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Courses are free and open for all eligible employees on a first come first serve basis. Approval from your supervisor is required to attend.

Summer 2026 Schedule

COMMUNICATION & TEAM EFFECTIVENESS

Why Communication Breaks Down at Work

This interactive workshop explores how communication challenges develop in everyday workplace situations. Through activities, reflection, and discussion, participants examine how interpretation, assumptions, and communication preferences affect understanding at work. The workshop focuses on practical workplace communication and encourages participants to identify small communication adjustments that can improve clarity and reduce misunderstanding.

Team Up for Success

An interactive workshop that helps participants strengthen teamwork and collaboration through real-world scenarios, group activities, and reflection. Participants explore common team challenges and gain practical tools to improve communication, decision-making, and overall team effectiveness in the workplace.

Service Behaviors that Matter

This interactive workshop is designed to strengthen everyday service interactions through simple, practical behaviors that improve communication, respect, and the experience of those we serve. Participants will explore how to recognize both the task at hand (Thought) and the emotional needs in each interaction (Heart), and apply practical tools to prioritize, communicate clearly, and create more consistent, respectful, and professional service in fast-paced environments.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE & HUMAN CONNECTION

Understand Yourself. Understand Others. Strengthen Relationships.

Emotional intelligence influences how we respond to challenges, work with others, and create meaningful workplace experiences. This learning pathway explores self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management to help participants build stronger professional relationships and increase their effectiveness at work.

Know Yourself: The Foundation of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence begins with self-awareness. This course explores the internal processes that influence our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and interactions. Participants will learn to recognize emotional, physical, and cognitive signals, develop a richer emotional vocabulary, and identify patterns that shape workplace behavior.

Lead Yourself: The Practice of Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness reveals what is happening within us; self-management determines what happens next. This course explores the skills and strategies needed to regulate emotional responses, remain effective under pressure, and respond with intention rather than impulse. Participants will learn practical techniques to strengthen resilience, manage stress, and align their actions with their values, goals, and desired impact on others.

Understand Others: The Heart of Emotional Intelligence

Understanding others requires us to look beyond our own experiences and recognize the perspectives, emotions, and needs of those around us. This course explores the social awareness competencies of emotional intelligence, including empathy, perspective-taking, organizational awareness, and anticipating needs. Participants will learn how to better understand the experiences of colleagues, customers, students, and stakeholders in order to strengthen communication, improve collaboration, and build more meaningful workplace relationships.

Connect with Others: The Experience of Emotional Intelligence

Every interaction creates an experience. This course explores how emotional intelligence becomes visible through our daily interactions and the impact those interactions have on others. Participants will examine how their behaviors, communication, and responses influence trust, collaboration, and workplace relationships while learning practical strategies for creating experiences that foster connection, engagement, and positive influence.

LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE

Lead with Purpose. Influence with Confidence.

Leadership is more than managing tasks—it is about influencing people, building trust, creating engagement, and helping others succeed. These courses help leaders strengthen communication, emotional intelligence, trust, recognition, and their unique leadership approach.

The Leadership Code: Unlocking Your Leadership Archetype

Every leader has a unique way of influencing others. Through engaging assessment and interactive activities, participants will discover their leadership archetype, examine how it shapes their leadership approach, and gain practical insights for leading with greater confidence, adaptability, and impact. 

What Does Your Workplace DNA Say About Your Leadership

This high-impact professional development course challenges leaders to look beneath the surface of their daily management styles to decode their Workplace DNA. Just as biological DNA contains the blueprints for life, your leadership DNA is comprised of the core values, instinctive leanings, and behavioral habits that dictate how you respond to crisis, manage teams, and drive innovation. Participants will leverage evidence-based data to identify their "Dominant" and "Recessive" leadership markers. By aligning individual strengths with the ����԰��Ƶ mission of excellence, attendees will learn to deliberately "re-sequence" their professional approach to foster a culture of inclusion, adaptability, and high-performance results.

Trusted Advisor in Leadership Roles

The Trusted Advisor in Leadership Roles training is a dynamic and engaging professional development experience designed to help leaders strengthen trust, influence, communication, credibility, and relationship-building skills within the workplace. Participants will explore how trusted leaders create psychologically safe environments, foster collaboration, communicate with emotional intelligence, and inspire accountability and excellence. Through interactive discussions, reflection activities, real-world leadership scenarios, and practical application exercises, participants will gain tools and strategies to strengthen their leadership presence and become trusted advisors who positively influence organizational culture and team performance.

Communication Essentials for Leaders

An interactive, evidence-based workshop designed to bridge the gap between administrative policy and interpersonal excellence. Leaders will explore the psychological impact of their communication on team engagement and retention. By integrating ����԰��Ƶ Policy 1.60 (Standards of Conduct) with modern coaching frameworks like GROW and CALM, participants will gain the tools to handle difficult conversations, manage performance expectations, and foster an inclusive "Monarch" culture.

