Noms de Plume

Since my default operational mode is collaborative/conciliatory, it sometimes causes angst when I confront someone, even in an ironic or humorous way. Such thoughts have been rattling around my brain since my 90 Days post where I made some sidebar comments regarding cartoon posters. 

Imagine my delight then in reading on Huffington Post about the legitimate uses of pseudonyms.

Items on the full list border on NSFW, but the first three justifications for pseudonymous posting will give you a flavor:

• You are a convicted felon
• You have Mommy issues
• You have multiple personalities

Please read the rather informative explanations beneath the captions before responding. 

Completion Matters - 3

From Sunday's NYTimes, Dave Leonhardt writes about the value of college degrees. His analysis indicates that a college degree has economic value even in those occupations where it is not apparent possessing a degree matters. For example, a waiter or waitress with a degree makes 34% more than one without; a hairdresser 69% more; and a dishwasher 83% more. 

The main argument contends such attitudes arguing against the value of a college degree are elitist. Worth a read.

Completion Matters - 2

The discussion of completion has been fruitful. I agree that we should use multiple measures. We are an accredited institution, and several faculty members have justifiably highlighted our last review, where the Higher Learning Commission recommended our next review in ten years, or 2018-2019. 

I decided to consult the review for guidance on what we may face in seven years time regarding measures of student success. The write-up was illuminating. As always, I welcome your thoughtful comments.

From the "Report of a Comprehensive Evaluation Visit to Harold Washington College" for the Higher Learning Commission, dated March 2 - 4, 2009.

Topic Four:  Improving Graduation Rates

Harold Washington College staff identified the relatively low graduation rate as an area upon which to focus consultative advice in the Advancement Section of the team report. Indeed the 4% graduation yearly rates is among the lowest in the country for community colleges. HWC appropriately identified numerous other student success measures that contribute to student outcomes, as all community colleges contend (rightly so) that graduation rates are not a significant indicator of success, as a large percentage of of students do not enter community colleges with the intent to graduate. Yet increasingly, federal and state reporting requirements and accreditation bodies require documentation of graduation rates, as well as course and program retention rates, semester to semester and yearly persistence rates, and transfer success rates. Consequently, HWC must become more focused on collecting data that describes student success, with an emphasis on improving graduation rates. [emphasis mine]

In order to adequately address the multi-faceted issue of improving the number of students to graduate, there must be a comprehensive effort across the college to improve this measure of student success. A plan for graduation improvement should be crafted that examines impediments to student graduation and a call to action to increase student graduation rates. Once completed, the president could call a 'graduation summit day' where the entire college convenes to focus on the effort to improve graduation rates. Programs, both career/technical and the liberal arts, should be challenged and held accountable to increase the graduation rate by an identified percentage over a 3 to 5 year period. Programs that meet or exceed the goals should be rewarded; programs that don't should be required to develop additional strategies for improvement.

A marketing campaign about the value of graduating from HWC should be launched that informs students about the benefit of holding a HWC diploma or degree. It would be very valuable to forge partnerships with baccalaureate institutions to garner support for the mechanisms to foster graduation at the associate degree prior to transfer. Some universities will work with community colleges to retroactively award an associates degree students that transfer a certain number of credits short of the earned degree. Once the student pleads the credits, the university registrar will transfer the credits back to the community college, and the student is awarded the associates degree. While the attainment of an associates degree is not necessarily important to the student at the time, it is valuable to demonstrate that through a combination of the community college and the baccalaureate degree institution, the student did obtain the associates degree credential, also providing the student documentation of degree obtainment in the event that a baccalaureate degree is not completed.

It is important for Harold Washington College to collect and analyze student data that will better assist student persistence to graduation. For example, the accuracy of career and technical declared major data is critical to track students through coursework to graduation. Use of online degree audit systems provides accurate data to student services personnel, program faculty, and students. . . . The process for improving graduation rates is multi-faceted, and will take time and concentrated effort to measure progress.

First 90 Days

When I was in eighth grade, I brought home a report card with all A's except for a B in Physical Science. My mother was not amused. "How do you explain the B?" she asked accusingly. No mention of the seven A's from Mrs. Laackman. I was so completely humbled and ashamed that throughout high school, I earned straight As. 

