Monday, February 27

Content Strategy in Higher Ed

Georgy Cohen

Principal and Founder, Crosstown Digital Communications LLC

Rick Allen

Principal, ePublish Media LLC

Everyone in higher education wants great and effective web content, but how do we make that happen? Where do we start? What are the challenges and solutions? Meet Georgy Cohen and Rick Allen, the founders of meetcontent.com, a site developed with the goal of enabling higher education institutions to create and sustain web content that works—useful, usable and on-brand, not to mention engaging and fun!

Maximizing Your Greatest Asset and Investment - Talent Management in Today's Environment

Jennifer McDonough

Partner, Bentz Whaley Flessner

This session will review the challenges and opportunities of recruiting in today's environment, building your optimal team and how to best define your institution as a talent magnet.

Aligning Fundraising Efforts for a New Generation of Donors

Jennifer Zaslow

Membership Director, Eduventures

Alexandra Faklis

Research Analyst, Eduventures

Over the last several years, as fundraising professionals we have witnessed a steady decline in alumni participation rates across the country, attributed in large part to the low number of young alumni donors. This session will further develop your understanding of what drives this younger generation and the most effective ways of reaching them.

Empowered Productivity: Win the War Against Information Overload

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

We live and work in an environment that creates more communication, responsibilities, and commitments than ever before.  The result is that we spend all of our time being reactive, and very little time being proactive.  Regain confidence, focus, and peace of mind by clearing out the clutter in your mental and physical workspace. Learn the top three productivity tips you aren’t using, putting you back in the driver’s seat of your life & work.

Fundraising Strategies in 2012

Laura Hansen Dean

Executive Director of Gift Planning, The University of Texas at Austin

This session will review fundraising strategies that may appeal to donors at different life stages, types of assets owned, and net worth in 2012; how blended gifts can result in “stretch” gifts; and working with donors and families who use community foundations and private family foundations to hold their permanent charitable assets. 

Measuring What Matters

Jennifer McDonough

Partner, Bentz Whaley Flessner

The session will begin with an overview of the most commonly used metrics in major gifts development work. From here, we will explore industry standards regarding the core elements inherent to any major gifts program including the potential of your constituency, the development of strategy statements, and strategy execution for individual prospects.  Lastly we will discuss the management and performance implications of Metrics.

Meaningful Experiences- Tips for Inspiring Your Volunteer Councils and Boards

Julie Hooper

Executive Director for Development, The University of Texas at Austin

Jim Noffke

Executive Director, Center for Enhancing Philanthropy, The University of Texas System

Serving on a volunteer council at UT institutions is a unique proposition.  How do we as development professionals ensure that the experience is meaningful for our volunteers…and meaningful for us?  This interactive session will draw from real life examples in identifying strategies and practical applications for maximizing volunteer engagement and volunteer impact at our institutions.

Giving Your Donors the Stewardship They Deserve

Jennifer Zaslow

Membership Director, Eduventures

Alexandra Faklis

Research Analyst, Eduventures

When it comes to stewardship, you can never do too much. The reality of limited resources, however, forces many development offices to make tough choices when it comes to stewardship. This session will cover the principles of effective stewardship programs, which arguably have the capability to serve all donors while maintaining the flexibility to be personalized for a smaller group of top donors.

Is it Time for a Re-Think of the Conventional Comprehensive Campaign?

Darrow Zeidenstein

Vice President for Resource Development, Rice University

The conventional comprehensive campaign has served higher education well, especially during buoyant economic times.  However, as the current economic malaise lingers and more development professionals question the wisdom of grandiose and expensive campaigns, there is a growing appetite to think about fundraising for higher education in different modalities.  In this presentation, the speaker argues that the conventional model is best understood as one of several possible fundraising strategies.  The speaker outlines an alternative fundraising strategy, entitled "micro campaigns," that addresses certain institutional goals and circumstances more optimally than the conventional fundraising model.

Control Your Attention, Control Your Life

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

Do you feel a little overwhelmed at the way technology is changing the way we interact, learn, and communicate?  Is multi-tasking the new norm, and if so, what are the implications for our attention, our concentration, and our relationships?  Program highlights include:  glimpses into the future of technology; the truth about multi-tasking; the most valuable skill for the future; techniques to maintain focus, even amid all the distractions; and ideas to control information and technology so it doesn’t control you!

