Category: Spring Conference

  • My Aha Moments From the Spring Conference – CUPA-HR

    My Aha Moments From the Spring Conference – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | May 8, 2024

    This blog post was contributed by Jennifer Addleman, director of human resources at Rollins College and 2024-25 chair-elect for the CUPA-HR Southern Region board.

    Spring had sprung in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the CUPA-HR Spring Conference, where more than 400 higher ed HR pros had the opportunity to connect with and learn from some of the brightest HR leaders in higher education. From three dynamic keynotes to 29 interactive concurrent sessions, the conference provided a platform to engage in meaningful discussions, network with peers and gain valuable knowledge to help navigate the dynamic profession of higher ed HR.

    The conference was full of aha moments, and here are some of my key takeaways:

    • Kris McGuigan, founder and principal owner of Professional Courage, kicked off the conference by sharing tips on leading with purpose and confidence. During her keynote, we had the opportunity to reflect on our own personal values and how they align with change, and reviewed the principle of A.C.E.: acknowledge change, connect to change and embrace failure. Reminding us that there is no perfect time to start, Kris stressed that not changing is still choosing.
    • During the first concurrent session, Washington State University’s Paul Fleming McCullagh and Laura Hamilton shared how they created a professional development program for all employees. “If you can dream it, do it!”
    • Kevin McClure, Murphy distinguished scholar of education and associate professor of higher education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, gave a thought-provoking keynote on creating the “caring university.” He warned against toxic positivity and emphasized that creating a culture of care is a shared responsibility of the entire institution, and we reviewed the U.S. Surgeon General’s framework for mental well-being in the workplace. Kevin also suggested that institutions should humanize policies for real people and not ideal worker norms.
    • The affinity group lunch provided an opportunity for folks to connect with HR professionals who have similar interests and skills. I met HRIS colleagues who shared their challenges and best practices with systems. Data, data, data!
    • Andy Brantley (president and CEO of CUPA-HR), Jazzmine Clarke-Glover (vice president of workplace culture and inclusion at Wagner College), and Helena Rodrigues (senior vice president and chief human resources officer at the University of Arizona) led a roundtable discussion regarding HR’s role in creating inclusive campus communities. How do we reinforce our institutional values by ensuring all employees feel connected and supported? Some comments shared by the group included focusing on outcomes, making your institution a great place to work for everyone, fostering a safe space for challenging conversations, encouraging employees to build relationships, and developing inclusive policies.
    • We had the opportunity to network, connect and sing karaoke at the Punch Bowl Social reception, where I learned that we have some talented singers among our profession!
    • Keynote speaker Amy Wrzesniewski, William and Jacalyn Egan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, shared her research findings on job crafting and what makes our work meaningful. We were able to take a quiz to determine our career, calling, and job scores and how they impact our job satisfaction. Amy also shared that job crafting is an employee-driven activity but should be supported by managers. I left the session reflecting on the question, how I do I make the job my own?
    • John Whelan, vice president and CHRO at Yale University, and Michael Rask of Aon described the importance of a strategic plan for HR and how it’s like the sails on the organizational sailboat. They warned against committing to things we can’t deliver and shared that folks appreciate change when it is for them and through them, not to them.
    • This was my first time visiting Minneapolis, and I was pleasantly surprised by the art, culture and walkability. Thank you for the hospitality!
    • CUPA-HR continues to provide invaluable resources and conference experiences where everyone is willing to help each other and share their expertise. I feel energized catching up with friends I have come to know over the years and meeting new colleagues who share passion for what we do. Thank you to the CUPA-HR team, sponsors and presenters for a great event.
    • Finally, Andy Brantley summed up the Spring Conference well: “Your work matters. You matter more.”



