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Family business owners strategize for longevity in new certificate program

Workers review documents while standing in front of items on a store shelf

For Joseph Astrachan, a co-author of Cornell’s Family Business Leadership online certificate program, a family-run business is a generational tradition. Since Astrachan was young, his family has operated businesses in fields ranging from pharmaceuticals to shipping. He is no stranger to the difficulties that come with owning a company tied to the fabric of a family, including managing close relationships in the face of business challenges.

With Daniel Van Der Vliet, executive director of the Smith Family Business Initiative within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, John Engels, president and CEO of Leadership Coaching Inc. and Holly Isdale ‘86, founder of WealthHaven, Astrachan has blended academic theory and industry practice in a certificate program that helps others navigate the obstacles and opportunities of running a family business successfully.

“There is no way around it: Navigating a family business is distinctly different from the traditional corporate model,” said Astrachan, a Professor Emeritus and former executive director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business.

The certificate program uses a hands-on approach to address how the personal and professional overlap in family businesses. Courses include:

  • Family Business Leadership Fundamentals
  • Managing Family Relationships
  • Stewarding Family Wealth and Values
  • Implementing Family Governance Systems

Just like with any other business, management in a family-run venture evolves over time. For family businesses, there is often an added layer of grief associated with leadership changes. Sometimes assumed agreements and familial relationships complicate these transitions.

“Continuing a family-run business requires perpetuation through transition, passing it from one generation to the next,” Van Der Vliet said in a recent conversation with eCornell. “Even though all business begins with family . . . some of this expertise around family business does not exist in academia. Family business is very specialized.”

To help learners understand the nuances, the Family Business Leadership program combines advisory parties – like lawyers and accountants – and family members into one cohesive group of learners. The courses organize behaviors in family businesses into familiar workplace relationships and help make sense of common patterned dynamics. Learners gain practical insights they can immediately apply to their own operations.

“Family members are not asked to share anything deeply personal,” Van Der Vliet said. “Their projects could become more personal if they choose, which can be beneficial for their takeaways from the course… and for those that are not family members in the family business, on the advisory or service side, they can have an opportunity to realize [how family dynamics] broadly affect the company.”

Discover how to manage relationships, steward wealth and implement governance structures in Cornell’s Family Business Leadership certificate program. Learn more and enroll now.

Quotes have been edited for clarity.

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eCornell, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv unite to support Ukrainians

The Red University Building at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Through a new joint endeavor between eCornell and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukrainian citizens and refugees are completing Cornell certificate programs.

The collaboration grants scholarships to government employees, working adults, university faculty and students from Ukraine and the country’s refugees located around the world. The second cohort launched in March, and the first 150 learners are expected to complete their programs later this year.

“eCornell is committed to fostering skill advancement for those in Ukraine who are confronting significant obstacles. Our goal is to make a substantial impact in the lives of individuals and contribute positively to the broader Ukrainian community,” said Paul Krause, vice provost of external education and executive director for eCornell.

Read the full article on the Cornell Chronicle.

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eCornell joins the Guild & Team USA Learning Network to support athletes

Laptop user sitting in hammock on the beach

By Molly Israel

Through the Guild and Team USA Learning Network, eCornell will be the preferred provider of professional education for Team USA over the next five years. The collaboration is designed to connect Team USA athletes—including Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls—with eCornell’s professional certificate programs that can help them build new skills off the field and propel their careers beyond athletics.

eCornell’s flexible, online certificate programs are uniquely suited to support Team USA athletes. 43% of Team USA athletes report working full or part-time jobs while training and the average age at which a Team USA athlete ends their Olympic or Paralympic career is 28.

“eCornell is proud to collaborate with Guild to support Team USA athletes,” said Paul Krause, vice provost of external education and executive director of eCornell. “Our professional certificate programs blend Cornell’s impactful education with online flexibility, empowering athletes to forge new career paths and transition seamlessly to what’s next.”

Read more on the Cornell Chronicle.

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Success After Service: The Veteran’s Guide to Choosing an Online Certificate Program

Soldier in Army shirt works at laptop computer

By Teresa Duncan, Ph.D., CSM(R), Director of Military Programs at eCornell

Transitioning from active duty to civilian life can lead to a profound sense of fulfillment and significant challenges. Many veterans are equipped with industry-specific service experience, but complex job markets still often present obstacles to employment.