A Donor's Perspective

Julius Glickman

Attorney, Glickman, Carter & Bachynysky, LLP and Philanthropist

Randa Safady

Vice Chancellor for External Relations, The University of Texas System

Hear firsthand from a prominent volunteer leader and philanthropist his motivations for giving, expectations of development officers and programs, and the importance of what you do. This special presentation will not only improve your work, but your donors will benefit as well.

When the International Opportunity Knocks

Aaron Conley

Vice President for Development, The University of Texas at Dallas

Patrick Mulvey

Vice President for Development, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

How well do you know your gift opportunities among international prospects? What would you do to cultivate an international prospect? MD Anderson and UT Dallas will share how both institutions identify international prospects, some opportunities for you to develop contacts in other countries, and recent successful approaches for closing international gifts.

Beyond the Basics with Database Management

Moderated by Laura Murray

Associate Vice President of Advancement Services & Administration, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Greg Cortez

Director of Data Services, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Rob Freas

Director of Data Management and Reporting, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

An interactive discussion on how to take The Raiser's Edge to the next level and go beyond basic database requests. Learn about customized views and reporting features. Discover additional ways to configure and present data. This session will focus on applications for the more experienced users, but will also be of interest to those just getting familiar with Raiser's Edge.

Reasons to Rethink Your Hispanic Marketing

Becky Arreaga

President, Mercury Mambo

We've seen record Hispanic enrollment across all our institutions, but are we doing our best in attracting this growing population? Learn how to better leverage academic success and educational excellence in all of your messaging while reaching out to this robust audience.

Tuesday, February 28

Renew, Upgrade, Recharge!

Chris Bingley

Vice President and Senior Consultant, RuffaloCODY

Connecting a donor's philanthropic passions with your institution through personal visits is essential to developing a leadership annual gift culture. We'll examine ways to enhance your systems, strategies, techniques, and research efforts for your next day of donor visits.

Gift Planning Donor Relations: How to Manage Challenging Situations and People

April Hampton Perez

Director of Gift Planning, The University of Texas at Austin

Jeff Glosser

Director of Gift Planning, The University of Texas at Austin

Every organization has prospects and donors who are difficult to handle.  Field officers are often caught directly in the line of fire, placed in challenging and sometimes uncomfortable positions with prospects and donors.  This session will prepare attendees to gracefully handle difficult situations from donor gift regret to the donor who wants more stewardship or personal favors to tackling the use of inappropriate language or behavior on a visit.  Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and concerns and any “real life examples” you would like to share with the group so we can all brainstorm on the best way to handle such situations. (Some examples are gift planning specific).

Coaching for Successful Outcomes

Susan Franzen

Director of The University of Texas System Leadership Institute

Today's knowledge workers require a leader who knows how to finesse, not demand. Nowhere is that more true than in offices of advancement. How individuals are led has a direct impact on how they treat others, and donors are no exception. In this engaging and interactive program, learn how to build a team where individuals hold each other accountable and coach each other for success.

Paving the Way to Your Campaign: Strategies for Engaging Faculty, Staff, Alumni, Donors and Friends

Betsy Clardy

Vice President and Chief Development Officer, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

This session will present creative approaches to engaging your key constituents through pre-campaign events, eStrategies, focused communications, and recruitment of regional leadership.

Business Etiquette: Everything Speaks, Even When You Are Not Saying a Word

Diane Gottsman

Etiquette and Communication Expert, The Protocol School of Texas

A nationally recognized etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, Diane Gottsman will provide us with her best tips, tidbits and tricks from some of her many workshop offerings. As a former fundraiser, Diane can relate to the many situations and circumstances advancement professionals encounter. Diane will cover such topics as: The Proper Introduction, Tips for Remembering Names, Body Language Basics, Handling Dining Situations, Conversation Skill Basics, Wardrobe Do's & Don'ts, and more!

