Susan Christy, Ph.D

Susan’s presentations and programs/workshops are customized for each university or healthcare system. Titles and content vary with each client’s desired outcomes. Length of programs can vary from 45 minutes to half-day to full-day.

As a participant, you will:

• Working Effectively with Faculty – For Staff and Managers
• Working Effectively with Physicians and Researchers – For Medical School/healthcare staff and managers
• Managing Staff Who Work with Faculty – For administrators and managers
• Customer Service in an Academic Setting – For staff in all university departments
• Crucial Relationships for a Collaborative Climate – For Faculty and Chairs

Presentations, half-day trainings, online course, webinars, consulting with administrators/staff and faculty
It takes strong, productive staff-faculty relationships to create the best in education, research and organizational effectiveness. Working with faculty members takes understanding, special approaches and creativity. It helps to understand the structure and culture of academic institutions, faculty work-styles and priorities, and how to get things done on campus. This interactive speech or training offers many practical, positive strategies and tips for working with faculty in a variety of university and college settings.

As a participant, you will:

• Understand how working with faculty is different from boss-subordinate relationships in other organizations.
• Assess the opportunities and challenges of working with faculty.
• Learn about faculty communication and work styles, priorities, roles, needs and pressures.
• Gain strategies to orient and communicate with faculty, manage their expectations, help them follow administrative procedures and partner for their success – and yours.
• Build your resources and relationships.
• Explore ways to deal with stress and conflict – theirs and yours.
• Define strategies to understand and approach difficult faculty members.
• Appreciate the value of your contributions and key role on campus.

Working Effectively with Faculty has been customized for:

• Research universities, Teaching universities, Technical universities, Public and Private universities, colleges, Higher Education conferences
• Medical School, Law Schools, School of Education, School of Agriculture
• Staff in individual academic departments (e.g., Human Resources, Surgery, Education, Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, Libraries, Ambulatory Care, Bioengineering, Plant Pathology)
• Student Services, Business Officers, Laboratory Managers, Human Resources, Research Administration, Library.
• Shared Services staff and managers.
• Lean management leaders.
• Post-docs in Science and Medicine
• Faculty Chairs and faculty – Leadership training, staff-faculty relationships.

Presentations, half or full day trainings, webinars
Understanding academic structure and culture is key to managing successfully in a college or university. Working with faculty members takes understanding, special approaches and creativity. Empowerment, accountability and team building are keys to success in today’s academic institutions. I provide insights, research results and skills for guiding and supporting people to achieve the best in education, research and organizational effectiveness.

As a participant, you will:

• Understand how managing in an academic environment is different from managing in corporations and non-profit organizations.
• Benefit from research on what the world’s best managers do differently.
• Partner for performance – with employees, faculty members and administrators.
• Motivate and coach employees.
• Manage performance and build productive teams.

Managing in an Academic Environment has been customized for:

• Research universities, Teaching universities, Public and Private universities, Medical School
• Managers in individual academic departments (e.g., Biology, Engineering, Libraries,)

Presentations, half or full day trainings, webinars
Understanding academic structure and culture is key to managing successfully in a college or university. Working with faculty members takes understanding, special approaches and creativity. Empowerment, accountability and team building are keys to success in today’s academic institutions. I provide insights, research results and skills for guiding and supporting people to achieve the best in education, research and organizational effectiveness.

As a participant, you will:

• Understand how managing in an academic environment is different from managing in corporations and non-profit organizations.
• Benefit from research on what the world’s best managers do differently.
• Partner for performance – with employees, faculty members and administrators.
• Motivate and coach employees.
• Manage performance and build productive teams.

Managing in an Academic Environment has been customized for:

• Research universities, Teaching universities, Public and Private universities, Medical School
• Managers in individual academic departments (e.g., Biology, Engineering, Libraries,)

Presentations, half or full day trainings, webinars, consulting for Shared Services initiatives

People in universities and colleges sometimes resist business language – like customer, marketing, etc. But you have customers! Here is an interactive, practical approach to working skillfully with coworkers, faculty, administrators, students, other departments, etc. Participants learn to focus on customers’ needs, build lasting relationships, and practice strategies that solve problems and get things done on campus.