Online certificate programs offer veterans opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge, demonstrate commitment to particular career fields and build networks of like-minded leaders – all essential factors in securing professional roles. However, selecting the right program is key. Here are four questions veterans should consider when determining which online education programs would be most valuable for their future.

Does the program align with my background and goals?

Leveraging current skills can be advantageous in the effort to bridge the gap between military experience and civilian job requirements. For example, if a veteran has experience in logistics, a program in supply chain management or project leadership might be a natural fit.

It is important to understand the options. In evaluating course content, prerequisites and outcomes, a veteran may find unexpected alignment with goals that diverge from their background and sync with their transferable skills. A former Army civil affairs specialist might excel in a PR strategy certificate program that covers crisis communication planning or discover new ways to lead through an international public and NGO management program.

To choose the best path, it is valuable to first complete a self-assessment of strengths and areas for growth, then list short- and long-term career objectives. The program a veteran selects should align with the needs and goals they identify.

Is the program flexible enough to fit my schedule and lifestyle?

Online learning makes professional development more accessible than ever. The most popular types of online learning models include:

100% Asynchronous – This on-demand style of learning is the most flexible. Learners can complete assignments at any time, and there is no direct interaction with faculty, industry specialists or peers to discuss ideas or answer questions. Without additional structure, some learners find it difficult to complete the courses or apply what they learn without support.

Asynchronous and interactive – This model permits students to log in and learn at their convenience while connecting learners to professionals and peers. There may be requirements to complete assignments through discussion boards with classmates. Plus, instructors are on hand to give feedback and help students stay on track to apply what they learn to their current or future jobs.

Synchronous – This style is the least flexible and most interactive. Courses are delivered live by instructors, and learners must attend at specific times to participate.

It can be helpful for veterans to explore programs with self-paced options or accommodations for irregular schedules. The selected program should also match their individual learning style and offer a multitude of instructional approaches, including video lectures, downloadable guides, discussion forums and peer collaboration.

Will I receive academic support to complete the program?

Resource access is a significant consideration for any educational venture. Students should be able to reach advisors or facilitators in the virtual learning environment as easily as they could by visiting their physical offices. When searching for the right-fit online certificate, veterans should ensure there are clear methods for learners to contact staff who can offer guidance on the course materials, answer questions or address technical issues.

Veterans may also take their team-oriented experience into account and select programs that offer cohort-based learning, study groups or symposiums. Peer interactions can provide camaraderie and motivation to complete complex assignments and offer an expanded network that learners can tap into throughout their careers.

It is also necessary to assess financial resources. Programs that accept veteran benefits or offer payment plans are better for budgets and vital to maintaining other economic aspects of the transition to a civilian lifestyle.

How will the program advance my career or improve my prospects for the future?

As technology continues to transform business and hiring practices, it is more important to stand out in the pool of candidates with advanced education or training from reputable institutions. The most beneficial online certificate programs for veterans will deliver content developed by distinguished faculty and industry experts, course tools that can be used on the job and credits toward professional certifications. These advantages empower vets to tie their military service to current specialized skills that employers need.

Ultimately, a certificate is a valued addition to a resume. Completing an online learning program is also a gateway to building the confidence, connections, and qualifications that shape lives beyond the workplace.

Would an asynchronous and interactive online certificate program align with your goals? If so, Cornell University provides more than 130 online certificate programs that can help you upskill as you serve or prepare to transition. Cornell was recently named the #1 Best College for Veterans by U.S. News & World Report, and its online programs are directly authored by Cornell faculty and guided by professional industry facilitators. Small cohorts enable students to develop valuable connections that position them for success in a variety of fields. You can get started today with Credentialing Assistance or VA education benefits. Learn more at ecornell.cornell.edu.

Watch “Cornell’s Military History: A Legacy of Service.”

 

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Cornell debuts biotech, pharma management program

Networking at Cornell Tech

As biotechnology and pharmaceutical professionals continue efforts to make advances in medicinal drug formulation, safety and efficacy, experts in the field are implementing innovations to address regulatory hurdles, research costs and global health challenges.

The new Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management Program offered through the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy is designed to give leaders the opportunity to explore industry trends and cutting edge research with a cohort of peers, executives and renowned faculty from the university.

Read the full story on the Cornell Chronicle.

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Pre-college big data certificate offered free to Cornell community

Close-up of hands typing on a laptop

A new pre-college certificate program designed to help high school students develop data analysis skills complementary to a wide range of academic and professional fields will be offered at no cost to the children of Cornell faculty and staff and underserved students nominated by local high schools and other partners.

