Life in Higher Ed
Welcome to Life in Higher Ed. We are senior higher education administrators and combined we have over 50 years of experience. We are here to talk about what goes on behind the scenes on college and university campuses. We surface the interesting, the confounding, and the seemingly absurd, and we do so with honesty and a sprinkling of humor. We want to help you not only survive but thrive and to know that you are not alone in your journey. If you are an administrator in higher ed or considering becoming an administrator, this podcast is for you!
Life in Higher Ed
Office politics - Kai Swanson
In this episode, Kai Swanson talks about evolutionary biology and the sabre-toothed tigers of office politics. "You cannot control the weather but there are things you can and if you focus on the things you can you can address or attenuate the negative impacts of those things."
Kai Swanson
Kai Swanson is special assistant to Augustana College’s president, a position he’s held since 2005, though he's been on the staff of the college since his graduation in 1986.
He grew up in Rock Island, just across Lincoln Park from campus. His past positions at Augustana include news editor for WVIK-Augustana Public Radio, public relations director for the college, and editor of the Augustana College Magazine. In 2011, he served as interim general manager of WVIK, then in 2014 was interim director of the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art.
Kai serves on the Rock Island County Board, is president of the Rock Island County Forest Preserve Commission, and chairs the board of Visit Quad Cities. He is a board member and past chair of the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education and serves on the Board Professionals Leadership Group of the Association of Governing Boards.
Resources:
Making Relationships Work at Work: A toolkit for getting more done with less stress (2020) by Richard Fox and Anneliese Guerin-Letendre
5steps to remove yourself from drama at work (TED Talks) with Anatasha Penright
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYpmewVFACM
