education institutions returned to a new normal, we discussed how the COVID pandemic transformed aspects of higher education, especially in the way that people work and study. We re-examined the objectives of all we do including the use of space, and the dynamics of the engagement that is core to higher education. Alan Davis, President and Vice-Chancellor, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) joined us for our first Fall 2022 webinar, using KPU as a case study.

Cheryl Foy’s answer to this important question is yes. In this webinar, she spoke to the 2021 International Standards Organization Governance of organizations - Guidance - Reference No. ISO 37000:2021(E) as the possible basis for a set of Canadian university best practices.

Current and recent Canadian academic leaders discussed the Netflix show, The Chair, from a Canadian perspective. They considered how closely it mirrors the Canadian experience, and the lessons it can teach us about academic leadership. The Chair, starring Sandra Oh, was launched by Netflix in September 2021. This comedy-drama examines the challenges faced by a new English department chair, exploring issues of race, gender, and academic leadership.

Over the past two decades, research in the corporate sector has identified successful practices and structures to sustain strategic innovation in mature organizations. As higher education lags behind other sectors, perhaps some of these could help us to address our many challenges including changing learner demographics, diminishing government support, and preparing graduates for an uncertain future of work. Anahita Baregheh, Thomas Carey and Gina O’Connor considered if these insights could be adapted to higher education.

Canadian public universities have always had a strong connection with their respective provincial governments as education falls within provincial jurisdiction. Over the last few years, with the introduction of new metrics including performance based funding, quality assurance and employability, this relationship has changed. John Alho provided background and future directions for university government relationships, drawing on his extensive experience.

This webinar examined the nature of the threats to institutional autonomy in Canada and the role that effective university governance plays in protecting and advancing institutional autonomy. Institutional autonomy is essential for universities to thrive. There are many indications that it is under threat.

In this webinar, three current Canadian department chairs reflected on their experiences over the past year and looked ahead to what returns to campus might mean. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges for higher education. Academic department chairs have played a crucial role as on-the-ground leaders, responsible for managing unit responses and translating institutional policies into specific disciplinary and program contexts.

This was a free webinar that looked at how academic and administrative leaders can promote change that maintains and advances the academic and research goals of the university, given that doctoral programs in most disciplines have traditionally focused on preparing students for academic careers, but only a minority of current PhD graduates obtain academic positions. It discussed these issues based on SSHRC-funded research on PhD career development.

This was a free webinar sharing recent research coalesces around the future of higher education. Drawing from survey and interview studies examining faculty experiences and practices during the pandemic, and grounded on a large body of earlier work examining flexible and online learning, it invited participants to reflect on potential higher education futures, and discuss the role of flexibility in those futures.

Leadership in the Midst of a Black Swan Event was a free webinar that examined how Canadian post-secondary institutions and their constituent units have responded to the pandemic, with a specific focus on the identification of leadership best practices. It addressed a number of topics including pedagogy, governance, student issues, faculty, support staff, administrative and communication.

Leadership Post-COVID was a free webinar that shifted the focus from short-term emergency response to what John Kroger has termed long-term strategic adjustment. It asked how we take our learning and experiences and pivot from short-term to long-term strategies for our organizations. The discussion included financial exigency, student financial support, pedagogy, student services, labour relations and collective bargaining post-COVID and campus communities’ mental health. We will also discuss the role PSE institutions may play in helping the broader community tackle these new realities.

Leading an Academic Department During Times of Crisis was a free one-hour webinar for university and college department heads, chairs and directors. This new professional development opportunity by the Centre for Higher Education Research and Development (CHERD) showed how heads, chairs and directors can provide clear leadership to their academic units while protecting personal well-being during times of uncertainty and crisis.