Over the past few months I have been on a journey. This journey has taken me to all areas of an industry I have fallen in love with; higher education. Our guide and professor prepared us for the trip with a thick road map packed with many navigational tools. He encouraged us to use our text as a tour book to sample all the highlights. Along the way we listened to great speakers who opened windows into their corners of academia. What follows are my my reflections on...
...the experience:
This class has opened my eyes to a broader "higher education administration". In my current position, I work with academics; faculty and students. I have also worked at other colleges in alumni and advancement services. Coming into the class I felt I had a good grasp of these areas. On the flip side, although I collaborate with other areas of the college such as HR, IT, and Student Development, I only had a narrow scope of what went on beyond a committee meeting or project. The textbook and guest speakers helped me widen that scope.
I welcomed the opportunity to delve into the world of technology and thank the instructor for blending both face2face and online instruction. I thank my colleagues at my institution for assisting me in my final project which ultimately will benefit both the institution and my coursework. Without the assignment, it is unlikely I would have embarked on this collaborative experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed the cohort experience and look forward to growing friendships and peer relationships with each succeeding course. I am fortunate to have the support of my institution as they encourage this professional development, and thank my supervisors and mentors who have helped me throughout. It is an absolute pleasure to be here.
...our speakers:
The College or University President
The job of the academic president comes with an expansive portfolio. They have a different skill set than their predecessors. From an organizational context, the modern president has a dual source of authority - administrative and academic. In their book, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century, Altbach, Gumport, and Berdahl (2010) uses the term "loose coupling" to describe "weak connections among organizational units" in the institution. Presidents often find themselves striving for balance between what makes academic sense and what makes fiscal sense. In order for holistic decision making to occur the issues must have diverse vetting. Many colleges and universities have adopted shared governance as a decision making model. My institution is no exception.
The speaker for this section was a president from a small private liberal arts college. I was very impressed at their new strategic plan. The excitement and dedication he clearly felt for the institutional undertaking was contagious. The process included representation from all groups (employees, students, alumni, constituents) of the college who created the plan. Many of the students in my class are administrators at this college and it was clear that they are proud of the collective work they did on this project. I found this quote on the internet that is a good description here: “Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.” — Warren Bennis
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
The office of the provost is very familiar to me as I work in this area of the college. Our speaker described her job. She discussed "hiring for mission" which later sparked a lively discussion forum for our class. At this college, the provost pushes for a diverse faculty, although this can sometimes be challenging. She also discussed programming and how the faculty has worked hard to update the core curriculum.
Similar to the speaker, the provost at my college works very closely with faculty committees and department chairs regarding curriculum programs. Nothing is done in a vacuum. Instead, decision making in academic affairs involves several steps. Since my institution is public, we have outside governing structures that have additional influence in these decisions.
Another focus for the provost is to increase the graduation rate. There are many committees and initiative around the topic of retention, attrition and completion. Student success is the primary goal.
Director of Mission and Identity
Our speaker, a priest from a small liberal arts catholic college, presented the new strategic plan. He explained the year-long process that included all groups of the college (shared governance) working together to create a strategic plan that spoke of mission. The mission of the college centered around the Jesuit Catholic Tradition "TO BE A PREMIER JESUIT COLLEGE WHERE DIVERSE TALENTS MEET TO FOSTER ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, INTEGRITY, AND A COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE" He was an inspiring speaker and I can see why he is so respected as a leader of the college.
This speaker prompted a very good conversation about hiring for mission. We discussed how although it was important for candidates to be informed of the mission of the institution before applying, it might shallow the pool if they feel they don't match it.
Vice President for Student Development
Our speaker for student development focused on programs for her 4-year traditional age student population. The college does a wonderful job including parents in the educational experience as well as nurturing student groups. One of the advantages of the 4-year traditional residential institutions is the opportunity that students have to grow in learning communities throughout their educational experience.
Our class discussions touched on topics of student growth and development as they related to their college experience. One particular discussion talked about students needing a robust first year experience course that would include "life skills" such as financial literacy. One student in the course told of how she was unprepared and even "lost" after she left college. I believe colleges and universities should offer programs to address preparedness of both entering and exiting the college experience.
Director of Information Technology
"Technology is on the rise!" was the message from our speaker. You don't have to look too far within the institution of higher education, or any industry, to find technology needs. This area is expanding with the rise of social media and access to devices, laptops and online communication. The boundaries of the classroom experience have expanded beyond the physical walls of the college. The expectations that students have of their institutions of higher education are a challenge to keep up with. All of these challenges fall in the lap of information technology offices. To meet the needs of students his office has reformed the way it once did business. There has been a shift from a "service" type environment to one of instructional design. Alternatives to traditional classroom delivery are popular. Faculty and employees must be educated and facilities updated in order to stay competitive in today's market.
For my final project, I transformed a workshop I give face2face into an online experience; expanding MY boundaries. Working with our instructional designers I learned how to use the tools to achieve the outcomes I'd hoped to. The experience was fun! I recommend that other administrators move out of their own comfort levels to embrace the growing technology... it's not going away!
Vice President for Finance
There is no doubt about it, the public is scrutinizing higher education. Tuition is rising and student debt is at monumental proportions. What does that mean for our speaker? It means that what product is delivered needs to be relevant and attractive. The VP has the job of deciding where to put the colleges money; instruction or bricks and mortar. While buildings need to be updated, as in the case of technology, some upgrades can wait. Programs with high attendance might be prioritized so as to continue to be attractive to prospective students. Other programs may not get the priorities. At this college, the priority is on instruction. This means that there is a high priority for hiring quality faculty.
Financial challenges are hitting everyone, everywhere, and in every industry. Higher education is called to task on the 3 a's, affordability, access, accountability and attrition, Altbach, Gumport, Berdahl (2010).
