Leadership in 21st Century Higher Education: Becoming a Diamond University

1. Leadership in 21st Century Higher Education: Becoming a Diamond University • John Stewart • March 2011

2. 21st Century Higher Education Realities—“Iron laws of Demographics” • ACT says 80% of all U.S. students are academically under-prepared • Lumina says by 2020, Euro-Amer. Student pop. will drop by 6.6m, Latino will grow by 5.5m, & African-American will grow by 2m. • 45% of under-represented student population is Pell Grant eligible (Lumina) • Even high ACT/SAT students have family, finance, etc. challenges • Most students work 35-40 hours a week

3. 21st Century Higher Education Realities—“Iron laws of Demographics” • Many students have significant family responsibilities • Media multitasking has cognitively shaped many away from critical thinking & imagination (Stanford research) • Many do not enjoy reading • Most will have 3-5 different careers over their work life • Conclusion: most students need intentionally intrusive, holistic programming in order to succeed • Holistic = including all opportunities for learning • Intrusive = We care too much about you to leave you alone • We do operate in loco parentis

4. UD Positioned for Leadership • Outsiders—e.g., Moody’s & Dean of Student Life at Ohio State—tell us UD is one of the few institutions that “gets” these realities. • UD Enrollment Management recruits for diversity, & assesses holistically • UD Cares team intervenes in student lives • UD Academic Affairs & Student Life collaborate • UD Academic Success Center programming is intrusive & holistic

5. UD Positioned for Leadership • Our Reformed Christian commitments acknowledge these demographic realities • Example Reformed Christian (RC) themes: • Humans owe our lives to the Grace of God • Vocation means being called by God to activities & professions that empower us to serve others and glorify God • Education must be available to all, expansively focused on all God’s creation, appropriately humble, and involved in shaping and ameliorating civil societies. • *http://www.reformedtheology.org/SiteFiles/WhatIsRT.html

6. UD Positioned for Leadership • Partly in response to these realities, UD is becoming a Learning Paradigm College* Instruction vs. Learning paradigm • Inputs vs. outcomes • Atomistic vs. holistic • Requiring vs. modeling • Surface vs. deep learning *John Tagg, The Learning Paradigm College, 2003

7. UD Positioned for Leadership • UD’s Mission affirms these realities • We are “A Private, Presbyterian, Professional University With a focus and Foundation in the Liberal Arts” • Mission: “By the year 2015 UD will be acknowledged as one of the best small, private Christian colleges and universities.” • “Best” = Top Tier in US News rankings? Most National Merit Scholars? Phi Beta Kappa chapter? Not necessarily! • Best = Most seamlessly working as administration, faculty, and staff to most effectively implement Reformed Christian, learning-focused ways to serve the 21st century needs of our students and families.

8. UD Positioned for Leadership • Best = Most seamlessly working as administration, faculty, and staff to most effectively implement Reformed Christian, Learning-focused ways to serve the 21st century needs of our students and families. • Diamond thinking extends the transformation to every part of UD. • As UD becomes fully transformed, outcome measures of retention, graduation, character development, employee satisfaction, alumni giving, etc. will continue to improve.

9. “Old” vs. “New” Diamond thinking • “Old” • In 1998, UD attracted many underprepared & first generation students • This population predictably created retention & graduation problems • Programs like TC Rise! and The Jeremiah Project offered a promising, holistic approach • “Diamond” initially was a label for holistic (4-sided), intentionally-intrusive programming--academic, vocational, community, stewardship—to improve retention.

10. “Old” vs. “New” Diamond thinking • “New” • Now, “Iron laws of demographics” tell us that even academically prepared students need elements of holistic programming • As a result, “Diamond thinking” now applies to everything we do. • There is no separate “Diamond Program”

11. A Diamond University STEWARDSHIP ACADEMICS INTENTIONALLY INTRUSIVE VOCATION-ORIENTED: LEARNING FOCUSED: . COMMUNITY VOCATION

12. 3 Metrics for “Diamond/Best”: • UD achieves “Diamond” status to the degree that we consistently & effectively • 1. Take students & families individually as we find them (We’re “best” at ‘getting’ 21st c. demographic realities and being Learning- rather than Instructional-focused) • 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, Learning-focused, RC-informed programming (We’re “best” at providing quality support & services to all students) • 3. Build a seamless, interculturally-competent organization to accomplish this programming (We’re “best” organized and informed as an institution to accomplish (1) & (2))

13. Metric 1. Taking students as we find them • “Meeting students where we think they should be or where we assume them to be is easy to do, which is probably why we all default to that. As we work to be positively invasive in students’ lives to discover where they’re at, we discover strengths, weaknesses, motivations, struggles, joys, and so much more. This is much messier than dealing with students where we think they should be. It takes more time. But it also forces collaboration to be a natural reaction. We encounter things that are not our expertise and must refer to the expertise of others to help serve the student’s needs. Serving students’ needs and being intentionally holistic in approach become just natural follow-throughs of accomplishing meeting students where they are.” ( Lindsey Konken, UD Student Life Director, 12/10)

14. Taking highly motivated students as we find them: the Scholar-Leader Program • SLP = 21st century Honors Program (holistic, learning-focused, & inclusive) • SLP is open to all who commit to its demanding standards • Beyond just GPA, SLP students earn “honors” via motivation + accomplishment across 7 areas. • Scholar-leaders required to develop competencies in communication (x2), servant leadership, critical thinking, globalization. • SLP courses & capstone project round out scholar-leader challenges. • SLP demands more than traditional honors programs.

