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February 2008 A Monthly Update for Faculty and Staff @ Union Institute & University Dear Colleagues: One of the significant learning opportunities in higher education is the process of accreditation when an institution and its people undergo peer review. It is one time in the life of a university where the question “how are we doing?” gets answered. Union Institute & University will undergo its peer assessment by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in the spring of 2010. The preparation for that visit has already begun and is about to expand to the entire university community over the next few weeks. Each of you will be involved in some way in our self-assessment, and your support and encouragement of the process is important in helping us “create our future.” Your voice is important and powerful, and your evaluations provide the cornerstones for our success. As Lucius Columell has written, “The most important part of every business is to know what ought to be done.” HLC is giving us the opportunity to “know what ought to be done,” and I like to think that the fun part of the process is actually doing what ought to be done. I express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Elizabeth Pruden and her entire staff, the self-study committee that has already begun its work, and to each of you who will be a part of this important endeavor in the life of Union. Enjoy. Warm regards, Roger H. Sublett, Ph.D. A Note from Dr. Betty Overton-Adkins, UI&U Trustee
Regional accreditation has become an important part of the quality assurance process for higher education. To a great extent, it is a vote of confidence that our various publics trust our ability to self-regulate through the peer assessment process. That's what the visit in 2010 is all about. It is Union's way of giving evidence that we have an effective mission, and our programs and people are carrying out that mission with integrity, quality, and a view to the future. But given the many reports and monitoring visits Union has undergone in the last few years, I am sure many faculty and staff are not looking forward to yet another scrutiny in 2010. It will be hard work, pulling all the required information together in a comprehensive way. Let me assure you, however, it's worth it, having just finished the study and visit at my campus. Union will learn about itself, and that information will help propel it to greater quality. The outlined self study process and timeline are appropriate and thorough. I look forward to watching your process unfold.
Cincinnati Celebrates the UI&U Self-Study Kick-Off Faculty and staff at the Cincinnati headquarters celebrated the UI&U Self-Study kick-off on Thursday, February 14, with a presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Pruden, a UI&U-based Jeopardy game, and –of course—cake.
Self-Study Timeline: Important Dates to Remember! June 2007 September 2007 February 2008 March-April 2008 May 2009 September 2009 February 2010 April 2010 View more calendar events and timeline milestones at http://www.tui.edu/pdf/SelfStudyCalendar.pdf More information about the UI&U Self-Study committee members, goals, mission, responsibilities, minutes, and Higher Learning Commission criteria, view the new UI&U Self-Study Web site.
@ the President’s Desk Are You Happy? Not too long ago, someone asked me if I was happy. While I don’t often wander around the landscape of life asking myself if I am happy, the question was a serious one. What he was really asking was, “How are you doing with all of the changes at the Union?” I can tell you that I am very happy about the changes that we have made together because we have assured the future of the university by the actions that we have taken over the last five years. It has not always been easy for any of us, but we have made the right decisions, and we will continue to take appropriate steps to build an even brighter, stronger future for Union Institute & University. We now have hope for the future – a hope that comes not only from our collective and courageous faith in the university, but also from the confidence we have in ourselves that we will continue our efforts to make our institution better in all aspects. This hope encourages us to be optimistic, break from the past, and not be tied to the “that is the way that we’ve always done it” attitude that stifles creativity and innovation in organizations. Hopeful organizations are filled with people who are happy, engaged and committed to successfully engage any and all challenges. That is what I hope for the Union, and that is what I am working so hard to establish—a university filled with hopeful people! So, let me ask you the question, “Are you happy?” It is a serious question and deserves serious consideration and an honest answer. Of course, you don’t have to tell me or anyone else how you answer the question. Quite frankly, you don’t have to tell anyone. It is quite obvious how you feel by your demeanor, your body language, your relationships with co-workers, and the attitude that you carry with you each day. If you are moping around with your shoulders slumped, head down, barely speaking to your colleagues except to gossip, going to your office, closing the door and isolating yourself from the people who make up your world of work, your message of unhappiness is