Current Offerings

Thank you for visiting the Leadership Academy web page.  The following information provides you a glimpse at the wide array of professional development programs offered during the Spring 2008 semester.  We hope you can attend at least one.

Register by logging into Training Online or call The Leadership Academy at 651-962-6900 or email us at ldrshp_acad@stthomas.edu.

Open Series

Project Management Series

In this three-part session participants will examine how to manage the scope, time, cost, and performance issues of small and large projects in order to deliver projects on time and within budget.

• March 5^th, 8:30-11:30, MCH 100
• March 12^th, 8:30-11:30, MHC 155
• March 19^th, 8:30-11:30, MCH 100

Adult CPR/AED

These hands-on skills training prepares participants to respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies in adults. This course also teaches participants the skills and knowledge needed to provide care for adults experiencing sudden cardiac arrest through the safe use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Upon completion participants would receive certification from the American Red Cross. The CPR certification would be valid for one year and the first aid training would be valid for three years.

• March 6^th, 9:00-1:30, TMH 401

Improve Your Communication: Improve Your Life

This session will use a variety of teaching and learning styles: multi-media, the DiSC Personal Profile learning instrument, group challenges and activities, lecture, small group discussion and practice exercises. This session will also help you use humor more effectively in your daily life!

• March 13^th, 9:00-12:00, MHC 155

The Win-Win Approach

The Win-Win Approach is a professional and personal development process to help you better understand yourself and maintain personal balance, gives you the skills to negotiate with customers under stress, and leave at the end of the day with a tally of successful interpersonal exchanges. This dynamic program provides a highly effective interpersonal relations model, which has been presented to more than 400,000 front-line and management personnel in 15 countries.

• March 25^th, 9:00-12:00, TMH 401

First Aid

You will learn how to check an ill or injured patient, soft tissue injuries, injuries to muscles, bones or joints, sudden illnesses, and heat and cold related emergencies. Upon completion participants would receive certification from the American Red Cross. The CPR certification would be valid for one year and the first aid training would be valid for three years.

• April 2^nd, 9:00-12:45, MCH 100

Performance Assessment Information Session

This session will help employees understand the Performance Assessment and Management Policy. The university's performance management system is one way to recognize its employees as they grow and excel in their daily work. Performance Assessment is designed to foster relationship-building, problem-solving, and a reference for setting and checking on the fulfillment of goals and how they fit in with and further St. Thomas' mission.

• April 3^rd, 11:30-1:30, MCH 100

Defusing Distress and Aggression on Campus

Participants will learn techniques on how to recognize, cope with, intervene, and assist troubled and/or distressed individuals you may encounter on campus, how to increase your ability to recognizing signs of anger and take action to defuse anger and avoid potential violence, how to identify how to recognize your own signs of stress and take action to care for yourself, how to develop a Departmental Safety Plan, and gain knowledge of the University’s resources and emergency response plan.

• April 3^rd, 9:00-12:00, TMH 401
• April 23^rd, 12:30-3:30, MHC 155

Management Series

Performance Assessment Session for Managers

The university's performance assessment and management system is one way to recognize its employees as they grow and excel in their daily work. The Performance Assessment Policy is designed to foster relationship-building and problem-solving, and serve as a reference for setting and checking on the fulfillment of goals and how they fit in with and further St. Thomas' mission. This session provides an overview of the performance assessment and management system, with emphasis on issues that are important to supervisors and managers. Participants will be given an overview of the new forms, proper appraisal techniques, timelines and specifics on the pay for performance program.

• February 26^th, 9:00-11:00, TMH 401
• March 4^th, 10:00-12:00, MCH 100

Principled Negotiation

Negotiation skills are critical in effectively resolving differences, not only in formal negotiation sessions, but in every day situations – setting up schedules, creating a budget, dealing with vendors, building a team, resolving interpersonal disputes, and managing conflicting points of view.