15. Taking under-prepared students as we find them: Bridge & TRIO programs • Bridge program brings 100+ students to campus before fall term to prepare them for success • Students get enhanced orientation, study skills labs, individual tutoring & peer mentoring, etc. • 2010 Outcomes include 82/% retention, 2.55 mean gpa, only 15% on probation, high praise from participants • BRIDGE continues spring term 2011 for 94 students • TRIO program serves 140 students who are1st gen., low income, and/or have documented disabilities • Study skills, intrusive advising, seminars /workshops, etc. • 1st sem. 4000+ ASC visits by TRIO students • 1st. Sem--7 earned 4.0 gpa; 66 >3.0 gpa, only 2 on probation

16. Metric 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, RC-informed programming • Two umbrella concepts for students, faculty, & staff: • #1:Personal Empowerment (Voices & Values), the abilities to • make decisions about personal/collective circumstances • access information and resources for decision-making • consider a range of options from which to choose (not just yes/no, either/or.) • inform others’ perceptions though exchange, education and engagement. • overcome stigma* *From TC Rise! Outcome = Move from external to internal locus of control

17. Metric 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rc-informed programming • #2: Servant Leadership for students, faculty, & staff: • “The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware. . . . When his task is accomplished. . . All the people say, ‘We ourselves have achieved it!’” Lao Tzu • In place of top-down hierarchy, the servant leader emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power. • Qualities of the servant leader: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, foresight, stewardship, growth, building community. • R. Greenleaf • See Isaiah 42: 1-4; Mark 9: 34-37; Philippians 2: 4-16 Outcome = learning and successful application by students and faculty-staff individuals & teams

18. Metric 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rc-informed programming • Grounded in empowerment and servant leadership, Diamond programming focuses on 4 “sides” of university life for students, faculty, & staff: • Academic • Community • Vocation • Stewardship

19. Metric 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rc-informed programming • Academic programming to achieve Diamond quality: • Writing skills—ASC Writing Center • Math skills—ASC Math programming • Study skills—Bridge labs, TRIO labs • Critical thinking—Core Curriculum, SLP. • Resources necessary for academic success—New Student Orientation, Bridge, TRIO, etc. • Seven excellence challenges for all students who commit to achieving them (SLP) etc. • Staff professional development opportunities.

20. Metric 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rc-informed programming • Community elements of becoming Diamond: • Personal empowerment—grounded in Voices & Values (vocation theme). • Civility—Campus-wide Wendt programming, Residence Life, Student Handbook values focus, civil discourse co-curriculum, ROTC integrity programming, etc. • Teamwork—Interdepartmental staff collaboration, Nursing & Business emphases, Wendt programming, intramural sports • Service Learning—WVS I & II, Student Life office, etc. • Servant Leadership—Wendt workshops & applications, SLP leadership weekend, etc.

21. Metric 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rc-informed programming • Vocation identifies life calling and purpose—why each of us was created—to enrich every UD person’s understanding of “job” and “work.” • Understanding work as calling implicates Reformed Christian foundation. • Students, faculty, & staff develop a vocational understanding for • the several jobs they’ll have (a 21st c. demographic reality) • Servant Leadership operationalizes vocation • Programming includes practical elements—resume construction, internships, interview skills, etc.

22. Metric 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rc-informed programming • Stewardship programming to achieve Diamond status: • Stewardship of God’s creation—environmental awareness & actions E.g., Core • Stewardship of self—Personal Empowerment +Wellness • Physical, Emotional, Occupational, Social, Intellectual, Spiritual • Stewardship of time— E.g., time management • Stewardship of finances— E.g., TRIO workshops.

23. Metric 3. Build a seamless, inter-culturally competent organization to accomplish this programming • SEAMLESS/HOLISTIC: • Faculty contribute to Student Life, ASC, athletics, etc. • Staff teach, e.g., from Student Life, Finance, Library, etc. • ASC staff perform Student Life, etc. functions • Finance staff serve many stakeholders beyond bondholders, bankers, & accountants • Security staff implement mission, exploit teachable moments. • Advancement staff serve needs of 21st century alumni, ETC • Goal: No UD employee ever uses the excuse, “That isn’t part of my job.”

