Andrew Quagliata is a Senior Lecturer in Management Communication at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Dr. Quagliata teaches courses in business writing, persuasive communication, entrepreneurial communication, and real estate communication. He engages with industry by speaking and delivering workshops on topics related to interpersonal communication, presentation skills, workplace writing, relationship building, storytelling, and influence. Professor Quagliata holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University at Buffalo. Prior to his arrival at Cornell, he held professional positions in finance and higher education.
Higher Education
Leadership ProgramAugust 4-7, 2025 in Ithaca, NY
Overview
Designed for higher education administrators, the Higher Education Leadership Program, offered by Cornell University and the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers (EACUBO) will help you become a more effective leader, hone your managerial skills, and provide you with the latest strategies to excel at your college or university.
This intensive program combines engaging faculty-led presentations with in-depth discussions led by senior university administrators and managers working in innovative and highly effective ways. Through presentations, workshops, and case studies, you'll explore a variety of timely topics while learning from and networking with your higher-education peers. Experience beautiful Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, while expanding your network and discovering best practices through collaborative and thought-provoking sessions.
The Higher Education Leadership Program, formally known as the Administrative Management Program, is a long-standing collaboration between Cornell and EACUBO.
Schedule subject to change.
8:00am – 9:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – 9:30am – Program Kickoff
- Laura Syer, Program Director
9:30am – 10:30am – Leading with Versatility
- Andrew Quagliata, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University
- In this engaging session, you will be introduced to the Social Style Model, a framework for understanding and adapting to different communication styles. You will learn how to recognize your own style and the styles of others, and how to use this knowledge to understand and enhance your leadership effectiveness.
10:30am – Quick Break
10:45am – 12:00pm – Emotional Intelligence Essentials for Higher Education Leaders
- Andrew Quagliata, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University
- This engaging workshop will provide participants with an understanding of emotional intelligence and its five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Through self-reflection exercises and interactive activities, participants will develop practical strategies to enhance their emotional intelligence. Facilitated discussions will offer a platform for knowledge-sharing and networking among the participants, making it a valuable opportunity for personal and professional growth in the context of higher education leadership.
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – 2:45pm – Mastering Email Communication
- Theomary Karamanis, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University
- Mastering Email Communication is a dynamic workshop designed to equip participants with essential skills for effective email communication. Participants will learn the importance of tailoring emails to specific audiences and purposes, discover strategies for structuring emails with clarity and impact, and identify common pitfalls to avoid. Through practical exercises and case studies, executives will enhance their email writing skills, resulting in the ability to craft clear, concise, and compelling emails that foster better professional interactions and drive successful outcomes in their business communications.
2:45pm – 3:00 pm – Break
3:00pm – 4:00pm – Mastering Email Communication, continued
4:00pm – 5:30pm – Upward Communication: Presenting to University Leadership
- Andrew Quagliata, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University
- Laura Syer, Program Director
- This session highlights common presentation mistakes higher education professionals often make when communicating up and includes strategies for overcoming them. We will discuss strategies for defining your communication goal, considering the perspective of your listening audience, preparing memorable messages, delivering your message with confidence, and gathering feedback.
5:30pm – 7:00pm Reception – Terrace Lounge, The Statler Hotel
8:00am – 9:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – 9:45am – What Do the Lawyers Hope You’ll Do
Wendy Tarlow, Senior Associate General Counsel, Cornell University
9:45am – 10:00am – Break
10:00am – 12:00pm – Ethical Decision Making in Administrative Management
- Dana Radcliffe, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University
- As college and university administrators strive to advance their institutions’ goals, they often face competing demands from different groups and individuals among the schools’ constituencies. Such conflicts can create ethical challenges for which it is difficult to reach decisions that equitably address those demands while aligning with the organizations’ interests and values. This discussion-oriented session will introduce a question-based framework designed to help decision makers confronting ethical choices to make morally sound, defensible decisions. Guided by the framework’s questions, session participants—in small-group and plenary discussions—will analyze several controversial issues connected with enrollment management, seeking action proposals that are feasible and morally justifiable. This session aims to enhance administrators’ ability to reason clearly and cogently about the ethical quandaries that inevitably arise in their work, doing so in part by inviting participants to share and learn from each other’s insights and experience.
