Building and maintaining a higher ed website is too big a task for any single person. Even those heroic “armies of one” (we see you, friends!) who manage their school’s sites on their own still have to deal with navigating intrapersonal relationships and politics throughout the rest of the institution, not to mention dealing with contractors, student workers and the stresses of ever-growing responsibilities and ever-shrinking budgets. And with larger organizations, these issues may be amplified even further. The “Supporting Our Teams” track is here to help you face all of these challenges.
Whether you’re a member of the front office, an everyday starter or a utility player coming off the bench, getting the whole organization to work together toward a common goal is the reason we all show up at the ballpark — er, office — every day. Melissa Van de Werfhorst will look at how smaller organizations within a larger institution can deal with being a “brand within a brand.” Jeff Stevens will talk about how to build a “content fellowship” across your campus while Kate Post and Anna Harris discuss how to get your technical and marketing teams on the same page. Laura Garling will show us how making your development process people-centered can improve your products, while Karlyn Borysenko addresses the psychology behind dreaded office politics.
Managers have their own set of struggles, as their decisions can affect every aspect of the organization. For this group, Sean Flynn will help us make tough decisions through the use of data, Catherine Scholz discusses how to effectively manage a team of diverse skillsets and Joel Vertin provides a crash course on leadership and organizational tactics that will make you “the MVP of managers.”
Sometimes the best way to make our teams better is actually to take better care of ourselves; after all, even elite athletes need to spend some time on the trainer’s table. Donna Talarico will host a panel on navigating the side hustles that so many of us take on, and Karli Champ will help us learn how to avoid burnout.
In the higher ed web world, we rarely get those moments of being soaked with champagne in the locker room. But the talented lineup of speakers in the #TEA track will help you set your teams up for success, and help you better savor wins both big and small.
Aaron Rester
Sarah Maxell Crosby
HighEdWeb Program Committee, Supporting Our Teams track co-chairs
