Associated image

Sustainability is a critical topic for ATE grantees. Whether you are part of a small project just starting out, or working with a well-seasoned center that has been funded for a decade, considering sustainability at every stage will strengthen the odds of ensuring deliverables and activities continue to be available for the long haul.

To help support project and center sustainability planning and activities, and in collaboration with ITHAKA S&R, ATE Central has been offering webinars and workshops each year on an array of sustainability-related topics. This season, Rachael Bower from ATE Central and Nancy Maron, from BlueSky to BluePrint, will focus on topics useful to centers and projects at all stages of growth. This series addresses three critical angles – first, a basic “health check” to see how your project or center is faring today; second, strategies for moving forward, with a refreshed set of goals and priorities; and finally, taking to heart the need to plan for changes concerning the most valuable asset any project has: its people.

While these webinars were created with the ATE community in mind, they will be useful for anyone thinking about issues related to sustaining educational project or program activities.  Visit ATE Central’s website to learn more our sustainability services, view past webinars, and watch sustainability experts in our five-part video series Achieving Sustainability.  You can also sign up for any of the upcoming webinars on the ATE Central site or below – we’d love to have you join us!

Webinar 1: Taking Stock and Planning for Success
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 1:00pm EST

Click here to register

How well is your project or center doing today? Where do you want it to be tomorrow? In this session, we will introduce a series of questions - a basic “health check tool” - you can start asking that will help you identify areas of strength that you may want to develop even further, and areas of vulnerability that you will want to address. Topics we will cover address the core concepts of sustainability planning, specifically: audience, stakeholders, the changing environment, and funding sources.

Special Guest: Lori Wingate, EvaluATE Center

Webinar 2: Re-visiting Your Sustainability Goals in a Post-Grant World
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 1:00pm EST

Click here to register

This session takes on a thorny problem: your grant is coming to an end, but the work needs to continue. What aspects of your work need to be supported going forward? Which might you decide are complete and need no further work? In this session, we will introduce an evaluative tool for prioritizing the strands of work and activity that your project or center has developed over time and determining what each will require to have the greatest impact. Topics will include prioritizing, preservation versus growth strategies, and budgeting for the post-grant phase.


Special Guest: Ann Beheler, National Convergence Technology Center

Webinar 3: Succession Planning: How to Build a Plan So That Your Work Continues Without You
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 1:00pm EDT

Click here to register

Great projects and centers have great people running them and working for them. Many of the most successful have a talented and dedicated founder or PI at the heart of the enterprise. And yet, while people may move on or retire, we often very much want the good work to continue. This session will introduce ways to think about a key element of a strong sustainability strategy: succession planning, to help projects and centers build a stable structure that can continue on, even as staffing changes over time. Topics to be covered include knowledge transfer, partnering as a succession strategy, and staying involved.

Special Guest: Kathy Alfano, CREATE Center