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – 2:45pm – Negotiations
- Stephen Sauer, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University
- In this session, you’ll gain a greater understanding of how people behave in cooperative and competitive situations. You’ll be exposed to essential theories and concepts for analyzing and managing the process of negotiation as it is practiced in a variety of settings. Through a series of role-play exercises, you’ll learn how to execute proven tactics, refine your personal negotiating style, and improve your ability to bargain successfully and ethically in any situation. Along the way, you’ll gain new appreciation for how negotiating skills can help you overcome a wide range of challenges at work and beyond.
2:45 – 3:00pm – Break
3:00pm – 5:00pm – Negotiations, continued
Evening on your own – option to walk to Morrison Dining Hall for dinner
8:00am – 9:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – 10:30am – Giving Feedback: Unlocking Growth and Building Stronger Relationships
- Andrew Quagliata, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University
- This interactive workshop will delve into the importance of giving employee feedback. Participants will explore different types of feedback and gain practical strategies for delivering kind and clear feedback. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a greater understanding of effective feedback techniques, equipped to build stronger relationships and achieve better outcomes in their higher education leadership roles.
10:30am – 10:45am – Break
10:45am – 12:00pm – The Beginners Guide to Insurance & Risk in Higher Education
- Nakeschi Watkins, Director, Risk Management and Insurance
- Insurance and Risk Management are integral to protecting our colleges and universities as they seek the achievement of strategic goals. Sooner or later, for every business officer, the dreaded topic of insurance will arise, with its confusing terminology and complex questions. This course will provide attendees with a foundational understanding of the various risk exposures associated with higher education and how insurance and other risk management techniques provide protection and security against these exposures. Attendees will be encouraged to share real-world experiences, both personally and professionally, involving insurance and risk.
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – 2:30pm – Leading in Remote and Hybrid Environments
- Brad Bell, Professor, Cornell University
- Remote and hybrid work models represent a significant shift in how work gets done. It is exciting to see the growth of these different designs and the benefits that increased flexibility can deliver to both workers and their organizations. At the same time, despite their many benefits, remote and hybrid work models present some unique challenges that need to be overcome in order to achieve success. In this session, you will learn strategies for leading in remote and hybrid environments. Equipped with these strategies, you will be better positioned to successfully implement, manage, and sustain remote and hybrid work in your organization.
2:30pm – 2:45pm – Break
2:45pm – 5:00pm- IT Infrastructure to Support the Campus Teaching Mission
- Sarah Christen, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Cornell University
- Mike Allmendinger, Interim Assistant Director, Video Engineering and Event Services, Cornell University
- Kris Barth, Manager, Endpoint Infrastructure and Engineering, Cornell University
- Marty Sullivan, DevOps Engineer, Cornell University
- IT Infrastructure should be invisible to the campus community. Students shouldn’t worry about how their devices will connect to systems needed to complete their courses, it should just work. Instructors shouldn’t need to worry about the technology in the classrooms they teach in, it should be simple and consistent across all classrooms on campus. Faculty should be able to focus on innovative ways to engage their students, using modern technology, without worrying about whether the campus infrastructure will support it. In this session we will discuss some infrastructure services provided here on the Cornell campus. We’ll share some information on our funding models, working across distributed silos and some truly innovative ways to engage with our students. We will start with an overview of our developing Classroom Technology program; we’ll share the story of how we came to this approach and how it is working today. Next, we will share a summary and demo of our Apps on Demand service, which has replaced legacy computer labs for delivering software for course work. Finally, we will share an interesting new project using AI to help faculty engage and connect with students. We will wrap up with a panel discussion where questions and dialog on the above topics can continue.
5:30pm – 7:00pm – Evening Networking/Roundtable Dinner and Keynote
- Ben Maddox, Chief Information Office, Cornell University
8:00am – 9:00am Breakfast
9:00am – 10:30am – Resolving Conflict in Higher Education
- Katrina Nobles, Director of Conflict Programs, Cornell University
- Higher education institutions have often been described as microcosms of our broader society. As conflict escalates nationally and internationally, we are witnessing it escalate on our campuses as well. This session will explore the types, levels, and sources of conflict within the complex system of higher education. Participants will have the opportunity to learn strategies and techniques for managing conflicts, considering the various roles from which conflict can be engaged and the impact of diverse strategies on different levels and communities within the higher education system. By the end of the session, participants will walk away with a personal action plan that prepares them to effectively manage conflict in their roles.
10:30am – 10:45am – Break
10:45am – 11:45am – Future of Higher Ed: Panel Discussion
- Various Cornell University College Officers
11:45am – 12:00pm Certificate Presentations and Closing
Co-Sponsor
How It Works
August 4-7, 2025
Ithaca, NY
August 4-7, 2025
Ithaca, NY
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Faculty Authors
Dr. Theomary Karamanis is a multiple-award-winning communication professor and consultant with 25 years of global experience. She is a full-time Senior Lecturer of Management Communication at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and regularly delivers executive education programs in leadership communication, crisis communication, and strategic communication. Dr. Karamanis has held several professional leadership positions, including Chair of the Global Communication Certification Council, Chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Academy, and Chair of the IABC Awards Committee.
Dr. Karamanis’s academic background includes a Ph.D. in Communication Studies, a Master of Arts in Mass Communication, and a post-graduate certificate in telecommunications, all from Northwestern University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Athens University of Economics and Business. She also holds professional certifications as a Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP), online facilitator, and executive program instructor.
Dr. Karamanis has been actively engaged in various industries (private, nonprofit, and government) and fields of expertise, including corporate communication, media and PR, higher education administration and teaching, and consulting. She has lived and worked in Canada, Greece, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America.
Dr. Karamanis is the recipient of 40 professional communication awards, including 12 Platinum MarCom awards, seven Gold Quill awards, four Silver Quill awards, and a Comm Prix award. In 2020, she received the Award for Excellence in Communication Consulting by the Association of Professional Communication Consultants and the Association for Business Communication. Dr. Karamanis is the author of several books and academic papers on communication and regularly delivers presentations at international conferences and other business forums.
Nakeschi Watkins is the Director, Risk Management, and Insurance at Cornell University. Nakeschi joined Cornell in 2018, In this position she oversees risk management and insurance. During her 17+ career she has served in various roles of risk management including overseeing all risk management components of the university systems, fostering a collaborative and professional relationship with the various departments to promote an appropriate level of engagement in risk management activities; Identifying and evaluating the risk exposures associated; Develop, lead, implement, and monitor the risk management programs to ensure proper execution; Partnering with the business unit to mitigate risks, including analyzing policies, procedures and controls, identifying gaps, and creating action plans. Additionally, Ms. Watkins continuously works with local and state government agencies to keep abreast with changes impacting risk management in higher education and the risk management community. Ms. Watkins currently serves on the URMIA Board of Directors. Ms. Watkins served on the RIMS New York Chapter Board of Directors. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration- Management. She also served in the US Army Reserve and Alabama Army National Guard for 12 years.
Bradford S. Bell is the William J. Conaty Professor of Strategic Human Resources and Director of the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS) in the ILR School at Cornell University. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Michigan State University. Professor Bell’s research and teaching interests include talent management, team development and effectiveness, and virtual work. He is a former editor of Personnel Psychology and a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Stephen Sauer’s research and teaching activities focus on issues of leadership, team processes, entrepreneurship, and status and diversity in management. His work has been published in a number of academic journals including Leadership Quarterly, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Human Resource Management. His research has also been featured in a variety of mainstream media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Forbes.com, and USA Today, among others.
His teaching experience includes courses in Leadership, Strategy, Negotiations, and Organizational Behavior at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and he has extensive experience leading executive education workshops and seminars for a number of major corporations. He is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement and Rev: Ithaca Startup Works and is a member of the teaching team for the NSF Innovation Corps national program.
Dr. Sauer graduated with a PhD in Management and Organizational Behavior from Cornell University, where he also earned an MBA and a Master’s in Business and Policy Administration. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to embarking on an academic career, he worked as an organizational change consultant and as a plant manager, after serving for seven years as an armored cavalry officer in the US Army.
Laura Syer assumed the position of Vice President for Budget and Planning at Cornell University in August 2021 reporting jointly to the Provost and to the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She serves as the senior administrator responsible for managing Cornell’s resources and the annual budgeting process. Syer provides leadership in applying university resources to meet Cornell’s institutional priorities and academic programming needs through financial and capital planning processes, administrative and academic reviews, and by providing information and research to support decision making and strategic planning. Her specific areas of responsibility also include institutional research and planning, operating and capital budget development, and space use planning.
