Location:
Cavanaugh's at Capital Lake Hotel
2300 Evergreen Park Drive
Olympia, WA 98502
We are posting this preliminary design request to develop the
thematic thrust of LINC Workshop #5 (and perhaps #6) and get a sense of the interest and
energy around the various themes/topics articulated at LINC #4. The design request will be
used to identify and effectively incorporate your responses to the themes below and
construct an engaging program for the workshop. For LINC #5, the themes will be infused
throughout the curriculum during the entire time.
We will follow this post with a telephone conversation of the outcomes at a further
planning discussion that will include representatives from each individual project. The
phone conversation is scheduled for April 12,1999 from 1 - 3 p.m. (Central Standard
Time). Please insure that your project is represented either by the PC or a
designee.
(I) THEMATIC AREAS
At LINC #4, the projects committed to a much deeper level of engagement concerning
these themes and a commitment to be responsible for the 'content' for these thematic
areas. We're asking that each project think "beyond the box." The following list
should suggest something beyond "workshops on a particular topic." Consistent
with your learning experience, we hope that you will develop ways that these themes would
shape and define workshop #5. This requires that you be creative in how to apply both the
individual themes and themes-as-a-system throughout our time together in Washington state.
These themes are all critical components of effective leadership for our future
institutions.
- Please review the themes below. (If you would like additional background on the
development of these themes, please consult the LINC website for conference and meeting
proceedings -- particularly the post-workshop #4 planning meeting at the following site.):
LINC
Project Conveners and Project Evaluators Meeting
Following your review, please provide us with any
suggestions, feedback, revisions, or priorities that you may have in looking ahead to LINC
#5.
- We'd also like you to consider what 'meta-theme' might work to
incorporate the below list. Identifying this overarching theme will foster a systemic
approach that helps participants identify the interrelationships between these important
aspects of leadership and institutional change.
Your thoughts on what 'meta-theme' would work best for LINC
#5 were as follows:
I really liked the theme mentioned of power: in all the
forms of power. How to get around power structures, and well as how to use it.
It also strikes me that the main theme to all of
this discussion on leadership is, how do we develop consensus, how do we get consensus to
make change happen?
*
Developing the leaders and teams to meet the needs of the 21th Century.
*
Risk Assessment. There seems to be anxiety about this topic in the group. Somehow people
need to be able to speak out about their fears of suggesting or instituting new programs
that bring different people to the table.
*
Interdisciplinary engagement that prepares our educators and students for the challenges
of living on an increasingly "polluted" planet with diminishing resources
controlled by fewer and fewer people.
*
Each of the themes presented are large enough in scope to serve as metathemes.
*
Sustaining project motivation and involvement
*
This is not about a meta theme, but rather about workshop design. We strongly urge you to
design separate activities for first time attendees vs. those who have participated
before. Don't just expect those returning to be there to share their experiences with
newcomers. Some of this is fine if it explicit that is what is expected--but those
returning need to have new take-aways also.
*
Great.
*
Testing two with many email addresses
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Power and the way to work with it across the university
- What theme(s) call forth your greatest energy? How might you and your
project colleagues provide content on these themes during LINC #5? Please use the
response panels below to articulate your focus and involvement (preplanning; onsite
participation; evaluation ideas; content/materials; participant expertise, etc.
Civic Responsibility and the Democratic Mission in Public Institutions of Higher
Education -- This theme addresses the role of leadership concerning issues of
institutional mission and is based in a context that all of the participating institutions
share. The theme addresses the role of these public institutions in a democracy;
obligations to discover and engage an agenda set by communities; and accountability to
traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in the teaching, research and outreach agenda
of public universities.
The responses to the importance on this theme were as follows:
8, 10, 10, 10, 10, 7, 10, 10, 5, 2, 5, 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, 5
(0 = not important ----- 10 = critically important)
Responses to how might this theme best be experienced were:
Engagement in community outreach
- some kind of service activity. Looking at styles of governance in organizations other
than colleges and universities.
*
Experienced?
This theme interests me because I don't feel that we, as educators, are really
setting a curriculum based on the needs of the population that we serve. Often we set a
curriculum based on what we want the outside world to be, or to create new versions of
ourselves -- and are not very responsive to citizens of the state we represent.
*
Developing supportive communities using technology.
*
10. Who feels that this has been accomplished to some extent? Ask all projects to
designate a few people to tell their story of success (at a station). The rest of us could
roam from project to project to listen and share.
*
Examine the "democraticness" of our institutions
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Examples of social responsbility among higher ed institutions; specifically, how
insititutions enacted change toward better civic responsibility
*
This theme seems best suited to newcomers. They could be asked to prepare some info on
what the landgrant institution means to them and their school--and then have a session in
which they share this info with each other.
*
Go to community - ask stakeholders how university is serving their community.
