The Learning Academies @ SHSU

Sam Houston State University offers staff and managers of staff professional development opportunities through The Learning Academies. The academies are tied to the university’s strategic priority to “Embody a Culture of Excellence.” The courses in The Learning Academies are all professional development opportunities meant to offer an option for staff to meet their professional development annual requirement (8 hours for staff; 12 hours for managers of staff); to maximize their potential; and to enhance effective leadership.

Schedule

Track Course Date Time Location Details
TUTraining University "Old School Tool": Turning Qualitative Survey Responses into Actionable Data 04/13/2023 10:00am-11:00am LSC - Rm 242 - The Glass Room Details

Have lots of qualitative responses from surveys, focus groups, or feedback sessions? Need to figure out a way to boil it all down into actionable data? Then the Affinity Exercise may be just the solution you need. Popularized during the Total Quality Management heyday in the 90's, this "old school/no tech" tool is both powerful and productive. It can take hundreds of subjective responses and organize them efficiently, quickly, and without heartbreak. In this session, we will lead you through an activity using real-life focus group responses to demonstrate how to "get your arms around" a large amount of qualitative data in order to organize and make decisions on it. Presented by TJ Bittick, Sr. Human Resources Manager, Professional Development & Communications.

Professional Development Credit: 1.0

Core Competency: Efficient in Operations

Availability: All Faculty and Staff

Register
LELLeadership at Every Level The Magic of Mentoring 04/26/2023 10:00am-11:00am LSC - Room 230 Details

This session offers insight into best practices associated with formal and informal mentoring, as well as common pitfalls to avoid. Dr. Shani Robinson, Associate Dean for the College of Business Administration, will also discuss key benefits for mentors.

Professional Development Credit: 1.0

Core Competency: Empower Others

Availability: All Faculty and Staff

Register

Tracks

Training University | TU

Available to staff and faculty employees

This track focuses on broader development opportunities in the area of efficiency, effectiveness, communication, and life-long learning. Example topics include:

  • Career Planning
  • Time Management
  • Customer Service Best Practices
  • Effective Conflict Resolution

Training U. also includes the Come-for-Coffee sessions, which are shorter, more intimate sessions that bring a subject matter expert together with those who have a vested interested in learning more about that subject.

  • The Business Case for Diversity
  • How the Money Flows
  • Changes to Mandatory Reporting (Title IX)
  • Reclassifications and Market Studies

Leadership at Every Level | LEL

Available to all staff and faculty employees.

This track is designed to improve leadership skills for employees of all levels. Example topics include:

  • Career Transitions
  • Verbal Aikido
  • Respect and Tolerance
  • Civility in the Workplace

Management Academy | MA

Available to supervisors of staff only

This track focuses on enhancing effective leadership and the larger implications of leadership while managing others. Example topics include:

  • Employment Law
  • Managing Performance
  • Building Trust in the Workplace
  • Verbal and Non-verbal Communication

Competencies

Staff & Faculty

  • Committed to SHSU’s vision & mission
    • Understand the mission and your place in it
    • Understand SHSU’s role in the community
    • Support the goals of the university
    • Work effectively with people from all backgrounds
    • Treat others with dignity and respect
    • Support diversity in the workplace
  • Innovative in thinking
    • Think “outside the box” when problem-solving
    • Take calculated risks on new and unusual ideas
    • Take an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things
    • While respecting traditions, don’t be bound by traditional approaches for their own sake
    • Actively seek to improve programs or services
  • Effective in communications
    • Speak and write clearly and effectively
    • Listen constructively
    • Practice appropriate telephone and email protocol
    • Ask questions
    • Share information with those who need it
    • Understand and utilize different communication methods for different audiences
    • Understand you are the face of the university and act accordingly
  • Accountable for ourselves and to others
    • Honor commitments
    • Take ownership for all assigned responsibilities
    • Operate in compliance with university policy and state regulations
    • Hold yourself accountable for accomplishing departmental goals and meeting standards
    • Hold yourself to a higher standard of public accountability
    • Actively engage in teambuilding activities
  • Dedicated to life-long learning
    • Keep abreast of new developments in your own occupation or profession
    • Actively seek to develop yourself professionally and personally
    • Contribute to learning opportunities for teammates and colleagues
    • Show a willingness to learn from others
    • Seek feedback for continuous improvement
    • Take advantage of Just-in-Time training to improve your skill set
  • Efficient in operations
    • Deliver on time, within budget, and with the expected quality
    • Set goals and prioritize your work
    • Be flexible; adjust to changing circumstances
    • Use time wisely and efficiently
    • Develop clear goals that are consistent with agreed-upon strategies
    • Maintain work/life balance
    • Manage health and stress, adjusting habits to avoid foreseeable risks which may impact your ability to work

Supervisors

  • Support the strategic plan
    • Understand the Big Picture and communicate it to your team
    • Think globally
    • Manage change
    • Be flexible
  • Provide leadership
    • Let people know where they stand
    • Acknowledge and celebrate team accomplishments
    • Lead with courage—make decisions and stand behind them
    • Face up to problems quickly and directly
    • Don’t be afraid to take negative action when necessary (probation, firing, etc.)
  • Empower others
    • Hire good people and let them do their jobs
    • Use delegation as a developmental tool
    • Provide constructive feedback that helps people to learn from their mistakes
    • Invite input; share ownership, visibility, and responsibility
    • Be aware of each employee’s career goals
    • Encourage people to develop their gifts/skills – even if it means they may eventually leave you or the university
  • Comply legally and ethically
    • Keep up with the legal implications of various management practices
    • Make sure your management practices are well within legal parameters
    • Keep abreast of university policies and fulfill your responsibilities accordingly
    • Use fair and legal hiring practices
  • Manage performance
    • Hold yourself and your employees accountable for accomplishing departmental goals and meeting standards
    • Establish clear expectations and directions
    • Communicate priorities that will help people monitor their performance
    • Use coaching, mentoring, and feedback to help people perform well
    • Organize resources and processes to accomplish the work of the department effectively and efficiently
    • Take action to improve performance deficiencies
    • Recognize and reward good performance
    • Utilize contributions of people from diverse backgrounds and different behavioral styles
    • Promote team cohesiveness
    • Share information
  • Build trust
    • Use fair and legal management practices
    • Don’t discriminate
    • Avoid even the appearance of favoritism or impropriety
    • Do what’s right
    • Tell the truth and be direct
    • Be approachable