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May 2007 A Monthly Update for Faculty and Staff @ Union Institute & University
@ the President’s Desk Building on Your Strengths Each of us, and every institution, has particular strengths which are used every day to accomplish goals. For an educational institution, strength may come from academic reputation, distinguished faculty, a beautiful campus, or a powerful computer network system. An individual’s strengths may come from a brilliant, creative mind, a deeply committed work ethic, an engaging personality, fine-tuned listening skills, or the ability to communicate effectively with others. Regardless of your particular strengths, you use them each day in fulfilling your responsibilities on the job and in interactions with your colleagues. What kind of university would Union be if each of us was aware of our personal strengths, and we were able to effectively apply them—on a daily basis—when servicing and supporting our learners and colleagues throughout the university? I imagine it would be a remarkable place to work – one that celebrates life at its best. The good news is that we can create that kind of institution if we choose to do so, and if we work together to make it happen. In his newest book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work, (Simon and Schuster, 2007), Marcus Buckingham encourages us to do exactly what I am suggesting, to make use of our strengths to achieve remarkable results. How you treat people truly does matter, and as you build strong relationships based on respect and collaboration, you will invariably become more effective within your office, your institution, and your community, because, in its essence, leadership is relational; it is not about power or authority. How often does the following scenario happen to you? You dial the telephone, dreading a conversation with the person on the other line because you know that the interaction is likely to be unpleasant or difficult. I used to assume that such individuals must simply be having a bad day; however, it did not take me long to realize that some people never have a good day. Negative behaviors and attitudes are learned just as positive behaviors and attitudes are learned. I am not suggesting that we go through life smiling through the most arduous challenges. After all, while it is difficult to break negative habits, it is just as difficult to be positive all the time. I’ll admit that there have been a few days during my time at Union when it has been a struggle to remain positive; however, that struggle can be overcome. I redirected my attitude, concentrated on our mission, imagined the possibilities, encouraged us to be supportive of one another, focused on the issues, and remained confident of the outcomes. And, you know, it worked. Even though we still have work to do, we are on the brink of a very exciting time. We are preparing for the implementation of our three new doctoral programs (Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Psy.D., and Ed.D.). We are launching new online undergraduate and masters programs and revising the undergraduate program’s degree offerings. We are striving to improve our technology, assist in the launch of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and attract new, creative talent to our Board of Trustees, faculty, and administration. Most importantly, we are working very hard to recruit talented, motivated adult learners. With all the changes we’ve endured, I am sure many of you have felt overwhelmed by the day-to-day challenges, and I am sure that many of you have also felt somewhat lost in the stress of the moment. However, we have been successful in our endeavors not because we have yielded to those situations, but because we have met our challenges with the right frame of mind. We have met those challenges because we have worked together, collaborating across multiple offices and establishing priorities that allow us to keep moving forward. We have kept our focus on the vision, mission, values, and principles that define Union and the Union experience for all of us. No one is more aware than I that these last years have not been easy, and I’m continually impressed with the resilience of our faculty and staff, who, I am confident, have the ability to move ahead and address the future successfully. As we look forward, our external challenges will soon be behind us. We have a unique opportunity to create a supportive, inclusive internal environment that inspires growth throughout the university. Each of us has the responsibility to create the kind of institution in which we wish to work—one that allows for each person to contribute and feel ownership, and one that fosters support for the intellectual curiosity that characterizes most academic institutions. Respect for one another is a critical component of our collective future. Coupled with pride in our work and the continuing accomplishments of our learners, faculty, staff, administrators, and graduates, ownership of our actions and accomplishments will give us the distinct ability to witness the difference we make in others’ lives every day. We have just published the annual President’s Report for 2006. I hope you will take a moment to read it and take pride in the work of our Union family. We have listed selected significant accomplishments of our faculty and alumni, including