Your Career: How to Plan a Faculty and Staff Retreat That People Actually Value

A useful work retreat can reveal whether management is attentive, or not. ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. A useful work retreat can reveal whether management is attentive, or not. It’s not simply that “poor” leaders run poor retreats and “good” leaders run better ones. It’s more about the retreat itself: Is it well-timed? Have organizers gathered comments on what people want to get out of the retreat? And was their input actually followed in the planning and execution of the event? A good retreat can produce proposals that people truly want to follow. Here are some tips to guide you: - Don’t be too attached to your own agenda. Allow participants the freedom to choose which topics interest them, rather than forcing everyone to discuss the same thing at the same time. That will reveal what people care about most. If no one attends a particular topic discussion, for example, that tells you how well people are likely to support that issue moving forward. - Mix it up. No one wants to attend an all-day retreat that is basically a glorified version of a regular staff or faculty meeting (except painfully longer). The same loud voices dominate the conversation and the same breakdowns occur over hot-button issues. A retreat will be more productive — and certainly more pleasant — if it offers a mix of activities, discussion groups, and ways of participating. Continue reading: “[There Is Such a Thing as a Good Retreat]( by Rob Kramer Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT UPCOMING EVENT [Join us August 2-19]( for a virtual professional development program on overcoming the challenges of the department chair role and creating a strategic vision for individual and departmental growth. [Reserve your spot now](. Space is limited. Latest Career Advice, Opinion, and News COMPENSATION [Faculty-Pay Survey Records the Largest One-Year Drop Ever]( By Isha Trivedi [STORY IMAGE]( Average salaries fell 5 percent in the 2021-22 academic year when adjusted for inflation, according to the American Association of University Professors. SPONSOR CONTENT | Iowa State University [At Iowa State, innovation isn’t a buzzword. It’s a way of life.]( ADVERTISEMENT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING [After a Fraught Semester, a University Wrestles With the Meaning of ‘Shared Governance’]( By Isha Trivedi [STORY IMAGE]( A graduate-student strike at Indiana University has divided faculty members and college leaders. LEADERSHIP [Confirming Faculty Fears, Purdue’s Board Chair Says Trustees Chose President Like a Business]( By Eric Kelderman [STORY IMAGE]( While searches for college leaders have become more secretive in recent years, the university may have set a new precedent for opacity. ADVICE [The More You Know About Your Students, the More Inclusive You Can Be in the Classroom]( By Viji Sathy, Kelly A. Hogan, and Bob Henshaw [STORY IMAGE]( How to get started building a demographic-data tool to improve teaching. TITLE IX AT 50 [Colleges Should Pay Up When They Mishandle Harassment, a Title IX Pioneer Says]( By Nell Gluckman [STORY IMAGE]( On the 50th anniversary of the gender-equity law, Ann Olivarius reflects on decades of fighting sexual misconduct. GAZETTE [Transitions: U. of Wisconsin at Madison Names New Chancellor; Portland State U. President to Step Down]( By Julia Piper [STORY IMAGE]( Jennifer L. Mnookin will succeed Rebecca Blank as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Building a Faculty That Flourishes]( [Building a Faculty That Flourishes]( Colleges and universities cannot be successful without vibrant and engaged faculties. Now is the time to figure out sustainable ways to recruit, support, and diversify the faculty. [Order your copy today.]( SPONSOR CONTENT | University of Arizona [University of Arizona Launches New Era in Space Observation and Student Success]( UArizona space missions and campus innovation break records in astronomy research and student success. What we’re reading. Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - The latest annual report on faculty salaries is out from the American Association of University Professors. Beyond the Chronicle’s [coverage]( you can read the full AAUP report [here](. - In the Harvard Business Review, [a look]( at how “small actions make great leaders.” - Science magazine [reports]( on a new study that showed “women are credited less” as authors on research teams than men “at the same career stage.” More Career Resources [The Student-Data Challenge: Smart Interventions]( [STORY IMAGE]( UPCOMING: June 28 | 2 p.m. ET: More colleges collect student data, but many struggle to use it to support student success. In this forum, learn how to use predictive analytics and data-driven strategies for that purpose. With Support From AWS. [Register here.]( PRESIDENTIAL PAY [Executive Compensation at Public and Private Colleges]( By Julia Piper and Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( The Chronicle’s database includes the latest salary information, plus years of data, on more than 1,700 chief executives at more than 600 private colleges and nearly 290 public universities and systems. PAY UPDATE [How Much Has Faculty Pay Changed Over Time?]( By Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( See the latest federal data on compensation for all ranks of the profession at thousands of American colleges. ADVICE [Advice Finder]( [STORY IMAGE]( Want to advance your career? Improve your institution? Our academic experts have guidance for you, and we’ve made it easy to find. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [NON-TENURE-TRACK POSITIONS]( University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa [Digital Initiatives Librarian]( Arizona State University Libraries [Processing Archivist]( Arizona State University Libraries [Department Manager - CVM Microbiology and Immunology]( Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine [Assistant Controller]( St. Lawrence University [Dean of the College of Architecture]( University of Nebraska at Lincoln [Presidential Search]( Berea College [Assistant Director of Marketing and Content Strategy]( St. Lawrence University [Global Search for Chair Professors / Professors / Associate Professors / Assistant Professors / Research Assistant Professors]( THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY [Search other jobs.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037