Faculty Development Workshops
   
 

Customer Service and Faculty Buy-In
   
 

Duration

3.5 hours (half-day)
   
 

Synopsis

What exactly does “customer service” mean in a two-year college context? How do you improve it? And why is it that faculty members—the ones who have the most direct contact with students—always seem to roll their eyes and dig in their heels whenever the subject comes up? The half-day seminar, “Customer Service and Faculty Buy-In,” is ideal for two-year college presidents and other upper-level administrators who have been struggling to improve customer service on their campuses, battling faculty misconceptions, and wondering how to bring everybody on board as they seek to move forward with these important initiatives. The workshop is lead by Prof. Rob Jenkins. Best known for his popular “Two-Year Track” columns in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Rob Jenkins has earned a national reputation as an advocate for community colleges and as an authority on two-year college issues. During his 23-year career—all spent at two-year schools—he has served as a part-time faculty member, a full-time faculty member, a department chair, an academic dean, and a program director.
   
 

Objectives

At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Define the term “customer service” as it relates to various constituencies at the college—including, ultimately, students.
  • Apply the elements of customer service to determine when and how those concepts apply to students—and when and how they don't.
  • Identify and discuss the various roles of the faculty member within a typical two-year college structure.
  • Address the question of how and when the elements of customer service apply to faculty members—and when and how they don't.
  • Articulate why faculty members resist the term "customer service" in its usual application.
  • Devise specific strategies, language, and approaches for encouraging faculty buy-in to their customer service efforts.
  • Envision newly devised strategies as part of an overall customer service improvement program..

If you would like additional information or would like to schedule this workshop at your institution, please contact the Academy for Academic Leadership.
 

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