- Overview
- Speakers
- Agenda
Thought Partner Program: Navigating a Career in Higher Education
Registration is limited for this event!
Where: Virtual
When:
Monday, June 2, 2025, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Monday, June 9, 2025, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Monday, June 16, 2025, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Note: Zoom login instructions will be sent the day prior. If you have not received login instructions by 4:00pm the day before the webinar, please check your spam folder, if you still have not received the login details please email nercomp@nercomp.org.
Workshop Organizers: Lance Eaton of Northeastern University
Registration Fee:
NERCOMP Member: Free
Non-Member: $45
Event Overview
This three-part Thought Partner Program is designed for higher education professionals looking to explore career growth, build meaningful connections, and gain fresh perspectives on their professional journey. Through interactive discussions, reflective activities, and shared experiences, participants will examine different pathways for advancement—whether moving upward, transitioning into adjacent roles, or making parallel career shifts.
Each session offers a collaborative space to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and strategize next steps for professional growth.
This program is ideal for professionals at all career stages who want to expand their career possibilities, connect with peers, and gain strategic insights into career navigation in higher education.
Session Themes:
Forward Possibilities: Strategies for upward career mobility—how to position yourself for leadership roles and navigate promotion pathways.
Adjacent Possibilities: Exploring career moves that leverage your existing skills in new contexts—within or beyond your current institution.
Parallel Possibilities: Understanding lateral career shifts—how to make purposeful moves that build long-term value.
Outcomes:
- Clarify what career advancement looks like in higher education and identify actionable steps to achieve it.
- Discover new and adjacent career opportunities that align with your skills, values, and aspirations.
- Learn how to navigate parallel career moves—when and why to consider them, and how to articulate their value.
- Reflect on personal career goals and develop a roadmap for future growth.
Registration Cancellation Policy:
By clicking on the "Order Now" button, you are indicating a commitment to attend and will be held responsible for the registration fee. Your fee can be refunded if you notify us of a cancellation at least 1 day prior to the event via email to nercomp@nercomp.org.
Accessibility
NERCOMP strives to make its online offerings and In-person workshops accessible for all registrants. Please contact us should you have an accessibility need. We've worked to provide resources that are accessible to as many people as possible, and if you encounter any issues while attending our events, please contact us at accessibility@nercomp.org or at 860-345-2081 to request assistance.
Lance Eaton
Lance Eaton is the Senior Associate Director of AI in Teaching and Learning at Northeastern Unviersity, a part-time instructor at North Shore Community College, and a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He has given talks, written about, and presented at conferences on artificial intelligence generative tools in education, academic piracy, open access, OER, open pedagogy, hybrid flexible learning, and digital service-learning. His musings, reflections, and ramblings on AI and Education can be found on his blog: https://aiedusimplified.substack.com/
June 2, 2025
Session #1: Moving Upward – Advancing Your Career in Higher Education
This session will focus on understanding what career advancement looks like in the context of higher education and what steps can be taken to move forward. Participants will engage in a discussion of different approaches to professional growth, including building skills, seeking mentorship, and navigating institutional hierarchies. Through reflective exercises, attendees will also identify key practices they can adopt to help them move upward in their careers, while considering the limits and opportunities inherent in various career paths.
June 9, 2025
Session #2: Adjacent Possibilities – Identifying New Career Directions
This session will broaden participants' perspectives on their career paths by focusing on "adjacent" career possibilities—those that might not involve a direct upward move, but rather a lateral or even a cross-departmental shift. Attendees will engage in activities designed to identify areas of their work where they can build new skills, take on new challenges, and diversify their professional experience. Participants will also learn to articulate their skills and experiences in ways that open doors to opportunities in new areas of the institution.
June 16, 2025
Session #3: Parallel Ponderings – Making Parallel Moves and Managing Multiple Projects
In this final session, participants will explore how and why making parallel moves in their careers—shifting across roles or responsibilities without a linear progression—can be a powerful career strategy. The discussion will address the value of pursuing different professional interests simultaneously, whether within the same institution or across different areas. The session will also provide strategies for effectively balancing multiple projects, explaining career pivots in professional contexts, and aligning these moves with long-term career goals.