Weekly Wisdom is an event series that streams live on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn on Mondays. Each event also becomes a podcast episode. Every week, the UIA joins forces with Inside Higher Ed and talks with a sitting college president or chancellor about how they're specifically navigating the challenges of this moment. These conversations are filled with practicable things you can do right now by unpacking how and why college leaders are making decisions within higher education. These episodes will also leave you with a sense of optimism and inspiration.
You have to have a culture that embraces, supports, and is committed to these students and their success. The second key element is having the people who are committed to the culture. Once you have that platform, then you can start to think about programs. That’s the mindset we’ve brought to this.
We know now the world is much more complicated than we thought. Historic institutions that are non-adaptive are going to have difficulty adjusting to these kinds of high-speed changes. We need to instill the ability to adjust and keep performing our mission as a core part of what we do.
This is the time when American higher education understands that our strength as a country will be inextricably tied to our success in bringing people from all backgrounds into the problem solving as we face the future.
We’ve got a lot of important work to make sure that our institutions come through this pandemic and get stronger, at the same time that we address the issues that are right in front of us around systemic racism.
If you start to address what’s important to people, I think people are going to take you seriously, regardless of if you’re in a room with them, or if you’re doing it virtually.
You’ve got to be willing to have courage to have these open and frank discussions, you’ve got to put yourself in a position to foster these kinds of discussions, and sometimes, more often than not, you will listen to your constituency and they will have the better solutions.
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The seventh guest is Angel Cabrera, president of Georgia Institute of Technology. Angel Cabrera has been running institutions for the past 15 years. This coming September 2020, will be his first year with Georgia Institute of Technology as its president.
Angel Cabrera has been running institutions for the past 15 years. This coming September 2020, will be his first year with Georgia Institute of Technology as its president. He said that leading during these times needs a hands-on leadership approach. An essential part of running an organization is setting up a set of directions to create a shared mission with his fellow faculty members and students.
Does COVID-19 change his vision and strategies? Yes. His strategic plan for higher education has developed into a more inclusive approach. He is focusing on studying the effects of remote and online training and creating hybrid-type learning. He states that after COVID, they will teach differently. Be it online or on campus.
It is not an ideal time to start during these times, but it is what it is. Angel Cabrera shares that incoming leaders should make time to find space to have a deeper connection with the institution’s people and always to see the sense of purpose of the university.
He also mentioned that looking at endless examples of leadership by students and faculty gives him hope and inspiration. And that seeing their resilience on full display puts his hopeful vision into action.
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The sixth guest is Dr. Shirley Collado, the president of Ithaca College since 2017, and a trustee of Vanderbilt University.
During these crazy times brought about by the outbreak, Dr. Shirley describes it as by far one of the most challenging moments of her career. She carries the weight of enormous decisions that need to be carried out in a collaborative way for the public good in a shifting market.
Despite the situation, Dr. Collado says that she’s beyond blessed to be in a fantastic institution that has made the journey both incredible and bearable.
She states that Ithaca College decided to follow data-driven, science-based, methodical approaches diligently. Her team is slowly restructuring the entire academic year because they want to be aligned with the guidelines and restrictions implemented in New York. Also, they want the students and their parents to feel safe, knowing that the institution presents them with a well thought of strategy and plan.
According to Dr. Shirley, you can’t create plans that are static and rigid. These plans have to be relevant and have a sense of urgency that instills a feeling of empowerment as opposed to building a program around fear or deficits.
Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Jeff Selingo, author, columnist, and special advisor at Arizona State University, are inviting insight and experiences from presidents and chancellors of universities navigating the challenge in real-time. The fifth guest is the president of Oregon State University, Ed Ray. He has been the president since 2003; previously, he was provost at The Ohio State University, and he is one of the founders of the University Innovation Alliance.
Edward remarks that leaving battle after taking your responsibilities seriously in the midst of it doesn’t make you glad because you were conditioned for the fight.
Thinking about all the adverse outcomes the outbreak caused, Ed’s heart goes out to people and leaders facing the pandemic but notes that nobody has it all figured out either.
Ray points out four general framework plans that he recommends
Ed pointed out that every setback is disappointing, and no two are the same. He also stated that woefulness has no room in leadership, so changing and shaping things that are within control helps.
"When life is hell, you need to keep moving."-Winston Churchill
He said commencement is one of his favorite moments and spending time with students. Based on the book Goodbye Mr. Chips, Edward said he would live his life like Mr. Chips if plans go perfectly. Then he shares a favorite moment from a Beaver game.
His favorite movie is “It’s a wonderful life,” which taught him about focusing on making an impact, on what matters, and what doesn’t matter.
For the students, he makes references to “In Pharaoh’s army” by Tobias Wolff about this time being a defining moment. Ray also boasts about his staff and their efforts towards reform and improvements.
He understands that graduates are being tested, but they need to be resilient and not standstill.