I carry that baggage with me today. As a result, I was particularly stung by a recent post on the Harold Lounge in response to my own post on completion. When I started blogging, I made a promise to myself that I would not respond to anonymous or pseudonymous posters, or cartoon posters as I think of them, owing to their frequent use of cartoon characters as avatars. In responding to Realist, I am breaking that vow. Some may call me flexible; others, spineless. No matter. The Realist cartoon character hit a nerve with his assessment of my performance to date: "I give him four out of five gold, err, orange stars for all he’s done so far." As I read it, a roaring white noise filled my ears, my eyes filled with blood, and as much as I tried to concentrate on the rest of the post, all I could think was, "Four out of five stars? FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS? What do I have to do to earn that fifth star?"

After I calmed down, I saw this back-handed cartoon compliment as an opportunity for me to assess my performance. The timing seems right - I am almost through my first 90 days here at the College. It is fair, even for an anonymous cartoon, to ask, "What, exactly, have you done for us?"

I focused on two major tasks in my first 90 days at the college. As promised during my interview for the job, I talked to as many faculty, staff and students as I could. For those who have spent the hour with me, they know that I ask the same seven questions of everyone. I ask these questions to help me understand who and what we are. What do people want to change? What do they want to preserve? What do they hope I do? How do we better support student success?

In parallel with these discussions, I dove into the budget process. As one may expect from my background, I believe money is the lifeblood of any organization. This year, we asked departments to articulate their goals and aspirations through the operating plans. We allowed them free rein to envision what they wanted and needed to support student success. 

A common thread wove through the discussions and the budget process. Particularly in discussions with faculty, I was told that the best way to ensure student success was to hire more full-time faculty. I did my own research and engaged the Reinvention teams in discussions to understand if more full timers would make a difference. I convinced myself, for a number of reasons, that more full time faculty would help us drive greater student success. Through the budget process, the academic departments asked for budget to hire twenty new and replacement faculty. I listened to the faculty, and they in turn backed up their desire to drive greater student success by asking for budget to hire more faculty.

In the budget process, I was steadfast in my desire to hire these faculty. I made the case. I argued in several meetings for adding these faculty. I was spurred, I admit, by that plaque in our digital multimedia center that honors President DeSombre for hiring 43 full time faculty during her entire tenure. By all accounts, she was a phenomenal president. Here I am, in my first 90 days, proposing to hire 20. Audacity of Hope, indeed. I had no idea if District would support it, but I felt the case had to be made. 

Realist said in his post, ". . . the chancellor has made it quite clear that she will have final say in all matters. It’s all going to boil down to dollars and the external forces of accountability, not the direct input of faculty; much less the affected students. That’s wrong. That hurts."

So what did our Chancellor, who according to the Realist values dollars and external forces of accountability over students, say when I made the final case for twenty new and replacement faculty at a not insignificant increase in our budget in these difficult economic times? When I argued that my faculty had told me that full time faculty matter, and that they believed, and I believe, that more full time faculty will help our students?  Our Chancellor said, "Don, my number one priority is student success. If you are telling me that more full time faculty will drive student success, I fully support your request." There being no free lunches, she followed with the expectation that I would be accountable for student success at the college. And no, I did not sign up for increasing the graduation rate. I signed up for course success and retention as my measures of accountability. 

I don't know where Realist is getting his take on the Chancellor, but in my meetings with her, she has been consistent, passionate and unwavering in her support for students. In the case of Harold Washington College, she is now backing that up with support for more faculty. Now it is up to us.*

So I ask Realist, and the rest of my readers, what do I have to do to earn that fifth star? In the spirit of continuous improvement, I welcome suggestions on what I, and folks in my administration, can do to make the college better.

The over 100 one-on-ones with faculty, staff and students provide a starting point. This summer, I am compiling this feedback and will report back in the fall, in conjunction with our operating plan, our initiatives for FY2012.

For the record, in my first 90 days, I have listened to concerns, accepted criticism, solved problems, and tried to respond to suggestions from the discussions. I have, with the help of our faculty and my executive council, in particular John and Andy, assembled a budget that supports twenty new and replacement faculty. I have tried to be present with faculty, visible to students, engaged with issues, and a stalwart steward for this great institution. I view the new faculty hires as my down payment to our students, to our current faculty, and to our future successes.

A four-star president is not good enough for Harold Washington College. So many people told me in our one-on-ones that they want to preserve our reputation for excellence, our commitment to students. You should not have to settle for a four-star president at a five-star college. I welcome your suggestions.

And please, please, please, don't tell my mother about the four stars. 
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*As I write this, our budget is not yet approved. In the coming days, the budget needs to go out for public comment, and the Board will vote in July.