Del dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho/Where the Tire Hits the Road: Get your Latino alumni base into your fundraising pipeline

Sylvia Acosta

Associate Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations, The University of Texas at El Paso

Celeste Mendoza

Associate Director for Development, Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin

David Onion

Senior Associate Vice President of Development, The University of Texas at Austin

Come learn more about the fastest growing alumni base on your campus  ̶  Latinos. UTEP’s Dr. Sylvia Acosta, along with UT Austin’s Celeste Mendoza and UT alumnus Priscilla Cortez, will provide you with research on this burgeoning group and purposeful ways you can engage and connect with your Latino alumni.

What "Leads" to Success

Ashley Pratka

Executive Director, Philanthropic Resources, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Suzanne Muchard

Executive Director, Philanthropic Resources, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

There is a lot to do and learn before you pick up the phone and schedule an appointment. How do we gather the information we need to know before we contact the prospect, how to we get the prospective donor to accept our appointment and how do we know when the prospect is prepared for the ask? This interactive session will provide insight on how UT MD Anderson's red team and blue team have developed a successful strategy for preparing their staff for successful solicitations through asking the right questions that lead to meaningful discussions.

Making the Ask of Your Database

Moderated by Laura Murray

Associate Vice President of Advancement Services & Administration, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Greg Cortez

Director of Data Services, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Rob Freas

Director of Data Management and Reporting, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Many of us have been using The Raiser’s Edge for several years, but are we getting the most out of it?  This session will focus on the fundamentals of database management, generating standard report  and lists requests, as well as tips and tricks for time-saving techniques.  This interactive session will provide participants the opportunity to gather and share ideas of how to make things work better in The Raiser’s Edge, how to get the right mail pieces to the right constituents with the right names and addresses and how to avoid common and problematic mistakes.  This session will be helpful for both new users and experienced users that wish to brush up on their skills.

Monday, February 27

Content Strategy in Higher Ed

Georgy Cohen

Principal and Founder, Crosstown Digital Communications LLC

Rick Allen

Principal, ePublish Media LLC

Everyone in higher education wants great and effective web content, but how do we make that happen? Where do we start? What are the challenges and solutions? Meet Georgy Cohen and Rick Allen, the founders of meetcontent.com, a site developed with the goal of enabling higher education institutions to create and sustain web content that works—useful, usable and on-brand, not to mention engaging and fun!

Maximizing Your Greatest Asset and Investment - Talent Management in Today's Environment

Jennifer McDonough

Partner, Bentz Whaley Flessner

This session will review the challenges and opportunities of recruiting in today's environment, building your optimal team and how to best define your institution as a talent magnet.

From Drab to FAB: The Art of Marketing Conversation

Dave Wenger

Director of Communications, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin

Perspective is everything. In this session, you’ll learn how to sharpen, freshen and give power to marketing messages through a F-A-B (Features-Advantages-Benefits) message development process that will help you tell the right story to the right audience in the right venue.

Empowered Productivity: Win the War Against Information Overload

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

We live and work in an environment that creates more communication, responsibilities, and commitments than ever before.  The result is that we spend all of our time being reactive, and very little time being proactive.  Regain confidence, focus, and peace of mind by clearing out the clutter in your mental and physical workspace. Learn the top three productivity tips you aren’t using, putting you back in the driver’s seat of your life & work.

Predicting the Texas Economic Future: What to expect in the next state budget

The Honorable Talmadge Heflin

Director, Center for Fiscal Policy

Dale Craymer

President, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association

Billy Hamilton

Adjunct Professor of Public Affairs, The LBJ School of Public Affairs

The state of Texas' economy has a direct effect on all aspects of The University of Texas System, including both state appropriations and philanthropic support. This panel will discuss the economic outlook in Texas for 2012 and 2013 and what that outlook means for the Texas Legislature in producing a state budget when it convenes in January 2013.

Political Pundits Prognosticate and Purvey Rumor, Gossip, and Hearsay

Jim Henson

Director, Texas Politics Project, The University of Texas at Austin Department of Government

Harvey Kronberg

Editor and Publisher, The Quorum Report

Dave McNeely

Syndicated Columnist

Three widely read political writers and a pollster review Texas politics in a presidential election year.