loud and clear. You are answering the question of happiness each day without saying a word! I often feel a real sense of sadness when I encounter unhappy people because I learned a long time ago that people and things do not make any of us happy; we have a free choice to either be happy or unhappy in our personal and professional lives. So, when you ask yourself the question, “Am I happy?” and the answer is “no,” the next question should be “What am I going to do about it?” You have several choices: 1) you can continue to be miserable and do nothing; 2) you can seek guidance in determining why you are unhappy; 3) you can search for other situations/work environments that might help you be happy; 4) you can dramatically change your environment in ways that will allow you to follow a path that leads to your happiness. Those choices are not always as easy as the words might convey. But your decision will encourage you to become “hopeful” for your future and the future of those around you. It will encourage you to break from the past and not be tied to whatever you feel is making you unhappy. By asking yourself the simple question “Am I happy?,” you are empowering yourself to begin a journey that will last the rest of your lifetime. Each day of our life is a gift, and it is not one to be lightly taken or squandered by our attitudes and view of life in general. We have been through a lot over the last five years at the Union; however, we still have jobs, a salary, excellent medical insurance, retirement benefits, and a sense of purpose in serving adult learners. Is life at Union perfect? Of course not! But we are an organization that cares for our people, believes in the individual dignity of each person, and works to be the best we can be even under very difficult circumstances. Often, when we are unhappy, it is easy to blame others – however, the truth is we are unhappy because we do not have the courage to make the personal and professional changes that we know we need to make. We hold on to something that we no longer feel comfortable with and yet we are afraid to move forward with courage and a sense of excitement in creating a new future. We have focused on creating a new future at the Union over the last five years, and it is not reasonable to expect that everyone is happy about that new future or even supportive. But it is reasonable to expect people to strive for happiness if they elect to remain a part of the life of this university. That is the “emotional branding” that keeps the organization moving forward with loyal, creative, hopeful employees. It is time at the Union for “happy” people, “hopeful” people to provide the leadership essential to creating a healthy organization. Think about your personal feelings and seize the moment to begin building the rest of your lifetime either within the Union and all of its changes or beyond the Union. Of course, I hope you choose to remain with the Union family, but, most importantly, I wish for your happiness wherever you find yourself serving in future days. Thank you for all you do each day for the Union. Warm regards, Roger H. Sublett, Ph.D.
The “EEE” Award: Engage, Enlighten, Empower
The UI&U Self Study is more than just another review of our policies and procedures—rather, it has the potential to be a personal experience that allows for internal reflection and change. Union’s unique vision is to “educate generations of highly motivated adults who seek academic programs that engage, enlighten and empower them in their pursuit of a lifetime of learning and service.” We cannot fulfill this vision unless we, too—as invested members of this university—are engaged, enlightened, and empowered. One of the first and most crucial steps in the self-study process is to engage in the process of collecting data that reflects upon the university’s policies and procedures. Surveys and various methods of data collection will highlight our accomplishments in our policies and daily work. Much of this knowledge will be revealed only as we dig and discover; therefore, all members of the community need to be invested, involved, and engaged in the process. This process is about all of us and our collective future. Enlightenment will occur during this period of data collection. Once we, as a community, fully understand the inner workings of our university, we can properly analyze the benefits of our policies and procedures, ensuring that they are all firmly rooted in the UI&U mission statement and helping us progress in a healthy way that honors the university’s vision and values. Finally, as we prepare our final self-study report and work with the Higher Learning Commission, we will be empowered to move forward as even better employees, even stronger faculty members, ready to communicate with and serve our learners in ways we haven’t yet discovered, enabling them to successfully fulfill their academic goals and the university’s mission. NOTE: Do you know of a coworker or colleague at UI&U who really “makes a difference” in the lives of others, either at work or out in the community? Someone who does the little things with great skill everyday, someone who devotes time to a cause or to others without fanfare, someone who practices what President Sublett calls “leading from the heart?” Please send your words of kudos to @UI&U so we can shine a light on these not-so-random acts of kindness