New President Interview -- Part 6

Teaching, Research and Detractors

Part Six of an imaginary interview with the newly appointed president of the College.   Note this is just for your information and amusement. Any connection to a real college president is strictly coincidental. 

Q>  When the College was in the hiring process how did you handle those who said librarians don’t know about teaching or research?

A> Those kinds of thoughts were never part of my experience.  I have been both a teacher and researcher.  My dissertation is available electronically and still receives more than 1000 hits per month.  Just last week a student asked a question that is answered in a chapter of my dissertation.   Some librarians have doctorate degrees and most teaching experience.  For tenure, librarians in many institutions require 30 credits beyond a library science master’s degree.  Many librarians in academia have a subject master’s degree. We see a wider range of students than any other faculty member. Librarians are comfortable helping the youngest freshman and the most senior scholar with their research.  What detractors don’t understand is the librarian’s expertise is information.  As a group librarians need to know about all the disciplines in the College, not just one.

The route to help students and faculty understand the role of information in society is a long and difficult one. When I taught data base searching I held up a 900 page directory and said, “This is the directory of the data bases available from one source and none of them is searchable with Google.” I repeated the demonstration with two additional directories of data bases.  I also showed them the paper indexes that are the source or antecedent of the electronic data bases. Some of the ways we search is based on what data base designers learned from the process of creating paper indexes and bibliographies.

In some schools the library building is a showcase with ornate entrances and reading rooms.  Look at the pictures of the reading room in many of the old and prestigious universities on the East Coast.

In some institutions (non-colleges) the library is the best room for meetings.  While I like the idea that people enter and use the library, these meetings do not increase library use.  Frequently the librarians complain that these users do not respect the main purpose of the library.

In the job recruitment ad for a college president in a major metropolitan area, an earned doctorate was mentioned as an ideal, but not a requirement.  “A proven leader” was a requirement, but not any particular education or experience. The person eventually appointed to this position has as his highest degree a master of public policy. He has no experience as an educator, scholar, or college administrator.  His most recent experience was as a manager at a consulting and outsourcing company.

I have a passion for learning and I want that passion to be contagious to staff, faculty and students.

Q> On the other end of the scale, there are people who belittle and demean others in their own department as well as others in other departments. Some department chairs or senior faculty use their position to bully underlings and even colleagues in their department or other departments. How do you propose to handle them?

A>  It’s sad when people go through graduate school without learning the basic manners taught in elementary school.  Dealing with people is a constant learning process.  There are difficult people in every place.  I just saw a training video for dealing with difficult situations.  Part of the solution is diagnosis.  Is there an identifiable trigger?  Is the behavior endemic or epidemic? While there are more possible situations for me to deal with here, I’ll offer some of my strategies.

            1. Remain calm.  Yelling and screaming will not work with students, faculty or anyone else. Speak clearly and with authority.  That means don’t be hesitant or “wishy-washy.”

            2. Clarify and try to understand the problem.  Listen and rephrase until both parties are clear as to the difficulty.

            3. Identify a source or trigger for the behavior.

            4. Help the parties come to an understanding as what they really want.

            5. Offer alternatives or options so that both parties can at least get some of what they want. 

            6. When the above fail, call for more expert advice or help.

Q> I heard that a major city’s community college district has a chancellor who comes from the business world. Many academics assume that no one outside the academy is qualified because only someone with teaching or research experience knows the demands, challenges, and pitfalls of the academic life. How do you feel about non-academics as administrators?

A>I have heard many people criticize that chancellor and I would like to believe it is an individual case and not because of the business background.  I wrote an article more than ten years ago about how libraries need to think more about acting like a business.  However this was more about marketing and dealing with the public, not about the financial bottom line.  The for-profit colleges heavily advertise their institutions to gain more students.    The College defiantly has to follow solid marketing and public relations principles.  This chancellor does not have the credentials on paper to do the job.  However, I have been wrong in the past concerning people without the paper credentials.  These people, however, knew their limitations and strengths.  They worked hard to build on their strengths to serve their institutions with wisdom and leadership.

We should be interested more in student success than in the number of students who fill statistics.  While I believe in the need for educated people and an educated community, our College and college in general is not for everyone. Graduation rate is not the only criteria for measuring success. Some students attend classes with no intention of graduating. 