Control Your Attention, Control Your Life

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

Do you feel a little overwhelmed at the way technology is changing the way we interact, learn, and communicate?  Is multi-tasking the new norm, and if so, what are the implications for our attention, our concentration, and our relationships?  Program highlights include:  glimpses into the future of technology; the truth about multi-tasking; the most valuable skill for the future; techniques to maintain focus, even amid all the distractions; and ideas to control information and technology so it doesn’t control you!

Campus Political Activities in an Election Season

Natalia Ashley

General Counsel, Texas Ethics Commission

Leo Barnes

Associate Vice President of Legal Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin

Karen Lundquist

Senior Attorney and Ethics Advisor, The University of Texas System

Three attorneys knowledgeable in the law governing campaigns, ethics, and higher education discussion limits on political activities on campus, including on-campus press conferences, speeches, or other activities of candidates for office; political activities of students, faculty, and staff; distribution and display of political information on campus; and campus free-speech forums.

Tuesday, February 28

Coaching for Successful Outcomes

Susan Franzen

Director of The University of Texas System Leadership Institute

Today's knowledge workers require a leader who knows how to finesse, not demand. Nowhere is that more true than in offices of advancement. How individuals are led has a direct impact on how they treat others, and donors are no exception. In this engaging and interactive program, learn how to build a team where individuals hold each other accountable and coach each other for success.

UTSA Football-Birth of a Program

Marjie French

Vice President for University Advancement, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Eric Gentry

Associate Vice President for Development

Jim Mickey

Associate Vice President for Alumni Programs & Marketing

Jim Goodman

Associate Athletic Director-Marketing

Launching a new NCAA Division 1 football team takes a solid game plan on and off the field. In this session, UTSA’s vice president for university advancement will give you highlights of the Roadrunners’ first year and share her insights about how cross-functional teams can work together to ensure seamless communications and development efforts that roll out a winning brand.

Business Etiquette: Everything Speaks, Even When You Are Not Saying a Word

Diane Gottsman

Etiquette and Communication Expert, The Protocol School of Texas

A nationally recognized etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, Diane Gottsman will provide us with her best tips, tidbits and tricks from some of her many workshop offerings. As a former fundraiser, Diane can relate to the many situations and circumstances advancement professionals encounter. Diane will cover such topics as: The Proper Introduction, Tips for Remembering Names, Body Language Basics, Handling Dining Situations, Conversation Skill Basics, Wardrobe Do's & Don'ts, and more!

Is Social Media Helping Your University?

Cindy Royal

Associate Professor, School of Journalism, Texas State University

Homero Gil De Zuniga

Assistant Professor, School of Journalism, University of Texas Press, The University of Texas at Austin

A panel of faculty experts on social media offers insight on measuring the impact of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook in helping promote institutions, and discusses which strategies are best for getting your messages noticed.

Top of page

Communications/Marketing

Monday, February 27

Content Strategy in Higher Ed

Georgy Cohen

Principal and Founder, Crosstown Digital Communications LLC

Rick Allen

Principal, ePublish Media LLC

Everyone in higher education wants great and effective web content, but how do we make that happen? Where do we start? What are the challenges and solutions? Meet Georgy Cohen and Rick Allen, the founders of meetcontent.com, a site developed with the goal of enabling higher education institutions to create and sustain web content that works—useful, usable and on-brand, not to mention engaging and fun!

Maximizing Your Greatest Asset and Investment - Talent Management in Today's Environment

Jennifer McDonough

Partner, Bentz Whaley Flessner

This session will review the challenges and opportunities of recruiting in today's environment, building your optimal team and how to best define your institution as a talent magnet.

Empowered Productivity: Win the War Against Information Overload

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

We live and work in an environment that creates more communication, responsibilities, and commitments than ever before.  The result is that we spend all of our time being reactive, and very little time being proactive.  Regain confidence, focus, and peace of mind by clearing out the clutter in your mental and physical workspace. Learn the top three productivity tips you aren’t using, putting you back in the driver’s seat of your life & work.

From Drab to FAB: The Art of Marketing Conversation

Dave Wenger

Director of Communications, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin

Perspective is everything. In this session, you’ll learn how to sharpen, freshen and give power to marketing messages through a F-A-B (Features-Advantages-Benefits) message development process that will help you tell the right story to the right audience in the right venue.