As a participant, you will:

• Adopt a customer service orientation.
• Understand how academic institutions have a different structure and culture from corporations.
• Identify your customers and their perspectives, needs, pressures and requirements.
• Appreciate how the dynamics between staff and faculty impact customer service.
• Build relationships, manage expectations and create results with customers across campus.
• Handle complaints, say NO, deliver bad news, and defuse angry customers and complainers.
• Defuse conflict and difficult situations

Customer Service in an Academic Setting has been customized for:

• Research universities, Teaching universities, Technical universities, Public and Private universities, Community Colleges, Higher Education conferences
• Medical School, Business School, Nursing School, Dental School, Teaching Hospitals, Law School, School of Agriculture
• Staff in individual academic departments (e.g., Physics, Environmental Science, Psychiatry, Pulmonary Care, Biology, Thoracic Surgery, Viticulture and Enology)
• Human Resources, Contracts and Grants, Development, Employee Relations, Physics, Controller’s Office, Dean’s Office, Medical Records, Hospital Information Systems, Bursars Office, Research Administration, Library, Housing, Material Management, Facilities.
• Shared Services staff and managers.

Presentations, half or full day trainings, webinars, consulting for Shared Services initiatives

The faculty program takes different forms and titles depending on the client’s desired outcomes. Universities have wanted a more collaborative and inclusive culture, improved faculty-staff relationships or employee engagement, development of aspiring faculty leaders, or orientation for new Chairs. Whatever the case, creating the best is education, research and organizational effectives is a team effort. Faculty members appreciate the discussions across departments, new perspective on academic culture and staff concerns, and opportunities to plan and problem solve together.

As a participant, you will:

• Examine and discuss work relationships in your department and university.
• Explore how the university structure and culture present opportunities and challenges for collaboration.
• Describe how differences in faculty, administration and staff mindsets, priorities, roles, work styles, and reward systems can sometimes put them at cross purposes.
• Discuss how you can move forward to create a more respectful, collaborative climate at your university.

Customer Service in an Academic Setting has been customized for:

• Research universities, Teaching universities, Private colleges.

Tapping people’s potential and solving people problems takes sensitivity, creativity and advanced skills. Susan tunes in to clients’ needs and the group’s dynamics and then works closely with clients to define and deliver desired outcomes.

Consulting :

• • Improving campus climate, employee engagement, and faculty-staff relationships
  • Improving communication between administrators/managers and employees, faculty and staff, one department and another

• Coaching faculty members, administrators, managers, supervisors, staff members or small groups
• Retreat planning and facilitation for departments and groups

• • Agenda based on client’s needs and desired outcomes
  • Understanding academic culture and faculty staff-relationships
  • Creating a positive, can-do team culture
  • Communication and team building

Susan Christy, Ph.D. supports the highest standard of ethics as developed by the Institute of Management Consultants USA. Adherence to the Code signifies voluntary assumption of self-discipline.

The Code Specifics

Clients

Members will serve their clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity, using a professional approach at all times and placing the best interests of the client above all others. Members will establish realistic expectations of the benefits and results of their services.

Members will treat all client information that is not public knowledge as confidential, will prevent it from access by unauthorized people, and will not take advantage of proprietary or privileged information, either for use by them, their firm or another client, without the client’s permission.

Members will avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance of such, and will disclose to a client any circumstances or interests that might influence their judgment and objectivity.

Members will refrain from inviting an employee of a current or previous client to consider alternative employment without prior discussion with the client.

Engagements

Members will only accept assignments which they possess the expertise to perform,and will only assign staff with the requisite expertise. Members will ensure that before accepting any engagement a mutual understanding of the objectives, scope, work plan, and fee arrangements has been established.

Members will offer to withdraw from a consulting engagement when their objectivity or integrity may be impaired.

Fees

Members will agree in advance with a client on the basis for fees and expenses, and will charge fees and expenses that are reasonable, legitimate and commensurate with the services delivered and the responsibility accepted.

Members will disclose to their clients in advance any fees or commissions that they receive for equipment, supplies or services they could recommend to their clients.

Profession

Members will respect the individual and corporate rights of clients and consulting colleagues and will not use proprietary information or methodologies without permission.

Members will represent the profession with integrity and professionalism in their relations with their clients, colleagues and the general public.

Members will report violations of this Code to the Institute and will ensure that other consultants working on behalf of the member abide by this Code.