by our colleagues who make a difference @ the Heart of It. @ the Watercooler Ferreting Out the Change Process Over the holiday, one of my kids bought a toy for our dog; it was a little ball with a fake ferret attached to the ball by its nose. When you put batteries in the ball and turn it on, the ball rolls around the room, flipping the ferret and making it jump around the room. If the ball bumps into something, it just changes direction and keeps going. My son presented the ferret to the dog by turning it on during our holiday celebration when the room was full of folks and lively conversation. At first, the dog was just terrified of this new thing in her environment. She stayed back and just watched it for a while from a safe distance. Soon, after she made an assessment that it might be okay, she attempted to approach it gingerly and just sniff at it. But the ball kept moving every time she tried to get near, and she would jump back to safety. Each time she tried to approach the creature, the same thing happened: sniff, jump back, sniff, jump back. This was very cute and amusing at first, but after 20 minutes, it became distracting to the group conversation. As I grabbed the ball to turn it off, it began to wiggle in my hand so that it became almost impossible to hold on to. My son grabbed it and said, “Let me take that thing – I can turn it off.” Well, that didn’t work out as he had planned, and he had just as much difficulty holding on to the ball as I had. We were all laughing by this time, and when he lost his grip on the ball and it landed in someone else’s lap, the game had begun to see who could turn it off. We all had a pretty good time embracing the ball and trying to turn it off as it flipped from lap to lap. As I sit here thinking about that day, I can’t help but think about things that have happened at UI&U over the last couple years and draw some comparisons. Isn’t change a lot like that situation with the ferret-ball? At first, we tend to deny or resist the change. We try to stay distant from it and stay in our “safe” zone. Sometimes we try to avoid it or pretend it is not there. Maybe if we don’t look at the ferret-ball, it will go away. Maybe if we pretend it is not there, it will stop. Change is disturbing to our regular routine, and our normal first reaction to it is to deny that it exists. Denial is the coping skill that initially numbs us to change so the body’s resources can prepare to cope. It is normal. If you hear folks saying things like “I don’t see why this is such a big deal,” or “this decision is not going to affect us,” chances are they are in denial. Typically, the next stage in the change process is resistance. It is in our nature to resist the change. Resistance can range from feeling helpless to anger to outright lashing out. Some folks get stuck in this stage and cannot move on. They can’t see any good to the change and spend much time trying to resist it, trying to make it go away, or even trying to sabotage it. These negative behaviors are not healthy for the individual or the organization. Individuals who get stuck in this stage can become cynical and consistently negative. That ferret-ball was a change in my environment that I did not want to accept. In fact, I became so annoyed with it that I wanted to pick it up, shut it off, and make it go away. How often have we felt like that about change – just wanting to turn it off and make it go away? But once I picked up that ball and held it in my hands – once I embraced it, the change became challenging and fun. After resistance, the next stage is acceptance and embracing or adapting to the change. How do we transition from resistance to acceptance? Most of the time, it is about finding out more about the change and how it can benefit us. Or we can get involved and become a part of the change. Resistance is often founded in fear,,, fear of what the change may do to us…fear of the unknown. Once we can understand the change and how it benefits the organization and each of us individually, it becomes easier to let go of the fear and embrace the change. Over the last few years, we have focused on changing UI&U, in part based on demands from external forces, in other ways based on the need to adjust the culture so we can move forward together. Those have not been easy. Many of us have gone through the change stages described above. Some have reached acceptance and have embraced the changes; some have not and have made other choices. Now, as we turn to retooling internally to become the higher education institution of choice for adults, let’s ask ourselves some questions: Can we find ways to become better at what we do? Are there new and creative pathways to keep tuition affordable? How can we best recruit and retain learners and help make their experiences with us the best they can be? There are no easy answers to any of these challenges, and finding the best solutions will require each of us to approach change as a normal part of how we operate, both individually and collectively. We will need to be able to challenge each other constructively to examine how we do things from fresh perspectives. We will need to stay focused on improvement with the learner as the focus. And most of all, we will need to sustain each other through the changes by offering understanding, help, and support. Ask my dog. Her new best friend is a ferret!