After seeing the behavior of the chancellor that you mention I would say that teaching experience is essential for a college administrator.  That is because every supervisor is a teacher.  Every parent is a teacher.  Only through close contact with learners on a regular basis can one learn about different learning styles and how students progress from nothing to something.  However, some of my greatest teachers were not my classroom teachers.  Books, lecturers, and conferences are good places to learn.  In high school one great influence on me was a teacher whom I heard only one lecture.  His theme was, “we need more men of God and fewer men of war.”

If a non-academic is appointed to a college administration position that person needed to be willing to learn what takes to be an academic and a student.  While some of that knowledge, can be learned from readings and listening to others, the systematic nature of a class should be required.  There are several graduate programs at the certificate and degree levels for these people to gain a theoretical basis administering a college.  In general I feel that any new administrator needs to learn a great deal about the institution and administration in general.  I will be enrolling in a program to gain more expertise in areas that I weak in.

Q> How do you propose to handle your detractors?

A>  With patience, honor, dignity,  and  wisdom.

Q> I've heard professors say it's time to shutter the library because it's outdated -- everything's on the Internet, after all -- the college needs the space, and the library's a money pit. How do you propose to handle those critics? Remember, too, you'll be accused of undue bias toward the library if you give too much consideration to it.

A> I’m for the students. If making library improvements helps the students, I’m bias toward helping people be better students.  That is not undue bias; it is what is required for educated students.  Some professors will complain about anything.  If they can’t suggest an improvement that we all can live with than they are speaking empty words.    If they think “everything is on the Internet”  I’ll just show them the directories of data bases that I mentioned above.   Some teachers seem to take a long time to learn about libraries and information services.  Many professors when they write books thank the libraries and librarians who helped them with their project.  They are the norm, not the detractors.

Libraries do cost a lot of money, but it is cheaper than not having a library.

---- to be continued

Wilbur Wright College

New President Interview -- Part 5

Innovation, Excellence, Passion for Learning

Part five of an imaginary interview with the newly appointed president of the College.   Note this is just for your information and amusement. Any connection to a real college president is strictly coincidental. 

Q>  What is the role of innovation with the College?

A> At one time in IT (information technology) or MIS (management information services) the conventional knowledge was, “if it’s not broken, don’t fixed it.”  This type of thinking kept systems running.  Administration counted up time as good and down time as bad.  This kind of thinking led to a certain amount of stagnation and complacency. Innovation and improvements were done only when a business case could be made. Maintenance became more important than thinking of new and better ways of doing business.

Innovation can best take place in an atmosphere of taking chances.  People need the freedom to try ideas.  Sometimes the ideas fail and sometime they don’t.  In a learning institution we have to nurture new ideas in both our instruction and administration.  I told my students that the class is for learning; it is better to make a mistake in class and have me correct it than to make a mistake in front of your boss or a customer.  We must teach students to constantly explore and find answers where none existed before.  Likewise in the administrative area of the College we must encourage new ideas to save money, time, or effort.  We must use information technologies to enable faculty and staff better serve our students and institution.  We must overcome some of the poor learning habits that students encountered in their previous schools.

Schools and IT departments run best when they follow standards and well tested methodologies.  Consistency helps people do their jobs without thinking of new ways of accomplishing the tasks. The doubters think that following rules is the antithesis of innovation.   Rules and standards have a place within the organization.  When I was teaching about computer programming, I preached, don’t break a rule of programming until you thoroughly understand it.  Rules are written to maintain order.  We could not have a library catalog or any data base without following strict rules.  One could not sign in or send e-mail without following the rules and spelling the names and passwords correctly.

In order to have innovation, we must define it rather broadly and nurture a culture where innovation and learning thrive.  We have to instill in all our people the idea that innovation leads to excellence.  Innovations include all efforts to do a better job, lower costs, improve the physical plant, or make the mundane more palatable. In a culture of innovation and learning we need to recognize our faculty and staff who demonstrate it.  Innovation can be minor, affecting a small place in time or major, affecting the whole way we do business. Not all innovative ideas will be implemented.  Great inventors had many ideas that never left the talking phase.  By catching, examining, and nurturing the minor innovations, we can train everyone to be better innovators.  I will try to find people who think out of the box and recognize them as well as their teachers or supervisors. 