“Big Data for Big Policy Problems,” offered by eCornell in collaboration with Cornell’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the School of Continuing Education, is a rigorous, non-credit version of the course offered to Cornell students.

Read the full story on the Cornell Chronicle.

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New Cornell certificate emphasizes dialogue in DEI

Photo of group dialogue with one young woman facing camera.

In 2020, hiring for diversity, equity and inclusion roles surged. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, three years later – amid recession fears – companies are cutting DEI leadership positions at a rapid and disproportionate rate, leaving practitioners to seek new ways of continuing efforts to create welcoming work environments.

Dialogue for Change, a new online certificate program from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP) delivered through eCornell, provides a fresh approach to DEI for team managers and supervisors, executives and all employees interested in building equitable cultures.

“The certificate focuses on four key development areas: human connection, social identity, intergroup communication and strategic change,” said Adi Grabiner-Keinan, executive director for academic DEI education and director of the IDP. “Our goals are to develop participants’ awareness around the four development areas and to strengthen their capacity to make meaningful change at personal, interpersonal and institutional levels.”

Together with Lisa Nishii, vice provost for undergraduate education and professor in the Cornell ILR School, Grabiner-Keinan is co-author of the Dialogue for Change certificate. The duo intends for the program to help professionals promote sustainable institutional change no matter their position on the organizational chart.

In three courses – Counteracting Unconscious Bias, Dialogue Across Difference and Strategic Influence – participants learn and practice skills for intentional connection and communication, and examine ways to impact change in different spheres of influence, including within their teams and organizations. These skills, according to Grabiner-Keinan, are crucial well beyond the field of DEI.

“Skills such as active and generative listening, strategic questioning, purposeful sharing, perspective-taking, withholding judgment and questioning assumptions allow us to lead, communicate and collaborate effectively,” Grabiner-Keinan said. “They enable us to broaden our perspective, learn from a variety of people and situations, bring people together, think creatively and create meaning and vision. Unfortunately, such skills are seldom taught in schools or colleges.”

Dialogue for Change engages students in weekly live sessions. Trained IDP facilitators guide participants through practice conversations within small groups of experts and peers. Each dialogue builds on earlier coursework, enabling the cohort to use new knowledge in real time. Students who complete the program earn professional development credit hours toward human resources and project management certifications.

Each student who earns the Dialogue for Change certificate, Grabiner-Keinan says, will recognize their power to foster inclusion, connection and equity in any role. “An integral part of this program is to identify the agency and responsibility that each of us has. It’s true that leaders and supervisors have more power in institutions, but this program helps people understand that they all have power to make change interpersonally and institutionally within their workplaces.”

The Dialogue for Change certificate program is now enrolling students. Visit the program website to learn more.

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Human-Centered Approach to Decision-Making Strategy

C-level executives are recognizing creativity’s role in strategy. A recent global IBM survey of over 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the most vital skillset needed to navigate an increasingly complex world. The ability to generate efficient and effective solutions to problems of significant complexity is a desired skill not only for engineers, but also for anyone whose job requires substantial decision-making.

As a response to the growing need for creative thinking in the business world, Cornell has announced the launch of the new Design Thinking certificate program. Available 100% online through eCornell, this certificate program will help learners adopt a robust, human-centered approach to designing and improving products, experiences, and systems at any scale.

“It’s often a challenge to blend design thinking with traditional systems engineering,” says Sirietta Simoncini, Lecturer at the Cornell School of Engineering and author of the Design Thinking certificate program. “Within this program, learners will leverage systems engineering tools that are integrated with the traditions of design thinking to make decisions that are intuitive, creative, and data-driven.”

Regional planners, engineers, user experience designers, program and product managers, consultants, systems analysts, marketers, and entrepreneurs involved in product conception will all find this certificate program valuable. The program offers a seamless and linear path from course to course, where learners have the ability to bring their group project and peer relationships with them as they move through the program.

Once learners have completed the Design Thinking certificate program, they can immediately begin applying their creativity in the workplace. Their new skills will enable them to define challenges, gather key user insights and emotions to help develop personas and user narratives based on empathy, and generate ideas and prototyping for potential solutions and improvements. In addition, learners will be able to iterate on and refine prototypes using design thinking methodology to ultimately generate a rigorous, viable solution to challenges.

Courses include:

  • Identifying and Framing a Challenge
  • Gathering User Emotions
  • Crafting User Narratives
  • Generating User-Centered Solutions
  • Design Prototyping
  • Testing and Iteration

Upon successful completion of all six courses, learners earn a Design Thinking Certificate from the Cornell School of Engineering.