@ First Glance A hearty welcome to newly hired UI&U staff and faculty! Jeff Backscheider, B.S., Senior Desktop Support, Computer Services
“I hope to bring a new perspective, new ideas, and a commitment to excellence to UI&U,” said Backscheider. Alfred Joseph, Ph.D., Part-Time Faculty, Cohort Ph.D. Program
His research interests are in the area of school social work and school policies that impact at-risk children, federal drug policies, poverty and inequality. He also has an interest in the development of formal and informal helping structures in the black community. He teaches introductory social work, social welfare policy, and diversity classes. Presently, he and a colleague from the University of New Hampshire are working on an edited book about family poverty. Noelle Sparks, M.A., Human Resources Coordinator, Human Resources
She is also an accomplished vocalist, and has performed with the Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and the Des Moines Opera. Sparks earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Voice from Carnegie Mellon University and a Masters of Music in Voice from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
@ Close Up New System Replacement Committee Seeks Improvement to UI&U Administrative Information System The time has now come for a change. The UI&U Board of Trustees, as well as university administration, has called for a comprehensive, integrated higher education student information system as a top priority. To answer this need, President Sublett formed the UI&U System Replacement Committee (SRC) in November 2007. Chaired by Director of Computer Services Greg Thompson, the SRC has representation from across the university administration, including: Deb Eamoe (Human Resources), Karen Jones (Business Office), Carolyn Krause (Communications/President’s Office), Sara Litwiller (Web/Development), Lew Rita Moore (Registrar), Tim Mott (Instructional Technology), Karen Phillips (Computer Services), Elizabeth Pruden (Assessment/Self Study), Vikki Walker (Financial Aid), Rick Zand (Admissions), and Chris Gray (Pre-Cohort Ph.D. Program). Thompson appreciates the dedication of the SRC committee members, who will be deciding upon a system that will affect how departments complete their work and interact with learners and, potentially, how learners approach their online learning experience. “Because UI&U uses our system as a true ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) system, it will affect nearly every department,” he explains. “For that reason, we need active representation from all the departments to ensure all needs are addressed as part of the evaluation and implementation of a new system.”
Ms. Michele Hunt Joins the Union Institute & University Board of Trustees Ms. Hunt is nationally known for her work as a change catalyst and “thinking partner” to leaders of organizations and communities on leadership development, organizational transformation, and organizational effectiveness. She works with leaders and their teams to help transform their organizations to higher levels of participation, teamwork and performance. Her work is rooted in the principles of shared vision, values, and continuous learning. Ms. Hunt’s customers have included leadership teams at IBM, Motorola, Swiss Reinsurance Company, Popular Inc., Banco Popular Puerto Rico, Banco Popular North America, Johns Hopkins University, Bright China Management Institute, Banco Do Brasil, BHP of Australia, NASA, The U.S. Veterans Administration, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The U.S. Department of Education, The U.S. National Park Service, The Girl Scouts of America, National Junior Achievement, World Vision International, and The Episcopal Divinity School at Harvard . In 1992 Ms. Hunt served on President Bill Clinton’s Transition Team, and in 1993 she was appointed by President Clinton to serve as the executive director of the Federal Quality Institute, whose mission was to help seed the reinvention of the United States government through The National Performance Review: Creating a Government that Works Better and Cost Less. As a leader of the institution, she brought the latest thinking and management practices to this effort, working alongside Vice President Al Gore and the cabinet leadership teams, and created public-private partnerships with world-recognized thought leaders and high-performing organizations including: Peter Drucker, John Gardner, Max De Pree, Peter Senge, GE, Xerox, Ford, and Herman Miller. