Courtney Butler

My takeaway for this module would have to be the importance of value and committment of the advisory board members. The value of these individuals insight and feedback must be made clear in both the structure of the meetings and the action that results from their feedback. Sending out updates once a recommendation has been made and a program change has resulted will establish value to the board member's committment. Recognizing valued board members in various ways (awards, press releases, holding a banquet/luncheon in their honor, invitations to special events, etc.) can also help to retain members as they feel… >>>

My takeaway for this module would be the online presence. Making sure that our institution and programs have dedicated webpages for advisory board updates, member bios/company information, board news, special evets, etc. We can also use TEAMS  or some other common online resource to store board minutes/agendas, bylaws, new member orientation, program/currciulum information, news articles, press releases, and more. 

My takeaway from this module was the new board member welcome/orientation. I love the idea of creating a resource binder/notebook, a tour of the campus where the program(s) are, and providing articles/press releases  that speak to those programs, student activities, or graduate accomplishments. I also appreciated the ideas for communication in between meetings to keep your advisory board members engaged and updated with what's hapoening at the college, students events, etc. 

My takeaway for this module would be to tap into our advisory boards to address viable strategies and channels for advertising and/or marketing opportunities that might assist a specific program's visibility and enrollment. They may have suggestions for job boards, newsletters, etc. where we would be able to highlight our programs, recruit adjunct/faculty positons, etc. I think it's also important to advertise/highlight members of our advisory boards through our website, program catalogs, brochures, videos, flyers, etc. as it can make a difference in the interest and enrollment outcomes of our programs. 

My takeaway for this module was the importance of getting your institution's President involved in making a connection with industry partners/employers. It allows the President and the industry partner/employer to establish/build a relationship that enables the employer to feel valued and heard. Going back to the previous module, scheduling a meeting with the President and industry partner at the employer's site is key, and allows for the President to learn more about the employer and their needs. 

My takeaway from this module is the importance of recognizing our industry partners/employers. I love the idea of hosting an annual THANK YOU luncheon, and recognizing their efforts with awards - even sending thank you notes or swag items can be a great gesture. I also think it's important to highlight these success stories with industry partners/students in the institution's newsletter, and sharing that with the industry partner.

My take-away was the service-based pitch versus the mission-based pitch. I never realized how I've been actively doing the service-based pitch, and I learned how I can reframe my conversations with prospective industry partners to the mission-based pitch. Having concrete examples of outcomes, and a pitch that focuses on how the value and benefits of our instituitions services can offer soultions to the industry partners needs will help us differentiate from other instiutions/programs. 

What I learned is the importance of flexibility with industry partners, and to meet them where they're at (i.e. give space to build the relationship, and to allow the partner to voice what is in their capacity at the moment). An example of this would be in the employer service offerings. Due to COVID, maybe a partner can no longer host students/faculty/staff at their facilities, but giving the option to do a virtual visit where they can highlight the company, and the open internship/entry-level positions. You can be intentional in asking the company/organization for culturally diverse professionals to present on… >>>