Finish@UT

Laura Kunz

Director of Client Services, Hahn, Texas Communications

Martha Ellis

Associate Vice Chancellor for Community College Partnerships, The University of Texas System

Dr. Pete Smith

Associate Vice President and Director-Office of the Provost and V. P. for Academic Affairs, The University of Texas at Arlington

This panel session focuses on collaboration and communications across institutions to launch a campaign. Finish@UT is a collaborative effort between UT System, UTPB, UTEP and UTA; targets working adults who have some college credit but not a degree. The program enables prospective students to complete their degrees online. Technology is housed at UTA, identity and brand developed with Hahn, Texas (an outside agency.) This effort encompasses a broad range of communications efforts—social media, website design, experiential marketing, identity and branding, working with an outside agency and what that entails, etc.

Control Your Attention, Control Your Life

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

Do you feel a little overwhelmed at the way technology is changing the way we interact, learn, and communicate?  Is multi-tasking the new norm, and if so, what are the implications for our attention, our concentration, and our relationships?  Program highlights include:  glimpses into the future of technology; the truth about multi-tasking; the most valuable skill for the future; techniques to maintain focus, even amid all the distractions; and ideas to control information and technology so it doesn’t control you!

Reasons to Rethink Your Hispanic Marketing

Becky Arreaga

President, Mercury Mambo

We've seen record Hispanic enrollment across all our institutions, but are we doing our best in attracting this growing population? Learn how to better leverage academic success and educational excellence in all of your messaging while reaching out to this robust audience.

Tuesday, February 28

Coaching for Successful Outcomes

Susan Franzen

Director of The University of Texas System Leadership Institute

Today's knowledge workers require a leader who knows how to finesse, not demand. Nowhere is that more true than in offices of advancement. How individuals are led has a direct impact on how they treat others, and donors are no exception. In this engaging and interactive program, learn how to build a team where individuals hold each other accountable and coach each other for success.

UTSA Football-Birth of a Program

Marjie French

Vice President for University Advancement, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Eric Gentry

Associate Vice President for Development

Jim Mickey

Associate Vice President for Alumni Programs & Marketing

Jim Goodman

Associate Athletic Director-Marketing

Launching a new NCAA Division 1 football team takes a solid game plan on and off the field. In this session, UTSA’s vice president for university advancement will give you highlights of the Roadrunners’ first year and share her insights about how cross-functional teams can work together to ensure seamless communications and development efforts that roll out a winning brand.

Business Etiquette: Everything Speaks, Even When You Are Not Saying a Word

Diane Gottsman

Etiquette and Communication Expert, The Protocol School of Texas

A nationally recognized etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, Diane Gottsman will provide us with her best tips, tidbits and tricks from some of her many workshop offerings. As a former fundraiser, Diane can relate to the many situations and circumstances advancement professionals encounter. Diane will cover such topics as: The Proper Introduction, Tips for Remembering Names, Body Language Basics, Handling Dining Situations, Conversation Skill Basics, Wardrobe Do's & Don'ts, and more!

Is Social Media Helping Your University?

Cindy Royal

Associate Professor, School of Journalism, Texas State University

Homero Gil De Zuniga

Assistant Professor, School of Journalism, University of Texas Press, The University of Texas at Austin

A panel of faculty experts on social media offers insight on measuring the impact of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook in helping promote institutions, and discusses which strategies are best for getting your messages noticed.

Monday, February 27

Content Strategy in Higher Ed

Georgy Cohen

Principal and Founder, Crosstown Digital Communications LLC

Rick Allen

Principal, ePublish Media LLC

Everyone in higher education wants great and effective web content, but how do we make that happen? Where do we start? What are the challenges and solutions? Meet Georgy Cohen and Rick Allen, the founders of meetcontent.com, a site developed with the goal of enabling higher education institutions to create and sustain web content that works—useful, usable and on-brand, not to mention engaging and fun!

Maximizing Your Greatest Asset and Investment - Talent Management in Today's Environment

Jennifer McDonough

Partner, Bentz Whaley Flessner

This session will review the challenges and opportunities of recruiting in today's environment, building your optimal team and how to best define your institution as a talent magnet.

