2010 Atlantic Workshop Report

CCAE Atlantic Canada Workshop
 
Advancement professionals from all 4 Atlantic Canada provinces gathered at Dalhousie University on January 29th for a full day workshop focused on Leadership. A total of 48 delegates listened and learned from 5 different presenters with varying backgrounds and expertise.
 
McMaster University Vice-President of University Advancement, Roger Trull, opened the day with an  insightful look at ‘Leadership from Within’. Roger overviewed how advancement at McMaster has been transformed over the years thanks to strong internal leadership and support, primarily from the President. The same can be said for many advancement shops across the country: they are as good and as well resourced as their institutional leaders promote.

While times have been difficult financially, many advancement offices have proven their value. Yet no one should rest on their laurels. Economic challenges will push everyone to examine and re-think all investments, even those such as advancement that give a superior ROI. Delegates (and CCAE) were grateful to Roger for traveling to Halifax to set the workshop off on a strong footing.
 
Next, delegates heard from two faculty/administrative leaders who strongly believe in the primary importance of advancement. Two members of the Memorial University of Newfoundland team, Michael Pickard and Mark Collins (stepping in for Memorial’s Dean of
Graduate Studies Noreen Golfman, who could not attend), made a fantastic presentation, followed by Dalhousie’s Dean of Dentistry, Dr. Tom Boran. The latter session provided delegates with useful tips for bringing the academic side of the school on side to support advancement and become champions for the program.
 
After lunch, the President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority, Karen Oldfield, touched on her experience as a leader on a number of different Boards and groups. Karen serves as a member of the Saint Mary’s Board of Governors. This session provided delegates with a different (non-advancement, business) look at leadership and its importance to overall success.
 
The workshop concluded with a presentation on the entire area of Leadership, and some tips for taking ideas from the workshop back to the office. Dr Margaret McKee of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s led the conversation, providing delegates with some significant workshop take-aways.
 
Overall it was a good day, with plenty for delegates to ponder and apply in their own offices. Special thank to CCAE National Partners TDIMM and MBNA for supporting this workshop, and to Red Letter Philanthropy Counsel for being the Workshop Presenting Partner.