Laura joined the Cornell community in 2012, where in her most recent role prior to the Division of Planning and Budget, she held the position of Associate Dean for Finance and Administration at the SC Johnson College of Business. For 6+ years, Syer provided leadership to the College’s administrative units in Finance, Human Resources, IT, Facilities, and Academic Support while supporting the academic mission of the School. In her role on the College Leadership Team, she also supported the organizations long range planning efforts for the College under the direction of the Dean. Syer held a prior management role in the Division of Budget and Planning at Cornell.
In addition to her primary role at Cornell, Laura serves on three boards supporting the local and regional communities, Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, The Friends of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Arnot Realty Corporation.
Before Cornell, she worked in International Finance at ESPN under the Walt Disney Company where, in her last management role, she was responsible for financial reporting for ESPN entities in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Deportes TV Network.
Syer holds a BA from Ohio University, an MS from Canisius College, an MBA from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and an MS from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France)
Wendy Tarlow leads the Ithaca office’s employment practice, advising university clients on all aspects of employment matters and representing the University in employment, civil rights, and other matters before administrative agencies. Wendy also handles a range of other legal matters, including athletics, affirmative action, disability law, Title IX, and faculty affairs. Wendy received her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her J.D. from Cornell University Law School.
Katrina Nobles is the Director of Conflict Programs for the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at the Cornell University ILR School, focusing on educating the next generation of neutrals and practitioners on campus and in the workplace. Professor Nobles designs curriculum, instructs professional programs, and facilitates discussions for organizational workplace conflicts. She also teaches the Campus Mediation Practicum, an on-campus credit course that applies mediation skills to the campus judicial system, allowing students to work as peer mediators.
Professor Nobles has presented at national conflict resolution conferences on facilitating collaborative problem solving, cross-cultural communication, and conflict diagnosis. She has practiced mediation for over 15 years, and prior to her employment at Cornell, Professor Nobles was the Cortland County Coordinator for New Justice Mediation Services. During that time, she mediated hundreds of community, child custody/visitation, child support, and family disputes. Professor Nobles holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Engagement from Antioch University Midwest.
Ben Maddox – Chief Information Officer for Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Cornell Tech, Maddox earned his doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania, his M.A. in education and cognitive science from New York University, and his B.A. in political science from Baylor University. In addition to his role at Cornell, he is also an adjunct instructor and doctoral advisor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. His academic work focuses on intersections of systems: people, organizations, and technology –particularly how technology, innovation, leadership, and learning fuel change. Prior to his role at Cornell, Maddox was serving as NYU’s chief academic technology officer, capping off his 13 years in leadership roles for NYU’s New York and Abu Dhabi campuses.
Professor Dana Radcliffe is the Day Family Senior Lecturer in Business Ethics and senior lecturer in management at the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management. Professor Radcliffe, who has been at Johnson since 2000, teaches classes in business ethics and corporate culture. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments at Syracuse University, teaching ethics courses in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and he has blogged for the Huffington Post on ethical issues in business, politics, and public policy. Previously, he worked in strategic real estate consulting for Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Professor Radcliffe earned a PhD in philosophy from Syracuse University, an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, an MPhil in philosophy from Yale University, and a BA in philosophy from Fort Hays State University.
Sarah Christen is the Deputy Chief Information Officer overseeing infrastructure portfolios across the Ithaca residential campus and the Weill Medical campus. During her 25 years in IT at Cornell University, she has worked in almost all aspects of the IT portfolio. In her current role, overseeing infrastructure on two campuses, Sarah has found that strategic infrastructure planning is the basis for strong, successful technology innovation across the whole campus.
Sarah has a vast network of IT professionals in Higher Education from institutions all over the world. She believes that collaboration and partnerships with other institutions brings great value to our shared mission of Academics and Research.
Marty has balanced roles in both academia and IT at Cornell, serving as a DevOps Engineer and a Ph.D. student in Atmospheric Science. Currently, he is focusing on developing generative AI applications to enhance the experiences of faculty, staff, and students at the university.
Kris Barth joined Cornell and Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) in April 2015. In his 9.5 years, he has worked for CIT’s Endpoint Infrastructure and Engineering (EIE) team and was promoted to People Leader of the group in December 2022. The EIE team provides central endpoint management tools, content, and configurations for the 16 IT Service Groups (CALS, SCL, A&S, JCB, COECIS, ILR, Research, etc…) and works closely with the IT Security Office to keep our endpoint up to date and secure.