*
We need to model "new" ways for land grants to "engage an agenda set by
communities." For the most part, we are still in a top-down mode within an elitism
within our institutional walls. The overall model which is in place is where people come
to the university; the university does not go to them. We have outreach, but the travel
time to the university is simply shorter. This is not the fault of those within the
system--they are only responding to what they are rewarded for. All sit about and wring
their hands about the tenure system which requires faculty to publish, publish,
publish--even when they would rather be working alongside a community to solve a problem.
Application of their knowledge is not rewarded. Administration and faculty point at each
other for the fault of keeping it in place. And the public loses. The land grant loses
because they no longer have the support of the public. We need to address the different
power structures at play: who and what benefits by keeping the present stru
*
Collaborative teams from universities and the communities they represent.
Our project will contribute the following to this theme responses:
I can't speak for my whole group, but my own interest in this project
is, I think we need ot re-explore what the basic science curriculum should be for the
non-science major.
*
Experience with rural and urban community development as well as economic development.
Have presented
*
CA has a story that has come from our visioning sessions and our proposals for early start
projects.
*
Not sure
*
Good Question
*
Could provide stakeholder group if they wanted to come to Ohio or we could talk about
Campus Collaborative
*
We could receive a document which asks us to think about those issues above, and be ready
to describe those issues within our institutions (remember, we are dealing with 16
institutions of higher education with Partnership 2020. We could then engage in a
conversation about this within our own group and then with other groups for an information
exchange. Who is having new experiences with these issues (e.g., Oregon and the tenure
issues, who's dealing well with community college relationships, who is dealing well with
Native American relationships?
Power Dynamics -- How do the participating institutions understand power,
dominance and leadership within their system and as a component of society? How do these
power dynamics manifest in the institution in policy-making, agenda-setting, inclusion of
voices at the 'table,' and in accountability to our public mission?
The responses to the importance on this theme were as follows:
7, 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, 10, 10, 8, 10, 10, 10, 1, 7, 10, 5
(0 = not important ----- 10 = critically important)
Responses to how might this theme best be experienced:
Simulation activities. Games such as Star Power and SimSoc (Smulated
Society) provide a context for looking at relationship structures, decision making,
isolation and inclusion. Case study situations from situation outside higher ed can help
us to look at power without contaminating our understanding with structural limitations.
*
A good discussion of who has power, and why?
*
Have presentations by exemplary leaders.
*
10. Are ther several different models of structure for campuses that could be introduced
so that participants can try to understand which model best fits their institution? For
example, having been educated in the Southeast, but experienced my working career on the
west coast, I know how different institutional structures can and how they expand or
repress what one feels is possible. A discussion led by someone who really has an
understanding of this issue might be useful, especially if the individual could present
some strategies on ways to effectively influence particular structures.
*
"Might have to look first at ""abuse"" of power -
then build toward internal and external models of balanced power."
*
I'd like to hear someone who is a recognized expert or a panel of such present concepts,
case studies, etc. and then ask groups to respond with their own experiences.
*
experientially, which raises some potential ethical isues
*
"Since this theme came out loud and clear in the 2nd Bosserman session, I believe it
deserves
attention in workshop 5. One way to address it is to run the Circles, Squares &
Triangles exercise
and in the debrief ask people to relate what they learned to change in their institution.
Another would be to be to invite 3-4 people to present cases in which power struggles were
an
issue and to problem solve how they could have been addressed more constructively."
*
Outside consultant/speaker - for a change. Six power stages by Janet Hagberg for example.
Our participating institutions do not understand power, dominance and leadership within
their system and as a component of society. There are many people in our institutions who
have power OVER other people, and don't want to give that up. It is an extension of our
culture--the hierarchy. Professors have power over students, administrators have power
over professors--to my knowledge no one is really dealing with this issue. It is not
comfortable to sit and listen to a Native American say the land which was granted to the
institution by the President of the United States was not his to give away. It is not
comfortable to see a Professor TELL a community college instructor he/she is wrong in what
is being taught because it is not in line with the Professor's thinking. When the
President's of the land grant's involved in FSPE basically tell the FSPE Project
Director's that they don't want to talk to them until they have something to bring to
them--it is clear the issues of power have not been dealt with. It is not collaborative,
and it is not conducive to change. We need a clear understanding of what power is--what
the different types of power are and how they are manifest in our system before we can
start changing so that there is a better balance of power, dominance and leadership within
the system. We need descriptions of power, it's abuses and how we might correct those
abuses.
*
I believe there are some similarities in this and Leadership styles. Our group would
prefer a focus on leadership styles that might include decision-making, maybe a hybrid of
these two thematic areas.
Our project will contribute the following to this theme:
Presentation on exemplary models of leadership
*
To be determined
*
How power dynamics play out in learning communities that span much of the academic strata
from undergradiuate student to provost
*
We would first need information as described above. Then we could look at the power
structures within Partnership 2020, and within each individual institution. We could
locate the imbalances, and (from the information we received, hopefully) determine how to
structure the power system--equals? beneficient king/queen? We would have to deal with
questions about accountability: if the Project Director is accountable for the
administration of the grant and for the "success," does that person make final
decisions with input from others? make decisions based on majority rule (even if he/she
does not agree), make decisions believed to be beneficial towards moving the group towards
the goals of the grant, whether everyone is in agreement or not? These things need to be
discussed openly after receiving information about power.
