Because of my experience and graduate education in student affairs, I know how colleges work. I’ve got a pretty good handle on student development in college. Although it’s different in every case, I even understand how college affects students. I can apply this knowledge to marketing, program development, assessment, or telling my campus’ story to invested community members. I truly feel that if I didn’t get my start in student affairs I wouldn’t understand the heart of an institution of higher education: the students.

I was surprised when colleagues asked me if I understood how orientation worked, how a conduct situation should be handled, or if I knew what FERPA was. It was even more disconcerting when I realized how timid students were when they occasionally came into my office in the administrative wing of the building. For a bit, I was like a fish out of water. Then I realized I was more like a fish who’d evolved to walk on land, but retained knowledge of what it was like under the sea. I can only imagine how difficult it is to work on campus and not understand what our students are going through or how I’m impacting their life. Regardless of our place on the organizational chart, we should all strive to understand our students.

Chances are, not everyone on your campus has the depth of training in student development and higher education administration that you do. What are our campuses doing for staff members like that? Should an understanding of student development theory be an expected competency of any university employee? What about the history of higher education, identity development theory, or an understanding of oppression and privilege? Does that background help them better serve students and the institution, regardless of their role?

If you’re “classically trained” in student affairs, have you taken time to reflect on the foundation that’s been built for your career? Do you think your education and experience has prepared you for leadership roles in higher education or any other industry?

I no longer work in student affairs, but I’m still a student affairs professional.

The legislature held a public hearing on the bill on Monday, and it lasted more than 26 hours. Students and public employees have been protesting in and around the capitol in Madison since Monday, some staying overnight. The crowd of protestors today is estimated at 25,000. Madison public schools have been closed for two days because of a teacher sick-out. The most recent development was this afternoon’s protest from democratic senators: they left the state instead of attending the hearing to vote on the bill. Without at least one of the senators, quorum can’t be reached and a vote can’t be held. Students on most UW campuses staged protests and walkouts today in support of teachers and staff members.

This bill may have national implications. Right now, it looks like Ohio is next in line to attempt to deny collective bargaining rights for public employees. According to an NPR story, “It’s [healthcare & pensions] also a place that governors in other states are looking to find savings as they face crushing budget deficits.”

In full disclosure, I’m a UW System employee, and this bill will decrease my monthly take home pay by 12.4%. This is a crushing blow, as raises have already been rescinded from university employees for the last two years and are unlikely to occur over the next four, and for two years we’ve had mandatory furloughs, which amount to a 3.25% pay cut. I recently took a new position that represented a promotion. At the time, my new boss lamented that I would not be receiving much of a pay raise, and she was not authorized to offer me any more money. If this bill is approved, the minimal raise I received to become a department director and member of the campus administrative leadership team will return my net income to almost exactly what I was making at my entry-level job.

UW System employees are fed up. We are not eligible for merit raises, and we’re paid less than comparable employees in the public sector. Our benefits are what made it possible for us to continue working in the public sector, and now those are being augmented. This is just a budget repair bill. The real shock will come next week when Governor Walker unveils his budget for 2011-2013, which reportedly has plans to break up the UW System, and will no doubt include even more cuts.

This bill will have a lasting impact. The average starting salary for a faculty member with a PhD at my institution ($43,000) is significantly below peer institutions. In fact, if the bill passes we know we will have staff and faculty whose lowered incomes will mean their children could qualify for free school lunches and/or for Badger Care. The bill may impact our ability to attract and retain quality candidates for all campus positions. We need to recruit from all over the country and have to be able to compete nationally as well as regionally. The new measures would make us less competitive in recruiting and retaining talented employees.

It is my hope that the rest of the country will take notice of what’s happening in Wisconsin, particularly how it affects educators from kindergarten to college. Below I’ve provided links to what I believe is factual information. There are many opinion pieces available online, but I believe the facts speak for themselves. Educators deserve to receive a fair wage for their work, and the balancing of state budgets should not rest on the backs of public employees.

