ABSTRACT
This chapter is the first of three chapters focused on the constituencies academic leaders serve. This chapter is concerned with clients: it identifies client groups and individuals, describing the range of skills necessary to develop productive partnerships and appropriate networks of communication to build trust, engagement, and success.
The chapter distinguishes between internal and external clients, introducing the reader to varied skills and approaches for working with different client types. The chapter stresses the primary importance of students as internal clients while also exploring engagement of external clients including donors, community groups, professional organizations, alumni, accreditation agencies and governmental departments.
Readers will gain a heightened appreciation of the range of their clients and appropriate partnership dynamics while learning skills and approaches to developing and maintaining strong, productive and sustainable client relationships, including practical fundraising tactics.
