Aug. 8-9, a contingent of great minds will come together on the CC campus to collaborate about the challenges and benefits of implementing a successful professional development program. The Organizational Development Conference addresses professional development in institutions of higher education.
“Considering our interest in professional development, in workplace excellence, it makes sense for CC to not only host this conference, but to also actively partner with institutions across the country,” says Lisa Brommer, senior associate director of human resources.
It’s the sixth annual ODC and CC’s first time hosting. Wake Forest University initiated the event when CC President Jill Tiefenthaler was there as provost. “It’s an interesting connection, to have President Tiefenthaler providing support and leadership in making professional development a strategic priority at these two different institutions,” Brommer says. Tiefenthaler will give the opening keynote address on the importance of professional development in higher education.
Throughout the two-day conference, presenters will lead discussions on a variety of topics, from building a professional development program, to increasing staff engagement, to evaluation of PD resources. CC’s Paul Buckley, assistant vice president and director of the Butler Center, will lead a segment on diversity and inclusion in professional development, highlighting the “Good to Great: The Journey to Inclusion at CC” Excel@CC program.
“We’re really looking at how we make sense of professional development and package it differently. In a program like what we’ve done with Excel@CC, we’re able to pull it all together and embrace professional development as a part of our institution’s strategic plan,” says Brommer.
The attendee list includes 19 new attendees, which is exciting for the organizers, and one of the benefits of bringing the conference to the CC campus. “We’re able to diversify the conversation by broadening participation throughout this region,” says Brommer. “This is a phenomenal place and we want to share what we’re doing with others.”
The more than 30 participants represent 25 different institutions from across the country. Expect to see representatives from a range of colleges and institutions, from Baylor University to Virginia Tech, Columbia University to the University of San Diego, and many in between. They’ll be on campus, primarily in the Spencer Center, Aug. 7-9.
The conference is an opportunity for CC to continue to build its professional development program and to learn from and support colleagues at the other institutions. It’s also a way for CC to set an example of how PD can be done, and done well, in higher education. “We can really showcase our professional development program. We can show what we’re doing, talk about the support and the resources we have for Excel@CC, and that we have the ability to do what we believe is right for our employees. This is part of our commitment to the college,” says Brommer, “to further enhance our own professional development program.”