• Summary of the budget repair bill
• UW Colleges chancellor Ray Cross’ letter to the legislature
• Impact of budget repair bill on UW System employee benefits
• The economic impact of cutting public sector wages and benefits

This post was written on my own time, using my own computer and internet access. It expresses my opinion as a private citizen of Wisconsin. In no way am I representing the views of my institution or the UW System

How To Leave A Job

A graceful exit starts before you even have a new job. If possible, let your employer know when you’re applying for other positions so they can plan for a possible transition and serve as a current, positive reference. Even if you don’t get the job, your supervisor will know what types of positions you’re interested in; this could lead to increased opportunities at your current place of employment.

I believe this conversation should be had before you receive a job offer.  Trying to use another offer as leverage for your demands rarely works in student affairs, from what I’ve seen.  Remember: NO ONE is irreplaceable. If for some reason you think you are, perhaps you should be spending more of your time sharing your skills with your colleagues.

When you have a job offer, ask for some time to think things over. Mickey Fitch previously wrote about some great questions to ask yourself and your perspective employer.

Next, you resign (assuming you accept the job offer). This part is easy. Write a short letter informing your supervisor of your last day in the office, perhaps thanking him/her for the opportunities they’ve provided. That’s it.  Don’t go overboard; you’re not breaking up with someone.

This is where the work starts. You need to do everything you can to transfer your knowledge (and in some cases, skills) to other areas of your department so operations continue as normal. This may include training sessions, writing transition documents, and temporarily reassigning duties. For me, it also included contacting colleagues both within and outside the university to inform them of my “impending departure” and providing alternate contacts. By far the most important thing I did was empower talented student employees to take over the reins while a search was conducted for my replacement.

The last few weeks of your employment may include a lot of awkward interactions. Mine ran the gamut of “will anyone be hired to replace you?” to “no one can do all the work that you do!” My director even jokingly asked a Vice Chancellor and Chancellor to issue an executive order forbidding me to leave. I’d suggest taking everything in stride, smiling, and trusting that your department will handle your absence well. Don’t seek out adoration from others or a validation of your time at the institution. You’re not royalty; you don’t need to leave a legacy.

Resist the urge to slack off. Power through, and realize which projects you need to finish and which ones you need to hand off. I didn’t stop plowing through work until 3PM on my last day, but my hard work paid off and did not go unnoticed by my supervisor. Her facebook status that day truly humbled me:

Now, I’ve left my former institution, but I haven’t left my colleagues. I’m still forwarding relevant grant proposals, and answering a question here and there.  However, I know they have what they need to be successful.  Without me.

What advice do you have for someone leaving a job?  Did you learn anything the hard way?

• Jonas Prising, Executive VP of Manpower and President of the Americas
• Dr. Al Durtka, President and CEO of the International Institute of Wisconsin
• Nelson Soler, President of the Multicultural Entrepreneurship Institute and the Latino Entrepreneurial Network
• Dr. Clara Brennan, Dean of the Cardinal Stritch University School of Business

These accomplished leaders offered some fantastic leadership insights, and I’d like to share some of them with you:

Read and learn as much as you can. Each person stressed the importance of being a lifetime learner, even after you are finished with formal schooling.  To this end, develop an area of functional expertise and own that expertise over a lifetime.

Be generous with your expertise.  Knowledge is not a commodity to be hoarded, but rather to be shared.  When you supervise/lead others, you should be striving to improve their abilities so one day they can leave you to lead their own team.  I also interpret this as contributing to the knowledge of your profession, whether that’s through professional associations or your personal network.

Conflict is inevitable—you need to be able to manage it. Conflict isn’t positive or negative, it’s a neutral action.  The behaviors that result from conflict will determine how it’s perceived.  Strive to make conflict result in a positive outcome.

Know what you don’t know. This derails a lot of people.  Developing self-awareness will give you great strength.  In international settings, you may recognize that you don’t understand cultural mores.  Expanding that knowledge can help you avoid potentially catastrophic situations when doing business in other countries.

Recognize what you’re excellent at, and delegate what you’re good at. The whole team benefits when their strengths are utilized to the fullest potential.  Seek out team members who excel in areas that you don’t.

Develop your emotional intelligence. This is extremely important in a global environment.  According to Jonas, up to 40% of people assigned to work abroad see their experience end prematurely because of a lack of emotional intelligence.

