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Communities of Practice
Boston Area Institutional Researchers (BAIR)
The Boston Area Institutional Researchers group meets 2-3 times per year. Areas of interest include data mining, fact books, focus groups, program evaluation, alumni services, national research council meeting, and U.S. News ranking analysis. The group members will frequently discuss internal and external demands facing the institutions. A portion of each meeting is devoted to problem solving an individual’s pressing challenge providing an opportunity to tap the expertise of their peers.
Benefits Group
The Benefits group initially came together to work on a life insurance issue and subsequently worked on dental insurance as well as health insurance issues. The first major project, the Pharmacy Benefit Carve-Out, initiated in the hope of realizing substantial cost savings, was documented in the publication of a Learning History. In 2001, five member schools collaborated and purchased a Long Term Care option for their schools.
The group uses meetings to learn of, monitor and discuss regulatory updates, changes in benefit options and new products including health and retirement plans and in 2006 Mass Healthcare Reform.
Career Center Directors
The Directors of the Career Centers, both graduate and undergraduate, at the institutions belonging to the Consortium, meet to discuss various topics such as how to engage students in the recruitment process. In addition, these professionals come together to collectively learn about the various products vendors offer to assist in the many aspects of career services whether it be assessment tools, resume writing, career advising, and/or interviewing skills.
Chief Human Resource Officers
The Chief Human Resource Officers (CHRO) group of the Consortium meets monthly to exchange information, identify and address issues of common concern. As senior administrators, they have often been the source of ideas that lead to initiatives conducted by several of the communities of practice falling into the HR function, including Employment Managers, Benefits and Organizational Development and Training. As early supporters of Consortium efforts, this close-knit group is a tremendous source of energy for all Consortium activities.
Controllers Group
Focusing on financial issues, the group currently has two primary functions: to identify and describe best practices among the schools for possible use by other schools, and to identify and describe anticipated broad changes in order to help colleagues plan for them. The group discusses best practices in implementing regulatory requirements, managing auditing services, taxation, business operations, both domestic and international, and other issues. Periodically, speakers are invited to attend a meeting presenting a topic of mutual interest.
Emeritus Group
The Consortium is proud to maintain a relationship with the first generation Consortium Board of Directors. These emeritus members have retired or accepted new challenges, yet remain a resource to the Consortium through their collective wisdom and experience. They are true to the core values they established.
Employment Managers Group
A major project for this group is the Shared Recruiting initiative, designed to identify and attract qualified applicants to member institutions. The primary focus of the initiative is diversity, and the project is multifaceted, encompassing a Web site with posted positions and links to each school, as well as print and electronic advertising. In addition, the members frequently attend career fairs to aid in the recruitment process and support minority professional group activities. This initiative has provided a unique opportunity for group development and has bonded members from participating schools, promoting discussion and exploration of ideas. Each year members attend a retreat to examine their past activities and set goals and priorities for the next year.
Environmental Health and Safety Group
The Environmental Health and Safety group (EHS) consists of Directors and staff of Environmental Health and Safety offices at the 14 Consortium schools. The EHS group
creates educational programs and technical resources that all schools can access, for example, information on hazardous materials, disaster equipment, and indoor-air
quality. The group has online training for Chemical Hygiene, Hazardous Communications and Hazardous Waste. In addition, the group shares best management practices and
information on broad EHS technical and regulatory trends and issues.
The Executive Leadership Series
The Executive Leadership Series was a novel interactive executive development series to help build leadership capacity within the Consortium's member organizations and
for the Consortium as a whole. In addition, the series fostered improved peer relationships and mutual learning. The breakfast meetings – facilitated by Joe Raelin,
Asa S. Knowles Chair of Practice-Oriented Education at Northeastern University – used a developmental approach to introduce participants to a work-based learning
methodology. The intent was for Consortium members to be comfortable managing in a world of complex change as well as capable of leadership that diverges from age-old
concepts of leading by control. This series inspired the development of the Susan Vogt Leadership Fellows Program which began in 2004.
Facilities
Chief Facility Officers convene two or three times a year to share developments at their schools and within their industry, often inviting outside speakers. Early efforts at benchmarking led to the utilization of the Sightlines ROPA© tool for comparing information and creating reports for colleague senior managers. Most recently the group has held energy seminars, hosting speakers from MassHEFA/PowerOptions, a representative from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as other leaders from the industry. In addition to topics such as energy management, speakers have presented on strategic campus planning and facilities procurement. The objective and hope is for this group to evolve into one of continual discussion of mutual interest.
IT/Library Communications & Outreach
A new Community of Practice dedicated to IT/Library Communications & Outreach was successfully launched in November 2007. The inaugural meeting featured a panel discussion with Q&A and planning for future discussion topics and goals for the group such as crisis communications, bringing communications into projects in the early stages, strategies for communicating with various constituencies, communication tools, dealing with surprises, and communication methods, formats and usability.
Information Technology Training Group
The Information Technology Training Group (ITTG) is an active functional group, and it continues to address the challenges of technology training. The ITTG meets to
address a wide variety of IT training issues. The group has been successful in researching and contracting with major vendors of classroom-based technology training
and now maintains a list of preferred and recommended partners for Consortium schools. ITTG has also developed a strong relationship with an online learning vendor,
offering self-paced software and soft skills training opportunities for our member institutions. These vendor relationships have resulted in substantial savings to
the Consortium schools.