As I mentioned before I plan to encourage everyone to be part of professional organizations and share what they learn from publications, listservs, conferences and meetings.  We will publicize to the community these activities.  If one can’t be the innovator, they can learn from others who do innovate.  Innovation is part learning and part sharing.  That does not mean one can be reckless with time, people or materials. We change the organization to think and create new ideas within a framework of standards.

Showcasing achievements and innovation, no matter how small, is aimed at changing the institutional culture to one where more people see themselves as innovators and strivers for excellence.  Encouraging people to improve their domain is a step to organizational improvement and better team cohesion.  This is part of the educational and administrative process.

Q>  You entered the presidency directly from a librarian position rather than passing through the typical intermediate administrative positions. What makes you think you're ready?

A> I bring a scholar's passion, a student's eagerness to learn, positive energy, knowledge of many disciplines, and a deep sense of calling to this work. I love the constituency of the College, its students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. Although I'm not an alumnus, my years working for the College and in other institutions of higher education, give me an understanding of the College's DNA and higher education. I've studied it, I appreciate it, and I embrace it.

For someone to be effective as a college President one must draw on years of personal and institutional experience and create a passion to make people and systems work better. I will take graduate courses to fill in the knowledge that I am missing. My love of education and community will, hopefully, add real value to the students’ experience. 

Q>  Your mother was a reading teacher.  Did she instill your great love of books and learning?

A>  My mother did not become a reading teacher until I graduated college.  I cannot attribute my love of reading to her position.  When I was in elementary school I remember buying books from a school book club.  I was excited about the ability purchase and own my books.  By the time I was in sixth grade I had more than 300 books in my collection. However, I don’t remember visiting any book stores.    My father frequently bought books and took us to the public library to check out books and records. 

My father was a business owner.  He taught us that his bosses were his customers.  His sense of service to his customers was one big influence on my theory of management.  In 8^th and 9^th grade I helped in the school library.  I learned how to help students find the books they needed. You might say that public service and love of learning were imprinted on me from my earliest years.

New President Interview -- Part 4

Part four of an imaginary interview with the newly appointed president of the College.   Note this is just for your information and amusement. Any connection to a real college president is strictly coincidental. 

Q>  Many years ago you wrote an article on education by example. Do you still believe in that theory of education and if so how does this relate to your management style?

A> When I was in my early years of teaching I was the librarian, assistant principal and a classroom teacher.  My mentor, the schools principal, taught the faculty to teach not just with our words, but with our actions.  The prime example was do not shout at the students when you want them to be quiet.  Talk softly and get them pay attention.  Yelling louder than the students teaches them to yell louder and louder. If talking softly does not work, quietly walk over to them and talk to them directly or lightly tap them on the shoulder.  I learned quickly not to yell or get upset.  I learned to wait.  I learned to repeat instructions such as “please sit down.”  I learned to treat the student with respect.  Results were not immediate.  Students seemed to get trained by parents that being loud or threatening punishment was the way to prove one is right.  It took a long time to train them that the principal was right.

When my children were in elementary school I went to a school assembly.  Students from each grade made a presentation of songs or short plays.  It took concentration to understand the youngest students.  The teachers tried to tell the students in the audience to keep quiet.  They did so by yelling at them.  In another area teachers were congregating and talking about non-school matters so loudly they could be heard many rows away.  I discussed this behavior with the principal because the teachers were not setting a good example.  The principal agreed to speak with the teachers since it was not my job to teach them how to behave.  I did speak to my children about the incident and encouraged them to act properly even when the teachers were not.

Unless someone’s life is in danger or there is another kind of urgent situation I do not yell at people.  I try to set a good example by my actions and make sure my actions agree with my words, I try to retain control by showing calmness.

When I was a school principal one of my tasks was to check all teacher materials before reproduction for students.  I believed that students should not be given materials with mistakes.  I corrected typos and informational errors.  Most teachers thanked me and were glad I helped.  Some teachers thought I was picky about all the grammatical errors that I found.  I reminded them about how we teach with our example.  How can we teach them to write carefully when the teachers have mistakes in the handouts?  Teachers made mistakes in the use of punctuation, spelling and capitalization as well as fact.   One teacher tried to promote the school musical to parents.  The handout misspelled the name of the production and did not tell details about the time and place of the performance. The piece missed my quality control and teacher sent it out without showing to anyone.  The piece reflected badly on the teacher and the school.