_________________________

This is just a small portion of the information that was shared with us last week.  What struck me throughout the presentation was my complete lack of work experience outside the United States.  Of course, it’s never too late to change your life’s direction.  Some action steps I created for myself after attending this session are:

Seek experiences in different countries.  For me, this will start with a study tour of Italy next year.

Expand my sources of knowledge. I didn’t read a journal article from a different country until the last year of my master’s program.  I need to be intentional about seeking knowledge sources from different countries so I don’t generalize my knowledge of the U.S. population to the entire world.

Spend time with international students. I’m fortunate enough to be in a program that includes students from Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and China.  I need to purposefully spend time with these students to broaden my perspective of the world.

Listen to/read international news sources. U.S. news is usually focused on what’s happening in our country, or in other countries because of our involvement.  International news sources tend to have a more global perspective, and I can learn from that.

_________________________

Have you thought about what it means to be a truly global leader?  What steps have you taken (or will you take) to become one?

Many university communication departments hire an outside marketing firm to brand their campus experience (At UWM we’re “Awesome and Affordable“). Unfortunately, this brand doesn’t always mesh with the way students experience the university, especially if you consider how different an experience could be from the perspective of a new first-year student, transfer student, adult student, or remedial student. What if you gave a bunch of students a chance to experience their own 15 minutes of fame by being a brand ambassador?

Here’s how it would work:

• Put out a call for participants. Just tell them they’ll be famous on the internet, and I’m sure you’ll get plenty of responses (maybe from some bloggers that already have current and prospective students as readers)
• From all your volunteers, choose 10-15 that represent different parts of your student population (academic progress, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, hometown/state/country, GPA, etc)
• Give these students a cheap video recorder and access to a collaborative blog.  Provide quick training on how to upload/publish their content
• Don’t give them too much direction, but let them know what topics aren’t appropriate (underage drinking, nudity, etc)
• Advertise the site that hosts all their content soon after students start to publish

It would take guts to do this, but what are some possible outcomes?

• Increase the involvement of your brand ambassadors on campus
• Attract prospective students that already have an idea of what the campus experience is like, perhaps increasing retention because they already know it’s a good fit
• Discover what your university’s brand looks like from a students’ perspective

Some universities do a version of this, like MIT’s admissions bloggers, and the Alverno College Your Power campaign. Have you heard of a comprehensive program like this? Do you think it could work? Would anyone have enough guts to implement a program where students control their branding?

I’d like to give credit to Jun Loayza, who gave the talk that inspired this idea.

One sentence from Peter’s blog seemed to spark some conversation in the comments–and Peter even stopped by to comment!  That sentence is: “concentrate on building up the capability, flexibility, utility and visibility of your talent — your DNA of excellence.” That’s a great sounding sentence, but what does it mean?  Here’s my interpretation.

Capability. Do you know the stuff you’re supposed to know?  Accomplish this by staying current on research and best practices in your functional area and/or specialty.  If you’re feeling less than confident about your skills, seek out additional training, whether formal or informal.  Make an effort to communicate regularly with leaders and practitioners in your field so you’re exposed to a variety of opinions and experiences.

Flexibility. Are your skills transferable?   Expand your skill set so it can be applied to other functional areas on campus, or even other industries.  Explore alternate delivery methods–your career counseling skills may be stellar when a student is in your office, but are you comfortable counseling on the telephone, skype, or using social media?  Another important aspect of flexibility is the types of stakeholders you’re comfortable working with.  Hopefully everyone reading this works well with students, but other groups to consider are: parents, faculty, support staff, community members, private sector employees, and people much older or younger than you.

Utility. Are you spending your time developing expertise in an area that is truly useful to the profession?  It’s important to recognize if your focus has jumped the shark­.  Assuming your knowledge-base is relevant, can you clearly and concisely explain why what you do is useful and worthwhile?  Everyone’s heard of an elevator speech.  Imagine you are in the elevator with a senior administrator at your institution.  When he/she asks “what have you been up to?” are you able to provide a 10-15 second answer that showcases your skills and value as an employee?  Is your answer so good that he/she would stop outside the elevator to ask you more about it?