In the summer of 2018, he joined Sarah Christen and Marty Sullivan, on a team of 7 in the development of cloud based virtual computer labs which would eventually become CIT’s Apps on Demand service (powered by AWS AppStream 2.0 and Azure Virtual Desktop).
Kris was the Apps on Demand service manager from 2019 until the end of 2022 and continues to contribute to the service in a service owner capacity. Apps on Demand AWS AppStream 2.0 was used for more than 393,966 hours from Spring 2022 – Spring 2024 by more than 8,239 students.
Mike Allmendinger is the Interim Assistant Director of Video Engineering & Event Services (VE&ES) at Cornell University. VE&ES provides a broad portfolio of services to the Cornell community, including: AV installation services (for classrooms, auditoriums, conference rooms, and offices), AV support services, digital signage installation and support, event technical support, and service ownership for video streaming, video captioning, and Zoom.
Mike also serves as the Manager of AV Operations for VE&ES while serving as interim AD, where he is responsible for personnel, hiring, payroll, in addition to financial forecasting and reporting. He has work at Cornell since 1991 as a television producer/director, AV support technician, communications specialist, and event manager.
Andrew Quagliata is a Senior Lecturer in Management Communication at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Dr. Quagliata teaches courses in business writing, persuasive communication, entrepreneurial communication, and real estate communication. He engages with industry by speaking and delivering workshops on topics related to interpersonal communication, presentation skills, workplace writing, relationship building, storytelling, and influence. Professor Quagliata holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University at Buffalo. Prior to his arrival at Cornell, he held professional positions in finance and higher education.
Dr. Theomary Karamanis is a multiple-award-winning communication professor and consultant with 25 years of global experience. She is a full-time Senior Lecturer of Management Communication at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and regularly delivers executive education programs in leadership communication, crisis communication, and strategic communication. Dr. Karamanis has held several professional leadership positions, including Chair of the Global Communication Certification Council, Chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Academy, and Chair of the IABC Awards Committee.
Dr. Karamanis’s academic background includes a Ph.D. in Communication Studies, a Master of Arts in Mass Communication, and a post-graduate certificate in telecommunications, all from Northwestern University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Athens University of Economics and Business. She also holds professional certifications as a Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP), online facilitator, and executive program instructor.
Dr. Karamanis has been actively engaged in various industries (private, nonprofit, and government) and fields of expertise, including corporate communication, media and PR, higher education administration and teaching, and consulting. She has lived and worked in Canada, Greece, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America.
Dr. Karamanis is the recipient of 40 professional communication awards, including 12 Platinum MarCom awards, seven Gold Quill awards, four Silver Quill awards, and a Comm Prix award. In 2020, she received the Award for Excellence in Communication Consulting by the Association of Professional Communication Consultants and the Association for Business Communication. Dr. Karamanis is the author of several books and academic papers on communication and regularly delivers presentations at international conferences and other business forums.
Nakeschi Watkins is the Director, Risk Management, and Insurance at Cornell University. Nakeschi joined Cornell in 2018, In this position she oversees risk management and insurance. During her 17+ career she has served in various roles of risk management including overseeing all risk management components of the university systems, fostering a collaborative and professional relationship with the various departments to promote an appropriate level of engagement in risk management activities; Identifying and evaluating the risk exposures associated; Develop, lead, implement, and monitor the risk management programs to ensure proper execution; Partnering with the business unit to mitigate risks, including analyzing policies, procedures and controls, identifying gaps, and creating action plans. Additionally, Ms. Watkins continuously works with local and state government agencies to keep abreast with changes impacting risk management in higher education and the risk management community. Ms. Watkins currently serves on the URMIA Board of Directors. Ms. Watkins served on the RIMS New York Chapter Board of Directors. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration- Management. She also served in the US Army Reserve and Alabama Army National Guard for 12 years.
Bradford S. Bell is the William J. Conaty Professor of Strategic Human Resources and Director of the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS) in the ILR School at Cornell University. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Michigan State University. Professor Bell’s research and teaching interests include talent management, team development and effectiveness, and virtual work. He is a former editor of Personnel Psychology and a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Stephen Sauer’s research and teaching activities focus on issues of leadership, team processes, entrepreneurship, and status and diversity in management. His work has been published in a number of academic journals including Leadership Quarterly, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Human Resource Management. His research has also been featured in a variety of mainstream media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Forbes.com, and USA Today, among others.