Strategic Event Planning: Begin with the end in mind

Debbie Wood

Director of Special Events, The University of Texas at Tyler

Ms. Wood will cover the need to have a clear vision and purpose for your event and show how every decision you make must be tied back to the goals and objectives of the event. Examples will be given of the various university events and she will explain how choices have been made for each and at the same time sharing the need for a WOW factor! Ms. Wood will also discuss the importance of being connected in one's community and field.

Empowered Productivity: Win the War Against Information Overload

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

We live and work in an environment that creates more communication, responsibilities, and commitments than ever before.  The result is that we spend all of our time being reactive, and very little time being proactive.  Regain confidence, focus, and peace of mind by clearing out the clutter in your mental and physical workspace. Learn the top three productivity tips you aren’t using, putting you back in the driver’s seat of your life & work.

Inventive Events: Planning successful events with reduced budgets and limited resources

Lee Bash

Executive Director of University Events, The University of Texas at Austin

Linda Abbey

Vice Provost's Office- Constituent Relations Officer, The University of Texas at Austin

Terry Giles

Administrative Associate- School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin

Nancy Hatchett

Associate Director of External Affairs- Department of Computer Science, The University of Texas at Austin

Stacy Manning

Associate Director of Constituent and Alumni Relations- School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin

Erica Saenz

Diversity and Community Engagement Officer for Community Relations, The University of Texas at Austin

Susie Smith

Director- Texas Parents, The University of Texas at Austin

How can you produce events in this age of limited resources and declining budgets? Need solutions for the strategic, big picture as well as the tactical, on-the-ground challenges? Join us for a conversation with event planners from across UT Austin who are working within budget and resource constraints to produce successful events that engage their constituencies and achieve their goals.

Control Your Attention, Control Your Life

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

Do you feel a little overwhelmed at the way technology is changing the way we interact, learn, and communicate?  Is multi-tasking the new norm, and if so, what are the implications for our attention, our concentration, and our relationships?  Program highlights include:  glimpses into the future of technology; the truth about multi-tasking; the most valuable skill for the future; techniques to maintain focus, even amid all the distractions; and ideas to control information and technology so it doesn’t control you!

A Donor's Perspective

Julius Glickman

Attorney, Glickman, Carter & Bachynysky, LLP and Philanthropist

Randa Safady

Vice Chancellor for External Relations, The University of Texas System

Hear firsthand from a prominent volunteer leader and philanthropist his motivations for giving, expectations of development officers and programs, and the importance of what you do. This special presentation will not only improve your work, but your donors will benefit as well.

When the International Opportunity Knocks

Aaron Conley

Vice President for Development, The University of Texas at Dallas

Patrick Mulvey

Vice President for Development, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

How well do you know your gift opportunities among international prospects? What would you do to cultivate an international prospect? MD Anderson and UT Dallas will share how both institutions identify international prospects, some opportunities for you to develop contacts in other countries, and recent successful approaches for closing international gifts.

Tuesday, February 28

Paving the Way to Your Campaign: Strategies for Engaging Faculty, Staff, Alumni, Donors and Friends

Betsy Clardy

Vice President and Chief Development Officer, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

This session will present creative approaches to engaging your key constituents through pre-campaign events, eStrategies, focused communications, and recruitment of regional leadership.

Coaching for Successful Outcomes

Susan Franzen

Director of The University of Texas System Leadership Institute

Today's knowledge workers require a leader who knows how to finesse, not demand. Nowhere is that more true than in offices of advancement. How individuals are led has a direct impact on how they treat others, and donors are no exception. In this engaging and interactive program, learn how to build a team where individuals hold each other accountable and coach each other for success.

UTSA Football-Birth of a Program

Marjie French

Vice President for University Advancement, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Eric Gentry

Associate Vice President for Development

Jim Mickey

Associate Vice President for Alumni Programs & Marketing

Jim Goodman

Associate Athletic Director-Marketing

Launching a new NCAA Division 1 football team takes a solid game plan on and off the field. In this session, UTSA’s vice president for university advancement will give you highlights of the Roadrunners’ first year and share her insights about how cross-functional teams can work together to ensure seamless communications and development efforts that roll out a winning brand.