Visibility. Are you recognized as a leader in your field?  There are lots of ways to accomplish this:

• Present at conferences
• Submit articles for publication
• Utilize social media to connect with others
• Actively participate in professional association committees

Local visibility is important too.  When your department or area of interest is mentioned on campus, does your name come up?  Some options to increase your campus visibility include:

• Join committees and actually contribute
• Reach out to others when you need their expertise; they’ll likely return the favor at a later date
• Attend campus social events (for staff as well as students)
• If your campus maintains an “experts list,” find out what you need to do to be included on it.

All of this contributes to your DNA of excellence…and it will be much easier to develop it if you truly believe that you are excellent at what you do.  If that’s not how you view yourself, focus more on the “capability” aspect and you’ll improve quickly.  Have a conversation about this with your supervisor – what boss doesn’t want their employees to learn new things in order to become a better professional?

Be patient.  I’ve been in my position for 5 years, and only recently have I begun to think about myself and my career in this manner.  Does this resonate with anyone?  Is there a dimension of the DNA of excellence that is missing?  What strategies have you used to develop your DNA of excellence?

I’ve strung together a few of Peter’s sentences to create a summary of his article to convince you to click through to the original post:

“Millions of Americans are still convinced that the best way to protect themselves in this stuttering economy is with long hours and never-ending devotion to their job…You have to change both your focus and your priority. You have to shift your focus from your job to your career. And you have to shift your priority from what you do for your employer to what you do for yourself. Here’s what I mean.…Focus on your career. Concentrate on building up the capability, flexibility, utility and visibility of your talent — your DNA of excellence.”

When I read this on February 26, I emailed it to many of my colleagues.  My supervisor immediately responded with, “That is a great article. I also wonder if you feel connected to what the author wrote due to the fact that this philosophy is one that you are already putting into practice?” Have I mentioned how much I love my supervisor lately?

So, read the article.  Let it marinate awhile.  I’ll be back in a few days with a thoughtful post about putting this philosophy into practice.  Could this be the next step to the elusive “work/life balance?”  Contact me if you’ve got something to contribute as well.

Running that search everyday can get a little time consuming, and if your institution gets a lot of press you’ll see a lot of tweets from non-students.  I’ve solved that problem by importing the RSS feed for each twitter search I monitor into my Google Reader account.  This has made everything so much easier!  Not only can I mark tweets as read, I can search the tweets for key words such as “apply,” “accepted” or “housing.”

Using Google Reader allows me to monitor more searches than I normally would, so I can search twitter for the words students use to refer to our services.  This means searching for “dorm” even though we consider that a dirty word (we’re residence halls!), searching for each of our buildings, the name of our institution, etc.  I’ve even started a search for “campus” with geographic limitations to see what comes up.

Do you have unique strategies for managing your department’s twitter activities?

Me:  “What are you looking for in an applicant?”

Chair:  “Well, we want someone with leadership experience in higher education who is experiencing the itch to go back to school.”

Me:  “The itch?”

Chair:  “Yes, the itch.  We don’t want someone that’s applying just because they feel it’s the next step.  This is a time-intensive program, and we expect you to complete your dissertation in 3.5 – 5 years.  In order to do that, you need to be chomping at the bit to get back to school.”

That phone call was in November.  I knew I wanted to do research on social media and student engagement, and I had a lot of time on my hands now that I was no longer in class.  I started my admissions essay in December, and then let it sit on the back burner.  I was amazed when I picked it up again yesterday and found myself enjoying writing.  I even took the time to look up 6th edition APA changes and didn’t cringe.  Even more than research and reading, I enjoy writing.  I suppose that will come in handy if I need to write a dissertation in a few years.

The application isn’t even in the mail yet, and I don’t know if I’ll get in.  What I know is the process has rejuvenated me professionally.  I guess I’m one of those perpetual learners who isn’t content to sit and twiddle her thumbs after finishing school.  I need to keep looking for challenges through work or school to stay motivated.  One thing’s for sure, if everything pans out I won’t be short on challenges for the next few years.

Have you thought about taking the next step in your education, either through a degree program, training institute, or other form of learning?  What entices you to do so, or what has hindered you?