Leadership Models -- What is the nature and characteristics of
the leadership model we are working to create? How do collaborative leadership; shared
power, systems approaches/organizational learning; application of public arts; and the
integration of spirituality become integrated into a holistic model of leadership for the
next generation of institutional leaders? What will our leadership programs look like if
they integrate these components and how will our leadership "programs" reflect
such a model?
The responses to the importance on this theme were as follows:
9, 10, 10, 1, 10, 8, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, 10
(0 = not important ----- 10 = critically important)
Responses to how might this theme best be experienced:
Through creative activities. I am not sure the models we are seeking
currently exist. Though elements may exist in various places. The entire model does not
exist. Our challenge is to free ourselves up to create unique institutional approaches.
What activity will allow us to do this? I'm not sure. It may not be learining as much as
it is a leap of faith. How do we teach people to have faith in a world that has not yet
revealed itself.
*
Presentation of model leadership and team building models
*
6/7. I feel that it is not necessary to spend too much time on models; but, rather to say
(over and over)what does not/has not worked well. So many new models are possible. We want
people to be free not to choose a model and try to make it fit their situation.
*
Art and Role Playing
*
Same as above. Get everyone grounded with a common knowledge base and then ask for
reactions, responses based on their experiences with different leadership models. I think
it is important that with whatever theme is chosen that participants have a framework
presented rather than just swap stories about their own experiences. It is however,
important to give participants time to respond to theories, concepts and discuss
applications in their home institutions.
*
Could be in the form of "public sharing" across projects. Working in dyads with
another project could be helpful and informative. Maybe rotate partners at a project level
each workshop day.
*
Outside speakers such as Warren Bennis, Max DePree, etc.
*
Until we figure out the two issues above, I don't think we have the capacity to develop a
good leadership model. One model would serve a system which is based on majority rule;
another would serve the needs of collaboration; another would serve the beneficient
king/queen.
*
Discussion of models that have worked for others, with a strong component of
"decision making styles".
Our project will contribute the following to this theme:
Examples from rural community partnership and barriers to successful partnerships
*
Might draw on the emerging model in Stanislaus and Merced Counties of California.
*
We could describe our experiences so far with leadership learnning communities.
*
I think our project is a bit different from the others because it is grounded in meaning
making in communies of practice. Other projects might be interested in learning about this
leadership model.
*
Possible speakers from the Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business.
*
We could ponder this as a group and after some input as described above, come up with what
the different models would look like in our institutions and which models would work best.
Then ponder how to go about implementing/training people to understand the model, why it
will work, in what circumstances, and develop a specific plan for implementing it.
Other Suggested Themes (?) --
The responses to the importance on this theme were as follows:
10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 7, 10, 1, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
(0 = not important ----- 10 = critically important)
Responses to how might this theme best be experienced:
I am not sure where relationship issues fit in? We are fundamentally
human organizations. What is seems we are trying to do is create dramatic shifts in
relationships - to improve the quality of communication, reduce isolation, build trust,
create hope for the future. Essentially, we are talking about enhancing the sense of
community among faculty and staff. By community I mean, crating environments where people
feel engaged, stimulated, encouraged, challenged and supported. Where people take shared
responsibility for the social, psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual condition
of their shared space. Have we paid attention to the condition of the space? What are the
psychological properties of the environment?
Though we agreed at the beginning to focus on community as the destination, we have not
focused on community. It would be helpful if each team could have a plan to complete a
campus environment "audit" prior to workshop five. This might help us to fully
understand the dimensions of
*
Using Technology to build community
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General Comment:
Faculty and dept. heads who we have sent to the worksshops did not feel it was an
effective use of their time. We (collectively) need to be held accountable for this and
work toward making the workshops a valuable learning and sharing experience.
*
For workshop 6: Focus on what Kellogg expects in the next proposal. Criteria that will be
used to judge proposals, etc.
Our project will contribute the
following to this theme:
Models of use of technology
These themes will serve as the conceptual framework for LINC 5 &
6, as a means to explore themes central to the future of the Land Grant University; and
the design, purpose and implementation of the individual LINC programs in their second
phase.
(II) PROCESS DYNAMICS
The PC's and LINC conference participants suggested that the conference honor the
following process dynamics in order to create the most effective experience.
Building Connections -- Time for interaction within our own Project; networking
with other projects, including sharing of specifics (what's unique, what are we learning,
evolution of program design and proposal writing.)
Home Team Time -- Time for substantive work with our own project team to move
project content, design and proposal creation forward.
Improved Engagement with On-Site Experience -- Participants engage more deeply
at Evergreen State College through conversations/experiences that deal with thematic
issues described above.
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