The ritual of New Years can be a helpful reminder to reflect and identify new practices that can improve your daily life. I’ve been thinking a lot about the habits that make life better right now: meditation, exercise, creative practices, etc.
Organizational habits are systems. One quote in Atomic Habits that has stuck with me is “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”
Campuses have their own habits and ceremonies that trigger behavior and impact outcomes. While graduation and commencement might come to mind as organizational ceremonies, there are other ritualized moments that have an even greater impact on our outcomes: annual reports force us to review our data; retreats and charrettes enable us to build relationships and clarity about the direction we’re moving towards; accreditation processes ensure we put our house in order and deliver what we said we would. Institutional habits can have a major impact on a campus' ability to drive change.
So, as we wade deeper into the new year and navigate the next chapter of higher education, I invite you to think about the kinds of institutional habits we can establish to ensure we improve student success.
- Which habits can help institutions eliminate their equity gaps?
- What data should institutions focus on, and what should prompt them to take action?
- How and when should institutions identify new problems to solve?
- How can we brainstorm solutions and pressure-test them before we jump into implementation?
- How do we keep our energy up for the long days ahead (here’s one energy booster)?
Maybe this isn’t the year for a big personal goal for you. Yet, in a time when people need purpose and clarity at work, what if we finally identify habits we can incorporate into our annual academic calendar to hold ourselves accountable for doing the necessary work that will help us improve our students' lives? What habits should your institution consider adding this year?
I’d love to post some of your ideas on our blog to spark new thinking and new habits in the UIA and beyond.
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