Purposes NERCHE's Think Tanks have three main purposes: (1) to improve practice on Think Tank member campuses and other institutions of higher education, (2) to engage members in professional development, and (3) to inform NERCHE about cutting-edge issues in higher education in New England so that staff can deploy its various activities in these directions.
The success of the Think Tanks depends on the members-on regular attendance, ideas and resources, leadership during meetings, and initiative taken on planning projects and future directions for the Think Tank.
Institutional Composition NERCHE strives to maximize the institutional diversity of its Think Tanks. Public and private colleges and universities, both two-year and four-year institutions from across New England, are represented in the Think Tanks.
Membership Each of the Think Tanks brings together people holding the same position in their institution. We believe this is the great strength of each Think Tank, and one of its strongest attractions for members.
Policy on Guests
It is rare for non-members to attend meetings, although from time to time NERCHE, in consultation with the coordinator of the particular group, has allowed special guests to attend a Think Tank for a limited portion of the meeting, not including the Round Robin (see below).
Yearly Plan At the next-to-final meeting of the year, members begin planning for the next year's Think Tank, using the following guidelines:
1) A review and assessment of the past year, with implications for the following year; 2) An overall theme and specific topics for meetings; 3) Suggestions for new members; and, 4) Dates and locations for meetings.
At the final meeting, the group finalizes themes, selects topics, and appoints discussion leaders for the upcoming academic year. Some groups prefer to keep the final meeting of the upcoming year open so that new members can have a chance to participate in the topic selection.
The Meeting Itself Think Tank groups typically meet five times a year for an intensive half-day session. The number of meeting dates can be adjusted based on the needs of particular groups. Several groups have added a long retreat at the beginning and/or last meeting of the year.
Some Think Tanks choose a designated campus to host the meetings; others rotate hosting meetings among members and include tours of the physical campus as part of the session.
Meetings are chaired by the coordinators, with specific people designated as discussion leaders.
Meeting Components 1) Announcements, including "News from NERCHE." 2) Discussion: The topic and discussion leaders have been designated ahead of time by the group. NB: Members of the group conduct this portion of the meeting, on the assumption that the expertise exists within the group. It is very rare that an outside person leads the discussion. Indeed, it is rare for a non-member to even attend the meeting, although from time to time NERCHE, in consultation with the coordinator of a particular group, has allowed special guests to attend a Think Tank for a limited portion of the meeting, not including the Round Robin (see below). 3) Lunch: Some Think Tanks elect to spend time during lunch to discuss issues of particular interest to the group, such as sharing best practices or news from members' campuses. 4) Round robin and/or group consultation on a specific problem or issue brought to the group by a member. 5) Planning for projects, such as presentations, publications, and consultations. 6) Planning for the next meeting.
The Pre-Meeting Mailing Specific meeting agendas, required readings, additional resources, membership roster, and driving directions to the meeting site are posted to a password protected web page two weeks before the meeting.
Website The Think Tank web pages provide members with information about the groups, nomination and registration forms, and a password-protected Members Page for each of the groups to which topics for the academic year, meeting materials, membership rosters, and other Think Tank-related information are posted.
Benefits of Membership NERCHE's Think Tanks offer its members: • A network of peers for advice, information-sharing, and other consultation; • Cross-institutional, cross-functional meetings around specific topics; and, • An online searchable database of Think Tank readings.
Fees Each Think Tank member pays an annual fee to cover administrative costs. NERCHE intentionally keeps the membership fees low so that individuals from resource-poor institutions can participate.