our alumni Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica, and Danny Davis, congressman from Chicago. We also feature our 16 alumni who currently serve as presidents of colleges and universities throughout the nation, as well as those alumni who are engaged in establishing a national alumni association. This year, we list both our graduates from every program, as well as our generous donors, who contribute funds to help us accomplish our mission. This is only the second annual report that we have completed at Union, and I hope that you will be pleased with the enhanced image that this report gives to the university. While we are in very different geographical locations and at times suffer from the silo effect of individual centers, this report and other publications clearly indicate that we are one university with a shared future. With our collaborative strengths, we are now in the process of defining that future. By tapping into your strengths each day, you are helping to build a new university and a new future – one learner at a time, one program at a time, and one colleague at a time. Thank you for all you do for Union Institute & University each day. Each of you is valued for your multiple talents and contributions. Outstanding performances by individuals and institutions alike are not accidents – they are the result of confidence, hard work, and communication within a community that continually focuses on a common mission. It is a pleasure to be a part of a university that truly respects the creative talents of each of our employees. Warm regards, Roger H. Sublett
Ranga Nalluri Awarded US Citizenship
Back: Terry Denny, Miles Scott Ranga Nalluri joined the UI&U Business Office as a staff accountant in the fall of 2004. She had an immediate positive impact on Business Office operations from the moment she started working at UI&U. Ranga is never too busy to help her co-workers and remains polite and courteous even during stressful situations. She is eager to learn new things and has gladly assumed additional responsibilities during her time here. Ranga has a unique and refreshing sense of humor and endless patience. This spring, Ranga was awarded U.S. citizenship, and she celebrated her new Republican standing with a pizza party. Thank you, Ranga, for your commitment to UI&U and congratulations on your new citizenship. Alice Soule-Collins Memoriam
Brian Webb, assistant vice president for academic affairs, performed a moving prelude on the Chapel’s famous organ, followed by a welcoming prayer and remarks from Provost Rich Hansen and Ann Cardinal, UI&U’s national marketing director. The memoriam included open reflections from friends and family, including Alice’s granddaughter. Victor Ehly, dean of Vermont undergraduate programs, concluded the service with a benediction. Alice, who worked most recently as assistant vice president of administration, lost her battle with cancer on April 10. In honor of her friend and colleague, Ann Cardinal penned a memorial essay titled “Office Void,” which will be published in Vermont Woman. Ann writes, “The day after the death of our friend Alice Soule-Collins, I pulled a dark pink vintage coat she had given me off my coat rack and brought it to the dry cleaners. Not in preparation to wear it, but to display it in my office. You see, the coat represents Alice to me. Stylish yet funky. Terribly elegant but at the same time Bohemian. Classic, but colorful and fun…I need to feel her in my office with me every day.” A memorial bench and tree will be added to the campus in honor of Alice’s memory. For information on how to make a contribution in Alice’s memory, please contact Devereaux Simon at 802-828-8740 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 Water Cooler Change Is All Around Us Once upon a time, there was a skunk that lived in a beautiful meadow. She thrived by using a time-tested method: whenever danger would approach, she would turn her back on the predator, lift her tail, and let off an unpleasant smelling spray. Any threat would leave immediately and usually not return, so the skunk was content with the way things were. A few years later, someone built a highway through the meadow. The skunk did not know what to think of this change. One day while out for a walk, she saw a large truck coming down the highway. It sounded ferocious, and she surmised it must be a threat. So what did she do? She walked to the middle of the road, turned her back to the truck, lifted her tail, and … well, you can imagine. The skunk’s environment had changed, but the skunk had not changed her ways or adapted and could no longer survive. New skills were needed to deal with the changes. How often does the environment around us change? Will the skills we have today work in the new world? Probably not. We need to align and adapt in order to add value. My grandparents grew up in the days of the horse and buggy. Knowing how to hitch a horse to a wagon is quite a different skill from those needed to operate the first cars of their generation with stick shifts and cranks. I remember typing my thesis on a typewriter using correction tape and carbon paper. The skills needed then are different than those needed now to operate a PC and word processing software. How often do we face change like that skunk: wanting to turn our backs on it? Life is filled with changes. We can try to ignore them and