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Hunt spent 13 years with Herman Miller, Inc., a Fortune 500 global office furniture company. She served on the executive management team as senior vice president for people. In this capacity, she led the company’s organizational transformation, responsible for global leadership development, human resources, quality management, and corporate communications. Ms. Hunt is the author of the book DreamMakers: Putting Vision and Values to Work and is also the conceptual director of DreamMakers, a documentary that features compelling stories of people who made their hopes and dreams come true against tremendous obstacles. She has also published chapters in The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, by Peter Senge; Leading People by Robert Rosen; and The Diversity Action Book. Ms. Hunt serves on the board of directors of Hewitt Associates, The Institute for Inclusion, and the Detroit Windsor Dance Academy. She earned her bachelor and masters degrees in sociology from Eastern Michigan University and University of Detroit, respectively. Undergraduate Learner Joe Roetting Elected Mayor of Mt. Healthy, Ohio When Joe Roetting enrolled in UI&U’s bachelor’s degree program in 2006, his daily To-Do list was already a mile long. At the time, the husband and father of two teenage boys was also serving on the Mount Healthy City Council, and working long hours as an investment specialist for Duke Energy. And then his list got even longer. On January 1, 2008, Joe was sworn in as the Mayor of Mount Healthy – a city located just outside of Cincinnati. Still, Joe sees his new role as further proof that having his bachelor’s degree needs to be at the top of that long list. “This degree is going to help me in my role as mayor – especially in the area of grant writing,” says Joe. “And Union’s flexible curriculum really works with my schedule.” As mayor, he says his main goals are to promote home ownership through limited offerings of homes to first-time home buyers, increase property values in the city by stricter enforcement of the city’s Property Maintenance Ordinance, and create Community Reinvestment Areas (CRA) in residential areas of the city. He also hopes to provide a better quality of life for all Mt. Healthy residents by providing up-to-date recreation areas and a sound city infrastructure. He also wants to work with the Mt. Healthy local school system to help them achieve their goals. A friend at Duke Energy told Joe about UI&U. In addition to UI&U’s flexibility, the 47-year-old says the supportive faculty is another reason the university stands out from others. “It has always been important for me to get me bachelor’s degree,” says Joe. “I always wanted to achieve it sometime in my lifetime – but I also understand that there needs to be a balance between family and personal goals.” “Thankfully,” he says, “so does UI&U.” New Book Releases: Faculty Member Cathy Stanton and M.A. Alum James Yoxall “Superbly narrated by Cathy Stanton, an adjunct faculty member at Tufts University and the Union Institute, The Lowell Experiment examines in admirable detail a preservation and interpretation project that spans four decades, involving hundreds of actors and the expenditure of millions of dollars of public and private money.” (Journal of American History, Vol. 94, No. 3, December 2007) Stanton has also served as a consultant to the U.S. National Park Service on matters relating to historical reenactment and community relationships. She recently completed a study of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Pennsylvania, focusing on many of the same issues raised by her research in Lowell. UI&U graduate James Yoxall’s textbook, co-authored with Daniel A. Metraux, titled The Problems Facing China Today: Politics, Economics, Health and Religion was recently published by Edwin Mellen Press. The book provides a comprehensive portrait of China at the dawn of the twenty-first century and focuses on various issues including problems associated with the "One-Child Policy," the condition of families and women, the rise of Christianity, areas facing ecological catastrophe, special economic zones, and growing splits and controversies in the Chinese Communist Party. Yoxall graduated from UI&U’s M.A. online program and currently teaches at Mary Baldwin College in Virginia with his co-author, Daniel Metraux. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies from Mary Baldwin, and spent the summers in China teaching English. It was at Mary Baldwin that Yoxall met Metraux, who invited him to teach in the Asian Studies department once he earned a master’s degree. He chose UI&U to pursue his studies at Union and credits UI&U faculty for their commitment to learning, noting, “The professors at Union were very open and responsive to the adult learner,” said Yoxall. UI&U’s flexibility gave Yoxall the freedom he needed to travel back to China last April to adopt his second child from the country. Yoxall plans to possibly continue his education with a doctoral degree, studying China’s orphan population. He is also considering writing a book about Native Americans – another subject he has studied extensively. Director of Admissions Rick Zand Recounts Travels in Iran Rick recently returned to Iran as part of the fifth delegation with