Many people view negotiation as a contest of wills in which power determines the outcome and each party seeks to win, often at the expense of the other. That brand of positional bargaining may produce short-term results, but it can leave both sides exhausted, resentful, and dissatisfied with the outcome, making it difficult to continue effective working relationships.

This highly interactive program will teach you how to reach mutual agreement while building strong, productive relationships through the use of principled negotiation methods. Through application to real-life situations leaders typically face, participants will practice negotiation skills and emerge with new-found skills to increase their conflict resolution effectiveness.

•  April 22nd, 9:00-12:00, TMH 401

Understanding and Leveraging Generational Differences

Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, each with distinct world perspectives, value systems, and needs. This session is designed for individuals teaching and/or working with people from different generations. It provides tips for making adjustments to meet the needs of people from different generations, and offers insight into understanding without judging, the values, perspectives and behaviors typically found in members of a generation.

• April 10^th, 8:30-12:30, TMH 401

The Changing World of Work

In this class, you will learn how to integrate various interviewing and selection techniques; how to dig deep into a candidate’s major accomplishments to find out how their skills, behaviors, and competencies can be used collectively to achieve success; learn how to assess candidates properly instead of relying on first impressions with some combination of intuition, gut-feel, personality, or using some narrow range of skills to determine competency.

• April 17^th, 9:00-12:30, MCH 100

Leading From the Middle

Regardless of how steep or flat a given hierarchy may be in within any organization, it is normal for its members to feel estranged, from time-to-time, relative to those either above or below them on the organization chart.  Building upon Oshry's powerful work, this session will describe systemic realities embedded in organization life and typical challenges leaders face when working from the middle space.  We will explore strategies that support better integration within your peer group, and, ways to become more influential with those either in or outside of your reporting chain.   Ideal session for anyone interested in increasing their effectiveness with their peers and partners, bosses, and direct reports. 

The learning objectives of this session are:
• Explore a systems perspective that explains conditions endemic in the middle space and associated realities for your peers, boss and direct reports.
• Devise strategies for being more influential and supportive while leading in your middle space.
• Support your UST leadership community in building stronger relationships while actively pursuing your functional and institution goals.

• May 7th, 9:00-Noon, MCH 100 

Nurturing Your Whole Self Series

Creating Life Balance: Easing Your Stress      

Creating Life balance: Easing Your Stress based on the concepts from mind/body health, this seminar goes well beyond traditional stress management coping skills.  This session is centered on “The Life Balance Pyramid”, which is a guide to help restore a sense of well-being and balance in our lives.  The six areas covered include immediate coping skills, pleasurable joys, physical nourishment, emotional well-being, social connection and life-long foundations.

• February 27th, 11:30-1:30, MCH 100

Take a Break and Energize Your Day

This participative seminar focuses on flexibility and strength exercises that can be easily added into your days—at work, your desk, in the car or wherever! The session will cover:
  • Importance of maintaining general flexibility and strength
  • Guidelines for stretching
  • Effect of poor work postures on productivity and well-being
  • Importance of balance between muscle groups
Note: This session can be adapted to production, driving or office employees.  Each participant receives a laminated Take a Break card illustrating 14 exercises appropriate for their job tasks.  Up to 25 cards are included.

• April 15th, 12:00-1:00, TMH 401  

Balancing Work and Family:  A Need for Simplicity

Your life is a journey filled with choices, both personal and professional.  Many seem to be struggling with the challenge of not only getting lives together...but the difficulty of picking it up once it is organized.  Many are over-faxed, over-emailed, and suffering from stuffed calendars and closets.  The day-to-day task of maintaining relationships requires energy that cannot be directed towards career tracking, tennis matches, or exercise classes.  Child care and self-care are often in conflict.  What strategies and consideration would help simplify our everyday?  What choices will help separate stuff from substance?  How might we better make decisions that will both help simplify and celebrate our here and now?