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  • Living Our Values: Courage, Care and Calling at CUPA-HR’s Spring Conference – CUPA-HR

    Living Our Values: Courage, Care and Calling at CUPA-HR’s Spring Conference – CUPA-HR

    by Julie Burrell | May 2, 2024

    “Wherever we go, we are CUPA-HR.” That’s what CUPA-HR President Andy Brantley reminded members at the recent Spring Conference in Minneapolis. Though institutions differ in mission and scope and despite daily crises that threaten to divert attention from long-term goals, CUPA-HR members live their values every day.

    The keynote speakers struck a similar theme, encouraging attendees to align their internal values with work, tapping into courage, care and a sense of calling.

    The Courage to Embrace Failure

    In her opening keynote, Kris McGuigan, an author, executive coach and corporate trainer, emphasized the power of authenticity in helping to overcome fear. At some point in our lives, we have all allowed our fears — including of failure, inadequacy and uncertainty — to dictate our future. “How often do we identify that a path is not serving us, but we stay the course, we cling to the status quo?” But clinging to the status quo out of fear can lead to apathy and disengagement. This lack of motivation and confidence can be tied to the engagement crisis at work.

    Facing Down Fear of Failure

    McGuigan believes courageously embracing failure can help move employees past apathy and disengagement. One way to start embracing failure is by taking a cue from tech. In their relentless testing and pushing out new releases, tech adopts a model of “perpetual beta.” This allows for constant innovation, with failure built into the model. If something doesn’t work, it’s scrapped and fixed — think of your smart phone’s frequent software updates. McGuigan asked, how can higher ed leaders bring this model of embracing failure to their teams?

    Takeaway: Having the courage to embrace failure can increase engagement and satisfaction and decrease apathy and disengagement.

    Creating a Caring Campus

    In his keynote, Dr. Kevin R. McClure, Murphy distinguished scholar of education and associate professor of higher education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, drew from his forthcoming book, The Caring University, for which he interviewed staff, faculty and administrators. What he found will likely sound familiar. Higher ed employees were working tirelessly and generously, and frequently sacrificed their physical and mental health for their jobs. Consistent with CUPA-HR’s findings, McClure cited higher ed employees’ primary concerns as overwork, inadequate compensation, lack of recognition for their contributions, and lack of career pathways, among others.

    The Work “Just Kept Coming”

    McClure interviewed one higher ed staff member who said the work “just kept coming.” Her campus leaders talked about care, but there was no structural change to her workload, so she started looking for a new job. Many of his interviewees felt they were required to be superhuman — a worker without a body or personal life — who “exists only for the job.”

    Structural changes are needed in policies and procedures, he emphasized. What happens when practices like service awards and merit pay reward only ideal workers and not real people, or when leave policies don’t account for people’s caregiving or health needs? Employees will disengage and look for jobs elsewhere. HR has a crucial role to play in transforming the workforce, he says, and institutions need to empower HR as experts.

    Takeaway: Structural change is urgently needed to transform higher education into a workplace that values the well-being of its employees.

    Living your Calling Through Job Crafting

    In the closing keynote, Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski shared insights into what makes work meaningful for the individual. In her research, Wrzesniewski, who is William and Jacalyn Egan professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, identifies three main ways people understand their work: as a job, career or calling.

    Out of these, it is people who see their work as a calling who are more satisfied with the work and with their lives, tending to be absent less and engaged more. So how do people come to treat their work as a calling? That’s where “job crafting” comes in.

    Finding Purpose in Work

    Wrzesniewski interviewed members of a cleaning crew in a university hospital. This work is often stigmatized as non-meaningful, but employees who found a calling in the work were engaged in job crafting, often doing a different job than their job description, while still completing their required duties. For example, one cleaning crew member said that she tailored the cleaning schedule around patients who might be sensitive to the smell of cleaning chemicals. She made a tangible difference in the lives of others, even though she risked getting written up for doing so.

    Wrzesniewski argues job crafting has several benefits. It can increase satisfaction and commitment to the job, intensify happiness at work, boost job mobility, and even maintain or increase performance.

    Takeaway: Job crafting — the practice of living out your values by making work your own — can help make a work a calling, not just a job.



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