Since I want my children and students to learn, I set an example for them.  I attend regular classes, write papers, and discuss ideas with them.  I expect the faculty and staff of a learning institution to always be learning.  I am going to encourage staff development, attendance at professional conferences, participation in professional organizations, and writing of articles.  While, we don’t have the same kinds of research that would be present at a research university, we do have to encourage everyone to learn new ideas and share them.  There will be no requirement for publication, however, we will encourage faculty to publish and when they do we will publicize the fact.  

I would like everyone to create a personal learning program.  It could be as modest as regular reading of newspapers or magazines or as complex as completing a scholarly book.  My personal learning program includes attending at least three regular classes a week, reading scholarly and professional literature, and writing articles.  One recent area of study was copyright law and its history. Some day perhaps we can have a lunch and learn program? This would a series of informal discussions on current topics such as ethics, customer relations, communications, or other issues that foster a give and take.  The sessions would be more focused than ad hoc lunch conversations and less formal than a class.

We must teach both with both words and actions.  That is teaching by example.

Q>  When you were a student at Morningside University there was a lot of campus unrest.  Some students occupied the president’s office.  How did this affect you and what was your role in the campus unrest?

A> When I was in high school and I already accepted to the University I had to travel to Morningside City for a youth conference.  Since the conference was near the Morningside campus I wanted to visit and see where I would be going to school.  When I was already on the airplane someone told be that the campus was closed.  I was able to only see the outer walls of the campus.  I took pictures and this became the basis of a short story.   I was not happy.

University administration building during a calmer time

The following spring when I was a student, there was again campus unrest.  Classes were cancelled and I tried to protest the cessation of learning. I went to college to learn, not protest against the university.  At another time I did go with a group of students to Washington, DC to lobby Congress and I did march outside the UN for causes I believed in.  My picture was in the newspaper during one protest.  I was never arrested and I did not miss class for my activities.   During a strike by employees of a nursing home, I went to help the residents.  That was an act that needed to be done to save their lives.    We were not strike breakers.

This is another era.  Students today are not as active in politics as during that period.  This is both good and bad.  I would like to see students who care about making the world a better place.  I would never want them to see the College as an adversary and occupy the campus in protest.  The actions of the students at Morningside University and other universities at that time were wrong, but their goals were lofty.

The goals of education include teaching students to be members of society, their communities and how to strive to make this a better world.  The starting point of change should be communications, not protests.

Q> You have no significant experience in academic administration. What would you say to critics who question your ability to judge things like tenure?

A> It's a big advantage to have been a faculty member and librarian for several universities.  As a librarian I had contact with students from all levels and faculty from all levels.  As a professor of online courses I essentially started a community of learning that lasted only a semester.  I had to manage all the learning activities. Part of teaching future librarians is teaching the techniques and skills needed for management.  Every class had a management skills component.

Tenure decision activity is a small part of the job of the president. I have no doubt with the help of others we can make the right decisions about tenure.  By the time the tenure decision reaches my office, others will have vetted and examined the case.  I will be the final judge, but others will make sure that only the best candidates even reach my desk.

Hiring and firing is always a joint decision.  I hope that collectively we can make the right decisions for the College and the individuals.

Q> What are some of the challenges facing you and the College in this upcoming year?

A> I'm spending a considerable amount of time listening - to faculty, students, staff, alumni, and other friends of the college. I have a deep respect for the strengths that already exist here.  I hope to synthesize a shared vision of where the College sees itself currently and where we need to go.  We need to encourage excellence in administration and academics in the College.

We have to learn to respect the learning of the past and discover ways to avoid the mistakes of those who came before us.  Growth comes from a synthesis of great ideas of the past with a vision for the future.

Diversity is everyone's responsibility.  We reflect the full range of citizens in our city. We will need to share ideas and be thoughtful about the way we can approach all the implications of a diverse population. We need to respect each other for the power of our intellect, not ethic background or the color of one’s skin.

Q> How does one balance arts and sciences in society?

A> It's important for students and later citizens to understand the value, the power, the usefulness and the appropriateness of the scientific method.  Everyone is a scientist when they realize actions have repeatable consequences.  If one sees a fire, it is always hot. If one steps on the floor, you feet will not fall through.  Daily life is filled with experimentation, results, applications, and decisions.  People must learn not to make assertions without proof or evidence. The value of a scientific education even for the 'non-scientist' is in learning that way of thinking. An informed citizen knows how to be skeptical and find reliable answers.  People make decisions about their personal safety, their surroundings, the environment, and other issues based on evidence. Sometimes it's difficult to know the right response, because the evidence is contradictory, not available, inaccurate, or imprecise.