• May 8th, 12:00-1:00, MCH 100 

Financial Planning 101

What are the secrets to financial security?
     (1) Spend less than you earn;
     (2) Stay out of debt; and
     (3) Build for the future!
If you can learn to apply these three great secrets you have the potential to achieve Financial Security. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. We struggle due to a lack of knowledge, will power, and commitment. Furthermore, information overload can add to the confusion. For most of us, wealth success can be defined as a financially comfortable retirement. This seminar will assist you by providing valuable knowledge about Debt Management, Risk Management, Capital Accumulation, Mutual Funds, Tax Advantaged Investments along with other basic strategies to help you move ahead to achieve potential wealth success.  

• June 17th, 12:00-1:00, MCH 100 

Technical: MS Office

MS Excel Beyond the Basics

This class is not an introduction to using MS Excel. Basic spreadsheet skills using MS Excel are recommended. Using discussion and hands-on practice, this class will explore topics and features that we hope will take you beyond the basic word processing skills of MS Excel. These topics will include: working with charts and graphs, working with sub-totaling tools, working with pivot tables, using “lookup” functions, and other topics as time allows.

• March 5^th, 9:00-11:30, LIB 208

MS Excel Fundamentals

Using both discussion and hands-on practice, this class will explore the basic features and tools required to help you get started using and applying MS Excel. Topics will include: navigating the worksheet window, data entry and editing, working with rows and columns, working with simple formulas and functions, basic content formatting, printing your worksheet, and other topics as time allows.

• March 11^th, 1:30-4:00, LIB 208

MS PowerPoint Fundamentals

Using both discussion and hands-on practice, this class will explore the basic features and tools required to help you get started using and applying MS PowerPoint. Topics will include: action plan and dos and don'ts, working with views, working with text content, working with clip art, working with backgrounds, working with transitions and animated bullets, working with slide masters.

• March 26^th, 9:00-11:30, TMH 442

Outlook Tune-Up

Using discussion and hands-on practice, this class will explore a variety of Outlook features and tools. The goal is to identify tips and tricks for email, calendar, tasks, and contacts. The presenter will have a number of topics to discuss, but attendees are encouraged to share their experiences and knowledge as well. This is not a “fundamentals” class, and some familiarity with Outlook email and calendar functions will be helpful.

• April 15^th, 1:30-4:00, LIB 314

Catholic Symposia Series

Exploring the Catholic Mass: History, Practices, Theology

In this two-part session, through the use of short videos and slides, we will explore a history of the Mass and how it has developed and changed over time. We will examine the meaning of real presence, the role of priest and people, modes of participation, Eucharistic hospitality/inter-communion, etc. Participants’ questions will be welcomed. Both Catholics and members of other faith traditions may find this seminar helpful in understanding the central act of campus worship and how they can participate more meaningfully.

• April 2^nd, 9:30-11:30, TBD
• April 9^th, 9:30-11:30, MHC 155

Essential Catholic Social Thought

Catholic social thought is the Church’s effort to address the moral questions surrounding contemporary social issues, for example, human rights, peace and war, racism, human development and poverty, labor and wages, and the use of natural resources. This semester-long project will gather a group of faculty and staff interested in reading and discussing texts within the Catholic social tradition. The group will meet seven times during the spring semester. Participants will be expected to attend at least five of the sessions and read the selections for each session.

• February 22^nd, 3:00-4:00, JRC LL62
• February 29^th, 3:00-4:00, JRC LL62
• March 14^th, 3:00-4:00, JRC LL62
• March 29^th, 3:00-4:00, JRC LL62
• April 11^th, 3:00-4:00, JRC LL62
• April 25^th, 3:00-4:00, JRC LL62
• May 2^nd, 3:00-4:00, JRC LL62

If you need additional information, please send an e-mail to the Leadership Academy at ldrshp_acad@stthomas.edu or call the Human Resources Department at 651/962-6510.  We welcome your inquiries and are interested in meeting your professional development needs.