In addition, the group recently negotiated the rights to training materials for the Office suite of products and have begun sharing their self-created materials among
the schools. Many members are active in professional associations including EDUCAUSE and NERCOMP. They have been published in national journals and have presented at
regional and national conferences.
IT User Services
The IT User Services group resulted from the requests of several User Service professionals seeking to share and learn from each other. The group explores common challenges and has targeted several issues to be addressed at future meetings. Topics include: understanding the implications of “blended groups” for IT services, reviewing Student Support policies, Service Level Agreements, and an overview of policies and services on each campus. Periodically this group meets in conjunction with the members of the Information Technology Training group around issues of mutual interest.
Internal Audit
This group meets to discuss and exchange information regarding the internal audit function at their institutions. These meetings have resulted in two initiatives: Internal Audit Director and IA Co-Source.
Organizational Development & Training
The Organizational Development and Training group is a peer support and information-sharing group of human resource, organizational development, and internal consultants. They share information and best practices, and sponsor learning opportunities including: Performance Management Systems, Mission and Core Values, Leadership Development, Competency Models, 360-degree Assessment, Coaching, Myers-Briggs, and Leadership and Influence and Department Chair Development. A recent project, Collaborative Design, has members developing training materials to be shared by member institutions.
Parent Relations
This community of practice originated from a Vogt Fellowship project. The group shares program models and has determined some future topics such as devising best practices, FERPA as it relates to parent relations work and developing a shared parent resources publication.
The Project Facilitators Network
The Project Facilitators Network (PFN) was a cross-functional community of practice, focused on strategies to facilitate effective meetings and projects leading to
positive change within the Consortium and its member schools. The group was self-organizing, utilizing a work-based learning methodology, and demonstrated mutual
support for its members through skill building, coaching, and networking. The group was called on to facilitate strategic meetings at member schools and for the
Consortium. Although the group no longer meets regularly, members continue to assist in facilitation.
Public Safety Group
The Public Safety group includes Public Safety Chiefs and Officers of our member schools. They meet to address challenges they face with the safety, security, and
protection of their institution, staff, and students. The group has been instrumental in developing Consortium emergency planning programs including the statewide
program, Data, Dialogue, Decision-Making: Disaster Planning for Higher Education. The Public Safety group spearheaded a training program on campus demonstrations,
Preparing for Protest: Meeting the Challenges of Campus Unrest. Currently group members are actively developing, testing, and sharing best practices of emergency
planning strategies. In addition, members continue to foster relationships with public agencies and their local communities.
Campus Police Information Network (CPIN)
Purchasing Group
While the Consortium does not act as a group purchasing organization (GPO), it does assist with synchronizing efforts that can lead to savings. An early effort to insure that our members participate in the state’s outstanding GPO (the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) for purchasing) resulted in TBC securing a permanent position on the MHEC Board.
Risk Management Group
Membership in the Risk Management Group is intended for the leader of each institution’s risk management practice. While the scope of each institution’s risk management influence and responsibility varies, this practice group provides a forum to discuss and validate the spectrum of insurance and risk management issues common to both large and small institutions. The Risk Management Group encourages innovation, shared efforts, benchmarking analysis and mutual learning through a collaborative design. Members support and actively participate in the URMIA (University Risk Management and Insurance Association) and RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society) organizations.
To learn more about the Risk Management Group, contact Ed Frackiewicz, Director of Risk Management, Co-Sourced Risk Management Services, at edward.frackiewicz@olin.edu.
Sponsored Research Group
The Sponsored Research group has been instrumental in bringing vital training to member institution employees. NCURA and TBC have collaborated to bring faculty to the Boston area. This training, primarily available outside of New England, has been sponsored twice in Boston, resulting in considerable cost savings to group members. In addition, the group conducts a quarterly roundtable meeting at which they explore issues common to the group.
Student Health
The participants of this group gather to exchange information and discuss medical and dental insurance for students. Information sharing proves to be a valuable tool for these professionals working with the ever-changing industry of insurances. The group was formed out of curiosity of where the health costs of one institution were in comparison to others. Given the group continues to find mutual benefits it will likely meet 3-4 times a year.
Telecom Group
The Telecom group consists primarily of the Telecommunications Directors from the 14 Consortium schools. The group's two key functions are to share information on best practices for possible use by other schools and to share information on broad industry trends to enable members to plan appropriately. Through group discussion and expert presentations members continue to be informed of the latest trends in technology and higher education applications.
The Training Collaborative
The Training Collaborative, comprised of representatives from TBC member institutions – Babson College, Boston College, Berklee College of Music, Brandeis University, Wellesley College, and Wheaton College - is committed to providing employees with the training they need to succeed in their work environments, while affording opportunities to network with colleagues from other area institutions. Working together, The Training Collaborative designs unique, comprehensive programs to address mutual needs within the member schools while taking advantage of cost-sharing initiatives.
The group has designed two certification programs: The Administrative Assistant Development Program and a supervisor program, Successful Management: What Every Supervisor Wants to Know.
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