March 2012

Greetings,

One of the big items related to our Strategic Plan (Priorities #2 and #3) has been the launch of our new leadership development program and leadership map.  There are several facets to this program, the two most experimental and (we hope) “cutting edge” being EXCEL and LEAD.  I am pleased to report that we have great interest in these two programs.  The first EXCEL class that was offered as a choice to both participants and others first had to be expanded and then capped at forty participants!  Likewise our LEAD applications exceeded our expectations; we have determined the composition of the first LEAD class as well as making some additions to program content.  All in all, it’s exciting to be a part of this new effort in leadership development, and I have actually received inquiries from other organizations asking whether they can participate!

Our first LEAD class includes:  Tonya Bailey (EOI); Melissa Brown (University Relations); Michael Doyle (Library); Jayshri Gandhi (Student Affairs); Nicholas Gaspar (Extended Learning); Gerald Glasco (Financial Services); Theresa Landis (Auxiliary and Recreational Services); Stacey Lee (Registrar); Tamara McKay (Counseling Center); Mona Munroe-Younis (University Outreach); Qiana Perrean Smith (Housing); Stephanie Roach (English); Sapna Thwaite (Education); Stephen Turner (Computer Science); Huey-Ming Tzeng (Nursing).  Congratulations to the inaugural class!

One of the most important parts of the LEAD program is the opportunity to secure 360° feedback.  Each participant is asked to identify 25 or more individuals who must know their work well.  These individuals (at least two people from each category) are to be drawn from the participant’s supervisor(s), peers, “customers,” direct reports, and others, and will receive a survey to complete.  I will be participating in the 360° exercise along with the first LEAD class and am busily assembling my list of people.  A feedback report is provided to each LEAD participant, who will then work with an executive coach to debrief results and reflect on a development plan.  A post-program 360° process will also be undertaken early in 2013.

All in all, LEAD and EXCEL promise to be a real opportunity for the members of our campus community, and I look forward to supporting and continuing them in the future.  There will be other nominations to external leadership development programs forthcoming as well as another round of “Fundamentals of Supervision I and II” classes in the fall.  Once the EXCEL and LEAD participants have completed their rotation through their respective programs, we will initiate a call for the next round of participants.  In the meantime, as always, we continue to look for additional opportunities for faculty and staff development. 
 

Compete

Our two most recent accreditation visits have been for our management programs (AACSB) and our doctoral program in nursing (CCNE).  The preparation for these visits is quite extensive and time consuming, and I am impressed by the amount of effort that is expended by our faculty and staff.  In both cases, we expect favorable outcomes, but we won’t know the official vote for some time.  Thanks to all for their work on these initiatives!

Convene

This month brought a special celebration – the opening of our new quarters for the School of Management (SOM) and the honoring of a number of Michigan businesses and individuals connected to the school.  Visitors were able to see that the new SOM space is not only very attractive but most importantly, highly functional – promoting the very best in teaching and learning, providing space for collective discussion and collaboration as well as for individual work.  And… the move was made over the holiday break… in record time!  It doesn’t get any better than that.  And… yes, there will be a sign on the building!


                             Celebrating with Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient John Coleman MBA ‘93

A second celebration takes place on the weekend of March 23-24 – the 25^th anniversary of our Greek Life program.  I’m hopeful that all of our Greeks, past and present, will be joining me to celebrate the success of these organizations and their contributions to the university and the community.

Connect

Have you seen the first issue of “Tolle Lege” – “Take & Read”?  It’s the Thompson Library’s newly issued newsletter, designed to connect the library with its users, edited by Vera Kay Anderson.  What a great idea!  Speaking of the library, the newly-created ThinkLab opened for student use on March 5 – yet another example of the way we continue to look for creative and innovative ways to serve our students. 
 
We had the opportunity to join with a number of community organizations to host a group of young professionals from the Ukraine who are visiting Flint for a week to learn more about higher education and non-profit organizations and fundraising in the United States.  The visit is part of Flint’s Sister Cities program and the U.S. Department of State’s Open World program.  I had the opportunity to attend a weekend social event with these visitors, and with Vice Chancellor Mary Jo Sekelsky, to provide them with a briefing on U.S. higher education.


                                                                          Ukrainian Delegation

On My Calendar