24. Metric 3. Build a seamless, inter-culturally competent organization to accomplish this programming • “Holistic” does not mean “being all things to all people” • “Holistic” means each UD employee • Continuously gathers data for problem-solving from varied sources—360-degree perspective • Initiates collaboration whenever it serves students & families • Responds positively to requests for collaboration

25. Metric 3. Build a seamless, inter-culturally competent organization to accomplish this programming • INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE • Organizations with high intercultural competence provide opportunities for all stakeholders to join in our shared cultural identity by, e.g., • Clearly articulating our own cultural commitments • Recruiting a diverse student body • Employing and empowering a diverse workforce • Providing opportunities for all to work with people different from themselves • Intentionally drawing diverse groups together into communities of culturally-distinct individuals • Welcoming diverse cultural practices, e.g., holidays, menus, priorities.

26. “Diamond” thinking clarifies that every unit at UD has three “bottom lines” to assess: • Outcomes with the constituents the unit directly serves (for faculty = students; for staff = students & faculty or other staff) • Outcomes with those who help serve constituents (for faculty = colleagues; for staff = colleagues) • Outcomes with those who make it possible to serve constituents (for faculty & staff = adm. & trustees)

27. “Outcomes” points to ASSESSMENT • The Diamond facilitator & Assessment Director partner with each unit to gather data on each “bottom line” and feed results back into the unit’s processes in order to improve them.

28. Implications of the shift to “Diamond” as UD’s excellence initiative • There is no “Diamond Program” • Diamond thinking & achievement are guided by a “Facilitator of Bestness” who: • Helps develop institution-wide understanding of what “best” means (training & communication) • Facilitates and coordinates interdepartmental programs that support students & families, e.g., Bridge, Orientation, SLP, TRIO, etc. (managing) • Teams with UD Assessment Director to facilitate every unit’s application of Diamond metrics to assess unit outcomes (assessment)

29. A Diamond University Academics Writing Math Study Skills Critical Thinking 7 SLP Tasks Stewardship Of God’s Creation Of Self—Wellness Of Time Of Finances INTENTIONALLY INTRUSIVE VOCATION-ORIENTED: Humble sense of being called Enthusiastic cultural engagement Enhancing ethics & character LEARNING FOCUSED: Take students & families as we find them. Serve with programming informed by faith, holistic, & assessed. Seamless interculturally-competent organization. Community Civility Personal Empowerment Teamwork Service Learning Vocation Personal Calling Career Flexibility Career Search Skills

30. OUTCOMES: Graduate #1, BBA • First generation, lower-middle class Business major from rural Iowa • Academic: Mastery of Business content, ethics & integrity, strong communication skills, applied competencies, manages via servant leadership • Stewardship: Sustainability focus, healthy lifestyle, financial health • Community: Personally empowered, civil discourse, teamwork, gives back to community • Vocation: Pursues calling, skilled at job search, interviews for vocation, career flexibility, never says, “That isn’t part of my job.”

31. OUTCOMES: Graduate #2, BA • Upper middle-class English major from educated, Plymouth, MN family • Academic: Undergraduate mastery of composition & literature content, strong writer, connects literature to ethics & character. • Stewardship: Knows environmental literature, recycles, healthy lifestyle, financial health • Community: Personally empowered, civil discourse, teamwork, servant leadership • Vocation: Pursues calling, skilled at job search, invites others into vocation, never says, “That isn’t part of my job.”

32. OUTCOMES: Employee #1 • 46 year old Security officer formerly of Manchester, IA police • Academic: Mastery of applicable laws, campus rules, security procedures, first-aid, conflict management • Stewardship: Husbands campus environment, wellness lifestyle, financial health • Community: Personally empowered, interculturally-competent, team worker, civil discourse, exploits teachable moments with students, community volunteer • Vocation: Called to serve, encourages her children to plan vocationally, never says, “That isn’t part of my job.”

33. OUTCOMES: Employee #2 • Vice President for Student Affairs with 20+ years experience in Christian higher education. • Academic: Doctorate in Student Life content, firm grasp of UD cultural identity, practical skills + common sense, professional involvement, Learning-focused • Stewardship: Sustainability focus, healthy lifestyle, financial health • Community: Personally empowered, Servant leader, interculturally-competent, collaborative • Vocation: Pursues professional calling, invites subordinates & students to discern calling, never says, “That isn’t part of my job.”

34. When you treat “Diamond” as a way of thinking about everything you do, • How do the Diamond metrics apply to your program & how can they be measured? • METRICS: • Taking students & families as we find them • Serving students & families with holistic, assessed, learning-focused, RC-informed programming • Building a seamless, interculturally-competent organization to accomplish this holistic programming

35. When you treat “Diamond” as a way of thinking about everything you do, • What do you and the unit you’re in need to keep doing and do more of? • What do you and the unit you’re in need to do differently?

36. A Diamond University Academics Writing Math Study Skills Critical Thinking 7 SLP Tasks Stewardship Of God’s Creation Of Self—Wellness Of Time Of Finances INTENTIONALLY INTRUSIVE VOCATION-ORIENTED: Humble sense of being called Enthusiastic cultural engagement Enhancing ethics & character LEARNING FOCUSED: Take students & families as we find them. Serve with programming informed by faith, holistic, & assessed. Seamless interculturally-competent organization. Community Civility Personal Empowerment Teamwork Service Learning Vocation Personal Calling Career Flexibility Career Search Skills