His teaching experience includes courses in Leadership, Strategy, Negotiations, and Organizational Behavior at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and he has extensive experience leading executive education workshops and seminars for a number of major corporations. He is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement and Rev: Ithaca Startup Works and is a member of the teaching team for the NSF Innovation Corps national program.
Dr. Sauer graduated with a PhD in Management and Organizational Behavior from Cornell University, where he also earned an MBA and a Master’s in Business and Policy Administration. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to embarking on an academic career, he worked as an organizational change consultant and as a plant manager, after serving for seven years as an armored cavalry officer in the US Army.
Laura Syer assumed the position of Vice President for Budget and Planning at Cornell University in August 2021 reporting jointly to the Provost and to the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She serves as the senior administrator responsible for managing Cornell’s resources and the annual budgeting process. Syer provides leadership in applying university resources to meet Cornell’s institutional priorities and academic programming needs through financial and capital planning processes, administrative and academic reviews, and by providing information and research to support decision making and strategic planning. Her specific areas of responsibility also include institutional research and planning, operating and capital budget development, and space use planning.
Laura joined the Cornell community in 2012, where in her most recent role prior to the Division of Planning and Budget, she held the position of Associate Dean for Finance and Administration at the SC Johnson College of Business. For 6+ years, Syer provided leadership to the College’s administrative units in Finance, Human Resources, IT, Facilities, and Academic Support while supporting the academic mission of the School. In her role on the College Leadership Team, she also supported the organizations long range planning efforts for the College under the direction of the Dean. Syer held a prior management role in the Division of Budget and Planning at Cornell.
In addition to her primary role at Cornell, Laura serves on three boards supporting the local and regional communities, Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, The Friends of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Arnot Realty Corporation.
Before Cornell, she worked in International Finance at ESPN under the Walt Disney Company where, in her last management role, she was responsible for financial reporting for ESPN entities in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Deportes TV Network.
Syer holds a BA from Ohio University, an MS from Canisius College, an MBA from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and an MS from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France)
Wendy Tarlow leads the Ithaca office’s employment practice, advising university clients on all aspects of employment matters and representing the University in employment, civil rights, and other matters before administrative agencies. Wendy also handles a range of other legal matters, including athletics, affirmative action, disability law, Title IX, and faculty affairs. Wendy received her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her J.D. from Cornell University Law School.
Katrina Nobles is the Director of Conflict Programs for the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at the Cornell University ILR School, focusing on educating the next generation of neutrals and practitioners on campus and in the workplace. Professor Nobles designs curriculum, instructs professional programs, and facilitates discussions for organizational workplace conflicts. She also teaches the Campus Mediation Practicum, an on-campus credit course that applies mediation skills to the campus judicial system, allowing students to work as peer mediators.
Professor Nobles has presented at national conflict resolution conferences on facilitating collaborative problem solving, cross-cultural communication, and conflict diagnosis. She has practiced mediation for over 15 years, and prior to her employment at Cornell, Professor Nobles was the Cortland County Coordinator for New Justice Mediation Services. During that time, she mediated hundreds of community, child custody/visitation, child support, and family disputes. Professor Nobles holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Engagement from Antioch University Midwest.
Ben Maddox – Chief Information Officer for Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Cornell Tech, Maddox earned his doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania, his M.A. in education and cognitive science from New York University, and his B.A. in political science from Baylor University. In addition to his role at Cornell, he is also an adjunct instructor and doctoral advisor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. His academic work focuses on intersections of systems: people, organizations, and technology –particularly how technology, innovation, leadership, and learning fuel change. Prior to his role at Cornell, Maddox was serving as NYU’s chief academic technology officer, capping off his 13 years in leadership roles for NYU’s New York and Abu Dhabi campuses.
Professor Dana Radcliffe is the Day Family Senior Lecturer in Business Ethics and senior lecturer in management at the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management. Professor Radcliffe, who has been at Johnson since 2000, teaches classes in business ethics and corporate culture. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments at Syracuse University, teaching ethics courses in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and he has blogged for the Huffington Post on ethical issues in business, politics, and public policy. Previously, he worked in strategic real estate consulting for Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Professor Radcliffe earned a PhD in philosophy from Syracuse University, an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, an MPhil in philosophy from Yale University, and a BA in philosophy from Fort Hays State University.
