Coaching Collaborative

The **Coaching Collaborative** (CC) is a resource for UNO’s faculty and staff that supports their efforts related to student engagement, retention, and success. The CC provides a network of opportunities for full-time faculty and staff to receive free and confidential coaching that will enhance their confidence and empowerment in their work to support students, help them identify goals, support skill development, and work through workplace challenges.

Coaching has benefits for individuals and organizations in that it helps people set and achieve goals, improve communication, become more self-reliant, and develop confidence as well as work more productively, navigate change, and increase engagement.

Housed in the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE), the CC offers four types of coaching - strengths-based, instructional, leadership, and personal and professional coaching - the CC provides multiple avenues for faculty and staff to strengthen their support of UNO students.

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Types of Coaching

Housed in the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) and funded by the Weitz Innovation and Excellence initiative, the Coaching Collaborative offers four types of coaching facilitated by trained UNO faculty and staff members who serve as coaches.

Full-time faculty and staff members are eligible for five sessions per semester to address career development, advancement, and/or transition; skills enhancement; improving daily habits; integrating work and personal demands; navigating difficult situations; and/or general physical and mental wellbeing.

Full-time faculty and staff members complete the CliftonStrengths Top 5 Assessment (at no cost) and schedule a single, one-hour session to discuss their results with a coach. Chairs, directors, and managers can also request support to incorporate/leverage CliftonStrengths throughout their unit.

Full-time faculty members and full-time staff members who also serve as adjunct faculty work with a coach to develop a customized instructional coaching plan. Plans may include identifying teaching strengths/areas for improvement, designing lessons, improving student engagement, assessing/grading student learning, improving classroom management, enhancing classroom presence, and/or dealing with a difficult student. Individuals can work with their coach for up to two semesters.

Full-time faculty and staff members are eligible for five sessions per semester and work with a coach to explore their interest in/readiness for leadership, build leadership skills, manage the transitions into a leadership role, assess effectiveness as a leader, and/or discuss a leadership challenge.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Coaching Collaborative is open to full-time faculty and staff.

While there are similarities in coaching, mentoring, and counseling, the ways they differ are outlined below:

Coaching:

Structure: Short-term; performance and goal-oriented
Focus: Centered on specific, identified task/challenge
Interaction: Provides guidance on solutions/approaches
Facilitator/Provider: Peers/individuals skilled in listening and inquiry

Mentoring:

Structure: Long-term; holistic and developmental
Focus: Centered on broad career enhancement
Interaction: Provides expertise in a given area/discipline/job typeProvides expertise in a given area/discipline/job type
Facilitator/Provider: Senior colleague with expertise in a specific area

Counseling:

Structure: Duration varies based on assessment
Focus: Centered on personal topics/challenges
Interaction: Provides assessment, diagnosis, and treatment
Facilitator/Provider: Licensed professionals/counselors

Full-time faculty and staff members who have received training specific to the coaching they will provide. Coaches are compensated for their work (i.e., cost of training, release time, buy-outs, stipends, etc.).

Personal and Professional Coaches: 3 faculty or staff members who have completed coaching training
CliftonStrengths Coaches: 5 faculty members; 5 staff members who have completed CliftonStrengths Coaching certification
Instructional Coaches: a faculty fellow who also provides leadership support for the Coaching Collaborative and has completed an instructional coaching training program
Leadership Coaches: 3 faculty or staff members who have completed a leadership coaching training program

Primary Investigators: Connie Schaffer (CFE), Rachel Radel (HR), and Chloe Smith (SLWB)
Coaching Coordinator: Monica Blizek (contracted provider)
Advisory Board: Cathy Pettid (SLWB), Ashley Ostransky (SAC), Garrett Gassman, (IESS, oversees CliftonStrengths for students), and Bethany Hughes (CBA/current CliftonStrengths coach)

In addition to providing direct services in Personal and Professional Coaching, the coordinator provides consultation on training and coaching processes and protocols. The Coaching Coordinator assigns an appropriate coach to those who request coaching, provides guidance for all coaches, and coordinates resources to maximize each of the four types of coaching.

Financial support: Weitz Innovation and Excellence funds
Administrative support: Center for Faculty Excellence

Request a Coach Today!

Types of Coaching