The arts are based on feelings.  When someone creates a picture, a drama, or music, there is no precision.  For example two companies can take a text of a play and the will create two interpretations with the exact same text. I love classical music and the visual arts.  Arts deal with uncertainties and fuzzy kinds of thinking. 

Science is about precision and reproducibility.  Every time an experiment is performed the results need to be the same.  My background in computer science and psychology give me a respect for experiments, experience, and results. Colleges need to nurture the logical precision of science and math, fuzzy imprecise thinking, and the beauty of the arts.

Q> How has the role of president affected the ways in which you address ethical issues?

A> In a lecture to a class on topic of ethics I showed a short clip from the TV series 24.  The main character, Jack Bower was brought before the U.S. Senate and accused of treason because of his handling of a situation.  Bower testified that sometimes one has to take extraordinary measures to protect society.  Hopefully, at the College we don’t have to deal with problems of life and death or the freedom of the citizens.

Morals and ethics are not absolute.  In talking to English classes I tell them about the practice of 19^th century publishers who published novelists from other countries without paying royalties.  A British publisher could publish Mark Twain and an American publisher could publish Charles Dickens without signing an agreement with the author or paying a royalty.  This was not illegal. It is debatable if they did anything wrong.  Sometimes people need to do what is right even if the law does not tell them what is permitted or restricted. 

The president needs to be a both an example of moral and ethical behavior and advise others to the correct legal and moral path.  Commission of plagiarism, may cause you to lose a grade or your job, but it is not a criminal act.  The president has a greater responsibility for what one might call the “ethics of stewardship.”  A president may be held responsible for the actions or inactions of the people of the College.  A president must consider a very wide range of ethical issues and moral responsibilities.  With expert advice a president is able to view them from a great variety of perspectives. As the president I must be careful when and how I make commitments for the College.  I manage expectations and am more aware of the importance of balancing competing forces.

For example, we have a strong group of student, faculty, and staff advocating the issue of living wages. I have a strong moral commitment to providing a living wage including raising the salaries of those at the lower end of our salary scale. As president I also have to worry about balancing these demands on our fiscal resources. We have to plan carefully how to use our monies including efforts to address non-competitive salaries, financial aid, and physical plant maintenance and improvements.

As president I have to balance the sometimes conflicting paths we could follow.  The law is not always enough.  One must understand the history and intention of the law as part of a moral system.  I will continue to remind people of the moral path that is right for our people and the College.

Q> In the Supreme Court case Caperton v. A. T. Massey Coal Co., No. 08-22, Justice Antonin Scalia quoted the Talmud.  He studied Talmud while in Harvard Law School because he saw those seeped in the study of Talmud were better able to understand the American legal process.  Do you personally study Talmud and what does the methodology teach us? 

A> I attend a weekly Talmud class.  At one time I participated in the program to study one Talmud page per day.  We finished the entire Talmud in 7.5 years.  This type of study teaches me how to observe texts and situations from many points of view.  It teaches a respect for the letter law while trying to apply the intention of the law to a current situation.  Many of the “what if” cases discussed are so unusual that perhaps they never happened in real life.  This teaches one to think of many possibilities.  It can also lead to making a plan and back up plans.  When I was a computer programmer/analyst, this ability to think of multiple possibilities for all input was a distinct advantage over other programmers.  Even when creating questions for surveys, I learned to make choices that everyone could find an answer.  For example “none of the above” or “other” is a legitimate answer when the choices don’t cover every possible answer.

Justice Scalia in his dissenting opinion wrote:

Divinely inspired text may contain the answers to all earthly questions, but the Due Process Clause most assuredly does not. The Court today continuesits quixotic quest to right all wrongs and repair all imperfections through the Constitution. Alas, the quest cannot succeed--which is why some wrongs and imperfections have been called nonjusticiable.  (Legalize for: not appropriate or proper for judicial consideration or resolution.)

We are not going to teach Talmud at the College, but I hope some of the methodology of examining text and law can be part of the way I think and work with others.  

---- to be continued