And Carrie On

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to take part in the annual CASE IV Conference in Dallas.

The conference was my first professional development conference, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. The organization – and the district – saw potential in me long before I ever did. They welcomed me to tables my title and experience didn’t merit simply because leaders saw something in an eager volunteer.

Now, nearly 20 years later, I have the honor of serving as Chair of the District. It’s such privilege to lead a group of fantastic volunteers as we write the history of how our professional association operates in a new paradigm.

This year’s conference was a great one, and Rebecca Nievar and Kevin Fralicks did a phenomenal job putting it together.

My Takeaways

Here are four takeaways from the conference that I had:

AI is Still a Challenge

I sat in several sessions regarding how AI is being used in higher education. From sessions on fundraising, stewardship, and marketing, everyone seems in agreement that AI is not going anywhere. However, there are different levels of comfort associated with the tools. Our teams are still grappling with how to use these in a meaningful way. However, I can tell that teams are starting to get comfortable with using the tools. As leaders, I think we’re getting to the point that we have a role in the AI conversation. After giving our teams time to experiment, it’s quickly going to be up to us to create a culture that encourages AI be a formalized part of our processes.

Give Grace, and Lots of It

So much is being asked of our teams right now. Some of the challenges include legislative mandates, federal funding losses, changes to scholarship requirements, NIL, and much more. In one session, I talked about the work our web team had just completed, and I had an attendee come forward to say how much that meant to her as a member of her web team. Given these growing demands, it is important as leaders that we keep a temperature check on our teams and find ways to ease up when it’s needed.

There’s More Than One Right Answer

This is something I’ve heard for years, but it really stuck with me at the conference. The relationship between MarComm and our campus partners is a great example. In the New to the Profession Session, the different organizational structures came up. Some spoke to having a centralized MarComm shop, others had MarComm in the Advancement division, and still others were working to add a MarComm member to the division. Having worked in several different models during my tenure, I was able to speak to the different approaches, but more importantly, how to navigate those different scenarios. The conversation stuck with me that as leaders, it’s up to us to figure out the model that works best for our situation and model how to make it work. And, I do believe there can be multiple right answers.

Talk to People Intentionally

I had conversations with several people I knew but hadn’t deeply connected with before. As we shared more about our stories, I realized our paths were similar. Specifically, challenges we’ve faced, how we approach leadership, and how we came into our roles are eerily similar. Several of them are people I look up to and had no idea there stories were so similar to mine. Realizing that was incredibly affirming. I have often felt like an imposter, but hearing how I’m like some of the great leaders in our field gave me even more confidence in my approach.

What Were Your Takeaways?

If you attended the CASE IV conference, what were your top takeaways?

I’d love to hear what you and your team bringing back to apply. Feel free to drop your ideas in the comments.