October 11-13, 2021 - Midway, Kentucky
HEI 2021 Presidents Conference
Disruption Through Entrepreneuring: Radical Transformation of Higher Education in a Just-in-Time World
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TESTIMONIALS
Regarding Customized Services
Dr. Amanda Lee
President of Bladen Community College in North Carolina
HEI has provided resources for Bladen Community College in several key areas. We have relied on their services from participation in conferences to one-on-one consultations. Once I participated in the “The President as an Entrepreneur” workshop series, it was imperative to have my senior staff participate in the workshop designed for administrators. We all found these sessions inspirational while also practical. As much as we have enjoyed the workshops and conferences, perhaps the most impactful service from HEI was the support they provided to us as we transitioned a new administrator to oversee our Foundation. The experts that they provided to us were beyond anything that we could have found on our own. Further, HEI worked with us to create a contract that identified our unique needs and set us up for long-term success. These professional relationships have become friendships, and the ongoing support has been amazing. It is incredible to work with a team of people who are as committed to your success as you are!
Regarding the Entrepreneuring Workshop Series
Christopher Heroux, M.A.
Director of Human Resources Management, York County Community College
I had the privilege of attending the Entrepreneuring Workshop Series, and it was truly a transformative experience. As a Director of Human Resources with experience in various industries outside of higher education, I found the concepts presented to be not only relevant but exceptionally valuable in navigating the complexities of cultural and organizational change within higher education institutions.
The workshop series provided insightful strategies and practical approaches tailored to the unique challenges faced by leaders in colleges and universities. From fostering innovation to assembling successful leadership teams, the sessions offered a comprehensive roadmap for driving positive transformation within our organizations.
I highly recommend the Entrepreneuring Workshop Series to any leadership team seeking professional development opportunities. The knowledge and skills gained from this program have equipped me with the tools needed to lead with confidence and effectiveness in today's rapidly evolving higher education landscape.
Dr. Michael Fischer
President of York County Community College
The workshops were not only relevant, they generated practical take-aways that could be implemented immediately. As a direct result of the workshops, my institution developed a Promise tuition program, reworked an academic program to meet industry needs better, and generate several future innovative programs.
Connecting with innovative leaders like Dr. Box and Dr. Darden was inspirational and motivating. Specifically, the strategy and concept canvas are things we have implemented on campus.
Innovation cannot happen in a bubble. It happens through research, readings, and connecting with other innovative leaders. The HEI training captures all three components and provides leaders with an opportunity to learn and connect with accomplished innovators.
Dr. Cynthia Kelley
President of Madisonville Community College
"The President as Entrepreneur” workshop has been an incredible experience. I had the opportunity to learn from presidents from around the country. Sharing issues, ideas, and perspectives in a small group setting made the experience meaningful and worthwhile. The HEI staff was wonderful. They took a personal interest in each of us and tailored the workshops to our needs and interests. Best of all, I have a new network of colleagues that I call friends.
Dr. Linda Head
Senior Associate Vice Chancellor, External and Employer Partners, Lone Star College
The personal one-on-one advice and counsel has helped to validate the direction we were taking but more importantly, helped focus on those items most important to our commitment to student success rather than get distracted by the multitude of items we might get involved with that are not directly helping us help the community we serve.
(The most valuable take-away was the) focus on how to help our students obtain the training and education for their next career while also focusing on new ways to fund new models of doing so.
The national leaders who serve as coaches and advisors in this program can be trusted and truly want to make sure today’s community college leaders can be successful.
Dr. Jennifer Lindon
President/CEO, Hazard Community and Technical College
The HEI President as Entrepreneur Program is an excellent choice for new college presidents who want to prepare to address the challenges in today’s new and uncertain world of higher education. The intense sessions, opportunities for networking, and knowledgeable instructors grant a fresh perspective to leadership.
Dr. Bruce Gover
Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, Somerset Community College
The workshop has challenged me to think differently, more creatively, and the experience has helped me to become a more entrepreneurial-minded, innovative and transformative leader.
The most valuable takeaway – Entrepreneurial thinking can transform higher education because it disrupts and challenges the status quo (both individually and organizationally), provides unique angles for approaching traditional higher education issues, and because it influences and sustains a change in mindset and outlook that can lead to the discovery of new opportunities.
I thought the workshops were very well balanced in terms of content and are designed very well. The speakers were excellent, very experienced in their subject areas and provided engaging and thought-provoking sessions. The supporting materials and books were outstanding and worked well with the workshop content. The workshop (series) was outstanding.
Dr. Alesa Johnson
Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Somerset Community College
I think the workshop was informative and provided a diverse range of topics that are important for administrators to consider as they lead their institutions forward. I enjoyed listening to the various speakers and their personal insights/experiences.
I appreciated the fact that several of the key points made in this training solidified things I have been trying to do in my own organization. For example, I have stressed for years the importance of looking at our college as a “business” and for treating our students as “customers.” I have stressed how critical excellent customer service is to the success of our college. Unfortunately, not everyone believes that higher education is a “business” nor should we call our students “customers.”
I would recommend it (the workshop series) to other administrators at my level. I think it makes you think differently about what higher education is and how important it is to think more like a business vs. how we have traditionally thought in education.
Regarding the Book, Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education:
Dr. Roger Parrott
Belhaven University President
Comment on Dr. Mary Darden’s new book: "Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education: Radical Transformation in Times of Profound Change", which is used as the textbook for the Leadership Workshops:
Overflowing with applicable solutions, Mary’s book is not skewed by “what-if” dreaming, but instead offers realistic, reachable, and practical tools that presidents desperately need. Her research driven insights are refreshing, empowering, and courageous; this could be the key you’ve been seeking to dramatically change the trajectory of your university.
Dr. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
George Washington University President Emeritus
Comment on Dr. Mary Darden’s new book "Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education: Radical
Transformation in Times of Profound Change", which is used as the textbook for the Leadership Workshops:
“All will readily agree that these are biblical times. The challenges of race and virus of the past
two years and the demographic decline ahead provide higher education with an existential crisis.
Shakespeare tells us that King Richard III after his horse was killed in battle leaving him
vulnerable to his enemy cried out "a horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse." Mary Darden's
new book Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education "is a horse" for American higher
education. It is the steed which if read and consulted may assist academic leadership to both
overcome and flourish in the daunting days ahead. A companion in a struggle for radical
transformation at the crossroads of profound change, every trustee, president and dean will want
Darden's text to cover his/her six. Professors, students and their parents will find in these pages
added value and knowledge, as well. The formula for averting an oncoming disaster has been
captured in this wise volume by a professional leader and experienced scholar of the academic
enterprise. If King Richard III had been learned by Darden he might still be on the throne.