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Teaching Online Sharpens Instruction in the Classroom

Allan Filipowicz, clinical professor of management and organizations at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, recently faced a seemingly impossible task: Teach three days of material in just one day.

Cultural and language barriers made time even tighter. He usually taught the material, on the psychology of leadership, to MBA students in their late 20s who were native English speakers. This particular class was for Middle Eastern senior executives in their 50s for whom English was a second language.

Luckily, Filipowicz had an ace up his sleeve. He had previously worked with eCornell to re-engineer his campus course on the subject into an online certificate program. The design process has transformed the way he and other professors think about and organize how they teach their on-campus courses.

As Cornell’s online learning unit, eCornell delivers online professional certificate programs and executive master’s degree programs. eCornell has offered online learning courses and certificate programs for 17 years to more than 130,000 students around the world at more than 2,000 companies.

“The fact that I did this work with eCornell gave me the ability to take any topic and make it incredibly modular,” Filipowicz said. “I essentially took what was three days’ worth of material and compressed it into one-third of the time without losing either the large ideas or the interrelation between them. You can collapse the structure. It’s like you can fold the course any way you want once you examine it on that level.”

When creating an online course or certificate program, eCornell’s instructional designers work with faculty members to define specific learning outcomes. “Our design process is very much built on what students need to be able to do to be successful in this area, not necessarily what they need to know,” said Chad Oliveiri, eCornell’s vice president of curriculum development.

That could be, for example, how to introduce one’s self to a large group or draft a business plan. Students learn in an interactive, small cohort format to gain skills they can immediately apply in their jobs, Oliveiri added.

The instructional designer and the professor take apart the classroom curriculum and redesign it with an eye toward the student audience, the online format and, above all, the learning objectives for each module. “What are you doing, in that second, that is helping the student achieve the goal in this module?” Filipowicz said. They also decide which tools – video sessions, discussion groups, projects, an assignment done at the workplace – will help the learner achieve those outcomes.

In the process, professors often realize they’ve shifted how they approach on-campus classes they may have been teaching for years.

“It really impacts you,” said Deborah Streeter, the Bruce F. Failing Sr. Professor of Personal Enterprise in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Streeter’s Women, Leadership and Entrepreneurship class on campus parallels her eCornell Certificate Program in Women in Leadership. “Suddenly you’re thinking, I should go back and look through my learning outcomes for campus and make sure I have thought deeply enough about them,” she said.

And the process forces the faculty member to cast off extraneous details, Streeter said: “It has sharpened the curation of the material.”

For example, she recently created a course on executive presence – that is, the ability to project confidence and leadership. The design process called for a checklist in this area to give students. As Streeter dug into the research, she found a “nauseating” report by a respected source giving contradictory and subjective advice, such as “dress conservatively, but not too conservatively; be attractive, but not sexy; don’t remind people of their daughter, but don’t remind people of their mother; wear jewelry, but not too much.”

She could have just given students the report. Instead, the design process prompted her to define the message she wanted convey. In the end, she told them, do not take any piece of advice unless the results make you feel powerful.

“The design process took me there, because you’re thinking so much about the learner, and when they’re done with that module of the course, what do they have to put into play in their life the next day?” Streeter said.

The design process is a luxury, said Filipowicz, a form of mentoring. “At no time in your professional career does anyone say, ‘Let’s go through your course second by second and think about what each element is doing and ask are there ways to do it better.’”

Streeter agrees.

“Having a second set of eyes on your curriculum is so much fun,” she said. “Somebody’s paying attention to what you’re teaching.”

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Applying the Dual-System Approach to Executive Education

For decades, European and Asian countries have embraced the dual-education system for professional development. The concept is built upon a “learn-on-the-job” model, where training is highly targeted, timely, and designed to align individual competencies with broader company goals.

While education costs continue to soar, the dual-education system delivers specific educational tools at a very specific point in time, while keeping the “cost-value proposition” in perfect balance.

This approach can also be applied to executive education because it is an adaptive, agile and proven model for delivering high-quality education. In the dual-education model, executives receive ongoing, timely and targeted training that helps them make the greatest contribution to the organization, while fostering engagement, inspiring a motivational culture and helping to retain the highest-performing executives.

Join Uwe Wagner, a senior eCornell faculty instructor and CEO of Innovative Think Tank International, for a look at how the dual-system approach should be applied to executive education.