the human rights group Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith organization committed to active nonviolence as a transforming way of life and as a means of radical change. The first time Rick and his brother set foot on Iranian soil, in 2004, they observed a nation enjoying new opportunities initiated by a reformist government led by President Mohammad Khatami, who pushed for better relations with the west and greater freedom of speech. Internet cafes were opened, women’s magazines established, and Iran was positioning itself as a forward-thinking nation – set apart from neighboring countries Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, Iran’s socio-political landscape has undergone dramatic change. After the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2006, the cafes have been under attack, and many reformist magazines and newspapers have been shut down. In fact, just days before Rick was set to leave for Iran, fellow delegate Scott Ritter, the former weapons inspector for the United Nations, was denied a visa, and the rest of the delegates were not permitted to speak with Iranian officials. Human Rights Watch reports that since Ahmadinejad has become commander-in-chief, “respect for basic human rights, especially freedom of expression and assembly, has deteriorated.” Today in Iran, freedom of speech comes at a high price. Rick learned this firsthand on his most recent journey, when he attended a meeting of women working on the Million Signatures campaign – an effort to collect the signatures of those who wish to see reform in Iran. After the million signatures are gathered, the group hopes to present them to government officials. The act of gathering signatures for a cause probably seems safe enough to most of us here in the United States. But in Iran, participants in the Million Signature campaign have been arrested, and journalists who write about the project have been imprisoned for their involvement. “A women’s voice is valued at half that as a man,” said Rick. “If a woman goes to court and wins a settlement, she gets half of what a man would get.”
Chuck Connors and Reality TV Traveling in Iran with the surname name Zand is like traveling to Ireland with a surname Kennedy. Rick’s family ties in Iran extend to the Zand Dynasty that ruled Persia from about 1750-1794. “There is a lot of misunderstanding about Iran,” said Rick. “Iranians are not Arab; they are Persian. We (the U.S.) tend to lump the Middle East all together. But the Persians have existed for centuries, with their own language and culture (separate from Arabic culture).” Most Iranians today, says Rick, are more concerned with government-imposed sanctions than they are about the possibility of war. Iranians are friendly and curious, he says, and many younger Iranians have friends and family living in the United States. Although the government has blocked MySpace and other popular Internet sites Rick says, “Most of them watch American T.V. shows and listen to American music. But they don’t tune into CNN or FOX news. They’re more likely to associate Americans with Chuck Connors or reality television.” Dispelling popular myths about the Middle East is something Rick continues working at back home in the U.S.. He says he hopes to return to Iran again with Fellowship of Reconciliation. “To be there is such an eye-opening experience,” he says. “People are friendly and eager to learn more about Americans. It’s not what you expect.”
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Dr. Betty Overton-Adkins, a member of the UI&U Board of Trustees and chair of the Academic Affairs committee, is vice president for academic affairs at Spring Harbor University. As former chair of the Higher Learning Commission Board of Directors, she is well-versed in the self-study process and just recently completed a successful evaluation at her own institution. Here's her advice for all of us at UI&U... 
Straight talk and timely information from President Roger Sublett
This month, we are pleased to present the EEE Award to a fresh part of Union Institute & University that is really “at the heart of it.” 
Important and accurate info about working @ UI&U from HR VP Deb Eamoe
The UI&U Board of Trustees and President Roger Sublett are pleased to announce the election of Michele Hunt to the Union Institute & University Board of Trustees.
Congratulations to UI&U Vermont professor Cathy Stanton. Her recent book, The Lowell Experiment: Public History in a Postindustrial City, earned this great review in the Journal of American History:
A quest to learn more about his family heritage took Rick Zand, director of admission at UI&U , to Iran the first time. 
Zand also met with Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, the first Iranian and first Muslim woman to earn a Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights.
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