Sarah Christen is the Deputy Chief Information Officer overseeing infrastructure portfolios across the Ithaca residential campus and the Weill Medical campus. During her 25 years in IT at Cornell University, she has worked in almost all aspects of the IT portfolio. In her current role, overseeing infrastructure on two campuses, Sarah has found that strategic infrastructure planning is the basis for strong, successful technology innovation across the whole campus.
Sarah has a vast network of IT professionals in Higher Education from institutions all over the world. She believes that collaboration and partnerships with other institutions brings great value to our shared mission of Academics and Research.
Marty has balanced roles in both academia and IT at Cornell, serving as a DevOps Engineer and a Ph.D. student in Atmospheric Science. Currently, he is focusing on developing generative AI applications to enhance the experiences of faculty, staff, and students at the university.
Kris Barth joined Cornell and Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) in April 2015. In his 9.5 years, he has worked for CIT’s Endpoint Infrastructure and Engineering (EIE) team and was promoted to People Leader of the group in December 2022. The EIE team provides central endpoint management tools, content, and configurations for the 16 IT Service Groups (CALS, SCL, A&S, JCB, COECIS, ILR, Research, etc…) and works closely with the IT Security Office to keep our endpoint up to date and secure.
In the summer of 2018, he joined Sarah Christen and Marty Sullivan, on a team of 7 in the development of cloud based virtual computer labs which would eventually become CIT’s Apps on Demand service (powered by AWS AppStream 2.0 and Azure Virtual Desktop).
Kris was the Apps on Demand service manager from 2019 until the end of 2022 and continues to contribute to the service in a service owner capacity. Apps on Demand AWS AppStream 2.0 was used for more than 393,966 hours from Spring 2022 – Spring 2024 by more than 8,239 students.
Mike Allmendinger is the Interim Assistant Director of Video Engineering & Event Services (VE&ES) at Cornell University. VE&ES provides a broad portfolio of services to the Cornell community, including: AV installation services (for classrooms, auditoriums, conference rooms, and offices), AV support services, digital signage installation and support, event technical support, and service ownership for video streaming, video captioning, and Zoom.
Mike also serves as the Manager of AV Operations for VE&ES while serving as interim AD, where he is responsible for personnel, hiring, payroll, in addition to financial forecasting and reporting. He has work at Cornell since 1991 as a television producer/director, AV support technician, communications specialist, and event manager.
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Key Course Takeaways
- Expand your awareness of higher-education trends and issues
- Deepen your understanding of administrators’ work and roles within the larger context of their colleges or universities
- Update and develop your leadership, managerial, and communication skills
- Practice new skills immediately and develop strategies for subsequent applications
- Meet individuals doing similar work in innovative and highly effective ways
- Learn from, question, and interact with senior university administrators and exemplary administrative managers
What You'll Earn
- Higher Education Leadership Program Certificate from Cornell University
- 24 Professional Development Hours (2.4 CEUs)
Who Should Enroll
- College and university officers
- Administrative managers, directors, and supervisors in higher education
- Business managers, directors, and supervisors in higher education
- Department chairs and other faculty members with administrative responsibilities
“The Administrative Management program at Cornell was a most rewarding educational experience as part of my professional development and growth within higher education. The program’s instructors were field experts who engaged us in their lectures. The topics were relevant, with real-world examples easily relatable to my work. The group exercises were engaging, and it was a delight to engage with professionals from diverse divisions and roles within higher education. I highly recommend the experience as it is re-energizing and stimulating. I came back with a ton of new ideas and a fresh perspective to tackle new and old challenges.”
“The Administrative Management program at Cornell University covered a broad range of topics that were relevant to my job functions. The experience provided a forum to share knowledge and learn from peers at other institutions. Most of the sessions had an interactive component that provided attendees with opportunities to practice skills and develop strategies that could be applied to their job functions in a fun and welcoming environment. Administrators in all types of roles will benefit from this program. I highly recommend anyone who is looking for a professional development opportunity within higher education, to attend this workshop.”
“The Administrative Management program was a wonderful opportunity for me to collaborate, share best practices and problem solve common issues with colleagues from across the country. I continuously utilize and reference the wealth of knowledge gained from the sessions in areas such as communicating more effectively; implementing mission critical activities; and cultivating a supportive and inspiring team culture.”
“The conference was filled with lively and relevant discussions.”
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