Building 2

Yesterday, I stood in the lobby from 7:45 - 10:45 AM, and again from 5:15 - 6:00 PM, to welcome faculty and students to the first day of summer term. I wore my best suit, my brightest Harold Washington orange tie, and what I hoped was a welcoming smile. The day, even at 8 AM, was brutally hot and humid, and you could see the relief of students as they entered our cool lobby. For those without headphones, or with music turned down enough to hear the outside world, they met my greetings with a smile, a nod, a return "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon," and very often, with questions. 

As one would expect, the second most frequent question was where their class was and how do they get there. Many asked where they could get their ID, their ID sticker, or a UPass. A small number had questions about where they could find the business office, financial aid, or admissions. I especially enjoyed the student who came in and said, "I have a class, but I don't have my schedule, and I am not sure which class it is, but it is something in math." The officers at the front desk and I, along with the help of our summer schedule, managed to get her to the right room. 

The most surprising question, though, and the one asked most frequently, was, "Is this Building 2?"

When first confronted with the question, I was baffled. There, prominently printed on every student schedule to the left of their classroom number, is a notation, "Building 2." I could not dispute the fact. In an effort to be helpful, I returned the question with a question of my own, "Are you taking a class at Harold Washington College?" When answered affirmatively, I assured them they were in the right place. After the fifth or sixth inquiry, however, I had to solve the mystery of Building 2. 

Speculation among the staff on the first floor was rife. Perhaps Building 2 was the recognition that our current location was our second location. Others speculated we were designated as the second building east of State Street, the traditional Point 0 in the Chicago grid. An officer with gravitas then declared that each building in the district is assigned a number. District is Building 1, and we are Building 2. Someone has captured this fact in PeopleSoft, and we helpfully print it on each and every student schedule. 

Thus equipped, I re-took my central position in the lobby and confidently informed all comers that "Yes, this is Building 2." Faces beamed upon confirmation that they were in the right place, especially when they arrived in the lobby 30 seconds before class time. 

I question the utility of this information. Perhaps other Colleges in the system with multiple buildings or satellites need this. For us, it just engenders confusion. One idea is to plaster "Building 2" on our facade and have signs in the lobby proclaiming our secondary status. Another is to hold orientations for incoming students educating them on the geography of City Colleges. Maybe we could even make it a credit-bearing class. A third is to print explanations on the student schedules. I suppose we could also just remove it from the schedules, but I am loathe to toy with the revered traditions that students have come to expect and embrace. In the interest of fairness, however, I am open to suggestions. Post away.

Green Wall Appeal

A couple of Harold Washington College architecture students - Lauren and Anisa - asked me to get the word out regarding their efforts to build a green wall on the side of our College facing into the Com Ed substation next to the building. You can find out more here: hwcgreenwall.blogspot.com.

As you will note when you visit the site, they are raising money through Kickstarter. They were, as of this morning, 20% of the way toward their goal. I just made my pledge.

Active Learning

This post is a refresh of an earlier discussion regarding active vs. passive learning strategies. Thanks to John Hader for contributing a dissenting viewpoint. 

The Economist published an article this week highlighting research in favor of active learning strategies. What I found interesting is that the students who were given some initial structure and then left to pursue learning identified more uses for the toys in shorter amount of time than other strategies. The summary and link follow: 

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Now you know

When should you teach children, and when should you let them explore?

IT IS one of the oldest debates in education. Should teachers tell pupils the way things are or encourage them to find out for themselves? Telling children “truths” about the world helps them learn those facts more quickly. Yet the efficient learning of specific facts may lead to the assumption that when the adult has finished teaching, there is nothing further to learn—because if there were, the adult would have said so. A study just published in Cognition by Elizabeth Bonawitz of the University of California, Berkeley, and Patrick Shafto of the University of Louisville, in Kentucky, suggests that is true.

See full article

Purpose and Mastery

My economics training has drilled into me the notion that rational individuals seek to maximize personal gain. It seems, then, that monetary incentives ought to result in better performance and outcomes. I have wrestled with these concepts as I seek to lead an organization where my ability to reward individuals monetarily is limited. 

This video transformed my understanding of the role of incentives in spurring performance and innovation. It is worth a watch in case you haven't seen it. I look forward to working with faculty and staff to understand how they define their purpose and what support they need to develop mastery in fulfilling that purpose.