Category: News

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Why “Business Continuity Planning” Has New Urgency for Universities

OVERVIEW

With the advent of increased natural disaster frequency, prevalence of cyber-attacks, and a global pandemic (COVID-19) that has plunged global marketplaces into precarious territory, organizations have more reason than ever to plan for unanticipated threats to their ability to conduct business and keep personnel and assets protected. Colleges and universities are no exception. Not only are enrollment cycles threatened but fundraising – ongoing and major campaigns – immediately began to see their investment portfolios and thus operating cash from endowments slide drastically while anticipated pledge payments started faltering.

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Software Programs for Virtual Team Management:  Popular Options

Before the CoronaVirus (COVID-19) outbreak, many companies were already operating with a remote workforce, but the traditional office environment remained the de facto way to conduct business. Now that people in cities and countries across the globe are quarantined for the foreseeable future, companies that previously may not have had much understanding of how to accommodate its workers remotely are scrambling to get up to speed. Fortunately, there are many programs—many of them free—that are quick to implement and enable personnel to stay on top of their tasks from home, even when collaborating as a team. Read more >

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Strategies to Effectively Manage Virtual Teams and Maintain Productivity

OVERVIEW

Companies with a global presence and offices and remote workers in multiple countries face a variety of challenges in maintaining productivity to ensure outcomes while managing employees and teams in multiple locations. Today, as organizations of all sizes transition rapidly to remote work, lessons from these organizations can help leapfrog them into the new mode of virtual work necessitated practically overnight by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Primary challenges include ensuring productivity from afar, establishing methods for effective communication, and streamlining project objectives and collaboration with multiple teams in far-flung locations. Broader challenges include differences in time zones, language fluency, navigating regulatory variations, understanding cultural norms, and bridging the gap between corporate and individual office policies. Read more >

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Trends and Best Practices in University Foundations

Known as Institutionally Related Foundations (IRFs), affiliated university foundations currently are formed and charged in various organizational and governance structures ranging from those focused only on endowment and resource investment to an evolving high-level integration with their university partners. Under all models, IRFs strive to secure predictable resources. As state legislatures decrease or hold the line on funding, public universities are more dependent on private philanthropic support and new revenue streams to accomplish institutional strategic priorities. This means that IRFs will continue to assume greater importance, and their aligned partnerships with university executives, development and alumni offices (if separate) and institutional academic and administrative leadership are crucial. Greater levels of integration, solid connectivity, streamlined systems and processes and new thinking across multiple functions are signs of such changing advancement partnerships. Read more >