Business Etiquette: Everything Speaks, Even When You Are Not Saying a Word

Diane Gottsman

Etiquette and Communication Expert, The Protocol School of Texas

A nationally recognized etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, Diane Gottsman will provide us with her best tips, tidbits and tricks from some of her many workshop offerings. As a former fundraiser, Diane can relate to the many situations and circumstances advancement professionals encounter. Diane will cover such topics as: The Proper Introduction, Tips for Remembering Names, Body Language Basics, Handling Dining Situations, Conversation Skill Basics, Wardrobe Do's & Don'ts, and more!

Monday, February 27

Meeting of Governmental Relations Professionals

Barry McBee

Vice Chancellor and Chief Governmental Relations Officer, The University of Texas System

Closed session for Governmental Relations members from UT System and the UT campuses.

Predicting the Texas Economic Future: What to expect in the next state budget

The Honorable Talmadge Heflin

Director, Center for Fiscal Policy

Dale Craymer

President, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association

Billy Hamilton

Adjunct Professor of Public Affairs, The LBJ School of Public Affairs

The state of Texas' economy has a direct effect on all aspects of The University of Texas System, including both state appropriations and philanthropic support. This panel will discuss the economic outlook in Texas for 2012 and 2013 and what that outlook means for the Texas Legislature in producing a state budget when it convenes in January 2013.

Empowered Productivity: Win the War Against Information Overload

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

We live and work in an environment that creates more communication, responsibilities, and commitments than ever before.  The result is that we spend all of our time being reactive, and very little time being proactive.  Regain confidence, focus, and peace of mind by clearing out the clutter in your mental and physical workspace. Learn the top three productivity tips you aren’t using, putting you back in the driver’s seat of your life & work.

Political Pundits Prognosticate and Purvey Rumor, Gossip, and Hearsay

Jim Henson

Director, Texas Politics Project, The University of Texas at Austin Department of Government

Harvey Kronberg

Editor and Publisher, The Quorum Report

Dave McNeely

Syndicated Columnist

Three widely read political writers and a pollster review Texas politics in a presidential election year.

Control Your Attention, Control Your Life

Maura Thomas

Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

Do you feel a little overwhelmed at the way technology is changing the way we interact, learn, and communicate?  Is multi-tasking the new norm, and if so, what are the implications for our attention, our concentration, and our relationships?  Program highlights include:  glimpses into the future of technology; the truth about multi-tasking; the most valuable skill for the future; techniques to maintain focus, even amid all the distractions; and ideas to control information and technology so it doesn’t control you!

Campus Political Activities in an Election Season

Natalia Ashley

General Counsel, Texas Ethics Commission

Leo Barnes

Associate Vice President of Legal Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin

Karen Lundquist

Senior Attorney and Ethics Advisor, The University of Texas System

Three attorneys knowledgeable in the law governing campaigns, ethics, and higher education discussion limits on political activities on campus, including on-campus press conferences, speeches, or other activities of candidates for office; political activities of students, faculty, and staff; distribution and display of political information on campus; and campus free-speech forums.

Tuesday, February 28

Coaching for Successful Outcomes

Susan Franzen

Director of The University of Texas System Leadership Institute

Today's knowledge workers require a leader who knows how to finesse, not demand. Nowhere is that more true than in offices of advancement. How individuals are led has a direct impact on how they treat others, and donors are no exception. In this engaging and interactive program, learn how to build a team where individuals hold each other accountable and coach each other for success.

Business Etiquette: Everything Speaks, Even When You Are Not Saying a Word

Diane Gottsman

Etiquette and Communication Expert, The Protocol School of Texas

A nationally recognized etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, Diane Gottsman will provide us with her best tips, tidbits and tricks from some of her many workshop offerings. As a former fundraiser, Diane can relate to the many situations and circumstances advancement professionals encounter. Diane will cover such topics as: The Proper Introduction, Tips for Remembering Names, Body Language Basics, Handling Dining Situations, Conversation Skill Basics, Wardrobe Do's & Don'ts, and more!