2009 OCPA-OASPA CONFERENCE

1. 2009 OCPA-OASPA CONFERENCE DR. CHARLES RYAN, PROFESSOR DR. JOANNE RISACHER, DIRECTOR, SAHE MR. ERIC POCH, ASSISTANT REGISTRAR THEME: INFUSING SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE INTO SAHE GRADUATE PROGRAMS

2. FUNDAMENTALQUESTIONS 1. What is Sustainability Science? *Theoretical foundation is built around the 3 “E’s” -Ecology/environment -Economy/employment -Equity/equality *Graduate content, e.g. -Systems Theory -Systems Thinking -Leadership Theory

3. FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS 2. What knowledge base do you need to infuse Sustainability Science into SAHE graduate programs? 3. What vision for higher education is needed to sustain viability through 2020? 4. What curriculum content is available to assist you with this transition?

4. FUNDAMENTALQUESTIONS 5. What role do SAHE staff assume in providing leadership for sustaining the current model? Or changing it? 6. What is your personal plan to revise the SAHE program to infuse sustainability science?

5. DANGER POINTS • Failure of unit leaders to interact laterally with other SAHE units • Investment in capacity building is minimal, staff jump from one solution to another • Superficiality is rewarded, does not consider the whole system as interactive • Failure to develop capacity building in the entire system, e.g. one unit develops a plan in isolation

6. SUSTAINABILITY: A RALLYING CONCEPT • Solutions must be efficient, sophisticated, powerful, and amenable to action (Fullan, 2005, Pink, 2006) • SAHE professionals must use: - Systems Theory: Impacting environments, determining new and relevant approaches and seeking interaction among all units, e.g. Faculty and SAHE professionals

7. SUSTAINABILITY: A RALLYING CONCEPT • Collaboration among all professional personnel on campus • Goal is to discover and understand the whole picture and long-term trends (Fullan, 2005) • Systems Thinking, use of Left and Right Directed Thinking (Pink, 2006)

8. SUSTAINABILITY: A DEFINITION • Moral Purpose • Understanding change processes • Relationship Building • Knowledge Building • Coherence Making

9. ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY • Use of systems theory (Senge, 1990) and systems thinking (Pink, 2006) • Public service with a moral purpose • Commitment to changing context at all levels • Lateral capacity building through networks

10. ELEMENTS (CONTINUED) • Systems Learning • Dual commitment to short-term and long-term results • Cyclical energizing • The long lever of leadership

11. COMMENTS ON THE ELEMENTS • Public Service requires: -Improvement -Quality -Equity -Accounts for future generations -Meets expectations of a liberal society -Trust between government and citizens (Chapin, 2003)

12. COMMITMENT TO CHANGE CONTEXT AT ALL LEVELS • Institutions must be “Learning systems”-capable of their own transformation • Short-term improvements in key areas, e.g. reducing alcohol abuse is not enough • Whole system change requires altering the entire context in which students learn.

13. CHANGE CONTEXT (CONTINUED) • Context: The structure and cultures within which we learn and work • Create a community of civility-express new values • Involve all staff in the decision-making process

14. LATERAL CAPACITY BUILDING • Collaboration with other SAHE units • Learning from Peers-Innovative Practice • Caution, networking must be assessed. How does it change the culture of the SAHE division?

15. PLANNING FOR CHANGE IN THE SAHE GRADUATE PROGRAM • Review existing programs, e.g. all required courses, field experiences, etc. • Review electives, e.g. is complexity theory available? What about chaos theory?

16. PROPOSED CONTENT • Systems Theory • Systems Thinking • Organizational Systems • Learning Organizations • Human Factors Theory • Public Systems

17. PROPOSED CONTENT (continued) • Issues in organizing and leading SAHE programs • Teaming, communication and collaboration in a global society • Sustaining Renewal in Organizations

18. STUDENT LEARNING ACTIVITIVES • Greening the campus (E) • Analyzing budget, staff and resources (E) • Assessing diversity in the social system (E)

19. EDL 766 ADVANCED SEMINAR IN SAHE • Revised seminar in Spring, 2008 to focus on Sustainability. • Content: • Fullan, M. (2005). Leadership and Sustainability. Systems Thinkers in Action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

20. EDL 766 ADVANCED SEMINAR IN SAHE • Course content: • Sustainability Science: “A Room of it’s Own.” National Academy of Science. • Theory ‘U’ Otto Scharmer article, M.I. • Organizations as Self-Organizing by Goldspink • A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink (2006) • The Campus Sustainability Series, 2008, Paper Clip Communications. • Discussion was the primary instructional mode.

21. GRADUATE COURSE CONTENT-A STUDENT’S VIEW • Eric Poch, Assistant Registrar • DSS 903: a doctoral level course focusing on an overview of sustainability and renewal in organizations. • Diverse student composition, e.g. physics instructor, higher ed. advisor, computer analyst (N=9). • Diverse faculty composition, e.g. Leadership Studies, Computer Education, Higher Education Administration.

22. DSS 903 SUSTAINABILITY & RENEWAL IN ORGANIZATIONS • Course Content-Systems thinking: Baldrige “Criteria for Performance Excellence”. • Content: Wheatley Theory in Finding Our Way • Contrasting Baldrige and Wheatley theories • Content: Theory ‘U’ by C. Otto Scharmer at MIT

23. DSS 903 SUSTAINABILITY & RENEWAL IN ORGANIZATIONS • Content: Sustainable Leadership by Fullan, 2005 • Content: Clearness Committee-Solving group problems, exercise • Focus group evaluation of DSS 903 by faculty

24. ACPA STATEMENT: TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE (2008) • The role of Student Affairs in creating: • Healthy environments • Social justice • Strong economies

25. SUSTAINABILITY IS COMMONLY DEFINED AS The ability to provide for the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) Not only about saving the planet, it is about improving the quality of life for all.

26. EXAMPLES OF NON-SUSTAINABILITY KEY FACTORS IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS: • depleted resources • focused on short term gains • maintained status quo policies • encouraged independent actions • self interest was paramount • results were disastrous

27. CRITICAL SKILL FOR SUSTAINING SAHE INCLUDE BEING ABLE TO: • Understand the whole • Challenge the status quo • Provide ethical leadership • Address complex issues • Collaborate with others • Be a change agent

28. STUDENT AFFAIRS: AN EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABILITY IN A PROFESSION • Core values established in 1937 SPPOV • Reinforced in every major SA document since

29. STUDENT AFFAIRS DOCUMENTS 1937-SPPOV and 1949 Revised 1987-A Perspective on Student Affairs 1992-An American Imperative: Higher Expectations for Higher Education 1994-Student Learning Imperative 1998-Principles of Good Practice 1998-Powerful Partnerships 2004-Learning Reconsidered, 2006 LR2

30. PRIMARY ROLE FOR SA: EDUCATING TOMORROW’S LEADERS • Sustainable leaders need competencies to: • Respond to ever changing needs • Understand global environment and interdependence • Conduct on-going evaluation and revision of process within a constant set of core values • Build a team of leaders to carry forward

31. PRIMARY ROLE FOR SA: EDUCATING TOMORROW’S LEADERS (continued) • Potential opportunities for practitioners • Peer education programs • Emerging leader programs • FYE courses • Learning communities • Community service initiatives • Avenues for student involvement in policy and other decision making groups • Other?