Mock President's Council
Significant learning points:
For
the Mock President’s Council meeting, I was assigned to be the college
president and needed to discuss the presidential transition and lay out my
priorities for the coming year. In
preparation for the meeting, I had a conference call with Dr. Brainard to
discuss his own presidential transition process and to identify his role in the
council meeting. In addition to being
candid about what he learned from the open forums during the presidential
hiring process, he shared his philosophy on meetings. He said his role was to generate open and
honest discussion, so he is careful not to speak too early.
Although each member of the mock council had their own issue to discuss, it was clear that the VP for Academic Affairs and the VP for Institutional Effectiveness and College Relations had their hands in everything. I would describe them as the “work horses” of the College.
Although each member of the mock council had their own issue to discuss, it was clear that the VP for Academic Affairs and the VP for Institutional Effectiveness and College Relations had their hands in everything. I would describe them as the “work horses” of the College.
Relevance to ideas about leadership:
This
activity highlighted the importance for college leaders to be open and honest,
communicate frequently, work as a team, and focus on the big picture. We are all members of a very large team, and
only by maintaining high standards for communication and collaboration will be
able to achieve our goals.
Ways to apply learning to current role:
As
the math chairs are working on the curriculum redesign, it’s important to apply
the same principles mentioned above: be
open and honest, communicate frequently, work as a team, and focus on the big
picture. The process has been
challenging, but as a group we’re focused on student success and the end result
will be worth it.