The Emotionally Intelligent Leader: Navigating Change and Shared Governance

In the unique ecosystem of higher education, leaders must manage "up" to administration, "across" to faculty peers, and "down" to staff and students. This course provides a blueprint for high-impact leadership by focusing on the five pillars of Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Participants will analyze institutional data showing the correlation between EQ and retention, explore DHRM Policy 1.60 (Standards of Conduct) through the lens of self-regulation, and practice de-escalation techniques tailored for the academic setting.

Morale Booster: Building Staff Engagement and Recognition

In an era of "quiet quitting" and high turnover, the role of the leaders as a "culture champion" has never been more vital. This course provides a deep dive into ����԰��Ƶ Talent Management and Culture (TMC) procedures, teaching leaders how to navigate formal rewards (monetary and leave) while mastering the art of informal, high-impact recognition. Participants will leave with a 30-day engagement plan tailored to their specific department needs.

CHANGE, RESILIENCE & ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS

Change Management Learning Series

The Anatomy of Change Management – Part 1

This foundational workshop introduces participants to the discipline and structure of effective change management. Participants will explore the key principles of PROSCI’s ADKAR model and Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, learning how these frameworks drive organizational transformation. Through interactive reflection and case examples, participants will build awareness of their own change responses and examine how ����԰��Ƶ’s culture and strategy align with best practices in leading change.

Overcoming Change Resistance– Part 2 

Resistance to change is natural—but when left unaddressed, it can stall even the best initiatives. This session focuses on identifying, understanding, and addressing the root causes of resistance in individuals and teams. Participants will explore active versus passive resistance, practice empathetic communication strategies, and apply PROSCI’s Barrier Point Analysis to uncover where people get “stuck” in the change process.

Preventing Change Saturation– Part 3

In today’s fast-paced university environment, multiple change initiatives often overlap, creating what’s known as “change saturation.” This session helps participants recognize when the volume of change exceeds capacity and how to strategically manage competing priorities. Using practical tools like a Change Load Inventory and Capacity Matrix, participants will learn to assess readiness, prioritize effectively, and communicate expectations clearly to prevent burnout and disengagement.

The Human Side of Change Fatigue– Part 4

Even the most resilient teams can experience “change fatigue,” the emotional and psychological exhaustion caused by prolonged or continuous change. This workshop explores how leaders can recognize fatigue early, support staff wellness, and re-energize engagement. Participants will reflect on their own responses to fatigue, practice techniques to rebuild motivation, and learn how reinforcement strategies in PROSCI’s ADKAR model help sustain momentum.

Cultivating a Change-Ready Culture– Part 5

Change readiness is more than preparation, it’s a mindset. This session empowers leaders and staff to create environments where adaptability and innovation thrive. Through reflection and assessment, participants will explore cultural indicators of readiness, identify barriers, and apply strategies for building shared ownership. The workshop emphasizes the importance of leadership alignment, transparent communication, and psychological safety in cultivating a culture ready for continuous improvement.

Achieving and Sustaining Change Success– Part 6

Sustaining change requires intentional reinforcement, measurement, and celebration. This culminating session integrates all previous concepts, guiding participants in evaluating the effectiveness of change initiatives and anchoring successes into organizational culture. Participants will develop a “Change Success Portfolio” to document outcomes, lessons learned, and ongoing strategies for continuous improvement at ����԰��Ƶ.

Leading Through Change in Higher Education

As Higher Education shifts toward digital-first models and accelerated 8-week terms, leaders must move beyond "managing" and toward "strategic workforce alignment." This course synthesizes Virginia DHRM Workforce Planning mandates with ����԰��Ƶ Talent Management & Culture policies. Participants will learn to use data-driven decision-making to address enrollment shifts, apply ����԰��Ƶ’s specific performance management cycles to maintain accountability during transitions, and master communication strategies to mitigate resistance.

Steady the Storm: Mental Health, Meaning and Momentum

This workshop provides practical tools to recognize stress responses, strengthen coping skills, build emotional awareness, and develop sustainable strategies for maintaining mental wellness during periods of uncertainty and transition. Participants will leave with increased self-awareness, actionable coping techniques, and a personalized plan to support their mental health and overall well-being in evolving environments.

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH & WORKPLACE EXCELLENCE

Developing a Growth Mindset

This course helps employees shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset by building awareness of how they think about challenges, feedback, and learning. Participants will explore practical ways to reframe setbacks, use the power of “yet,” and apply a growth-oriented approach to everyday work situations. The goal is to strengthen adaptability, continuous learning, and confidence in developing new skills in the workplace.

Problem Solved: A Simple Formula for Solving Workplace Challenges

Not every workplace challenge is what it first appears to be. This course introduces a practical framework for moving beyond symptoms to identify the real problem, understand contributing causes, and select solutions that address the issue effectively. Participants will practice applying the model through realistic workplace scenarios and leave with a tool they can immediately use in their daily work.

I AM ����԰��Ƶ

In a rapidly evolving higher education landscape, institutional identity is our greatest asset. This workshop goes behind the "What" of ����԰��Ƶ (our rankings and research) to explore the "Why"—the human element that defines our success. Participants will engage in reflective exercises to align their personal professional values with ����԰��Ƶ’s mission. By the end of the hour, faculty, staff, and students will view their roles not as a set of tasks, but as a critical contribution to an "Amazing Institution."