hope they go away, or we can embrace them as new challenges and change and grow to fit the situation. Change is all around us. The price of gas is changing, how we travel is changing, how we communicate is changing. At UI&U, folks are changing office locations, some are reporting to new supervisors, the way we work is changing, and we’ve experienced shifts in curricula. Change surrounds us. We can’t escape it, and we can’t control it. What we can control is our reaction to change. We can fear it, resist it, or try to avoid it, but we will wind up as “road kill.” Those negative reactions to change cause stress, unrest, and indecision. Those reactions cause us to expend immense amounts of personal energy resisting change, which can cause ulcers, high blood pressure, depression, and stress on personal relationships. Those reactions can cause organizations to stand still or even fail while the world around them changes. Our rapidly changing world requires new responses to meet the future with success. In order to embrace change, we must align, adapt, and add value. If you have ever had a plant on your windowsill, you know that it inevitably grows toward the sun. If you change its orientation and turn it around so it is no longer facing the sun, it will figure out where the sun is and turn back that direction. So it is for us in our current environment. If we adapt to change by keeping ourselves aligned, we will continue to head in the right direction no matter what is happening around us. If we align ourselves with our values, our mission, and our “customers,” we will always head in the right direction. We must ask ourselves difficult questions. “How does my work contribute to the mission? How can I create value for the end users of my work? How can I be a positive role model to help develop a healthy working environment?” Once we answer these questions, we can keep ourselves aligned, adapted, and successful. This is not to say that adapting to change is easy. It means doing things differently, breaking old, familiar ways of doing things. Try this. Cross your arms in front of you, against your chest just like you always do. Next, notice which arm is on top. Now refold your arms being careful to put the other arm on top. Not easy, is it? It will take a bit of concentration to get it right. But if you practiced folding yours arms that way every day, eventually the new way would feel comfortable, and the old way would seem uncomfortable. So it is with aligning and adapting to change. It takes some practice. We won’t get it right every time, and it will feel uncomfortable at first. However, if we don’t spend energy resisting change, but rather keep aligned with our goals, keep trying, and be willing to find new ways of doing things, we will keep making progress into the future while developing a culture with more agility and flexibility to meet new challenges.
@ First Glance John R. Goss, III, Ph.D., Part-time faculty, M.A. Program, 03/26/07 Daniel A. Metraux, Ph.D., Part-time faculty, M.A. Program, 03/26/07 Alexandra Pastor, B.A., Assistant director, M.A. Program, 04/02/07 Sarah A. McCorkle, B.S., Instructional technologist, Department of Instructional Technology, 04/04/07 Robert F. Wubbenhorst, M.A., Admissions counselor, Brattleboro Center, 04/09/07
@ Close Up This Month: ... Admissions Team One, Bachelor's & Master's Programs
Admissions Team One spends a great deal of time, whether on the phone, face-to-face, or at the many outreach events we attend, explaining our programs to people who may not be familiar with non-traditional education. In each center, UI&U admissions staff represents the university with expertise and excellence. Many team members hold UI&U degrees, from undergraduate to doctoral. We believe in the transformative powers of education and understand that Union’s unique blend of individualized learning, faculty mentoring, and structured distance study can change the lives of learners. Education breeds tolerance and social service, and we in admissions are on the front lines, carrying the UI&U mission to literally thousands of prospects with the hope that their achievements will spread into their communities and beyond. It is important for the admissions team to collaborate with other departments, from financial aid to the program deans. We feel our work is very much interconnected with each part of the university, and we are committed to representing the common interests of all our departments. We hope that we can continue to work together to grow our programs and make UI&U the face of quality adult higher education. Please know that our doors are open to comments, suggestions, or questions. We’re always more than happy to discuss the work we’re doing for your center. Team One members work in the Cincinnati, Miami, Montpelier and Brattleboro centers. The California admissions team is lead by Dr. Rocheleau and is included within this feature. Rick Zand Rick coordinates all aspects of Team One admissions, including strategies, initiatives, outreach and lead management, and supervises Team One personnel. He oversees new enrollment for VCU, CUS Cincinnati, CUS Miami, MA Online, M.Ed. Vermont, and MFA Visual Art programs. Rick is a graduate of the MFA in Writing program and is currently studying for his MBA. Born in Ohio, he grew up primarily in Arizona and West Texas. He earned his bachelor’s at the University of Colorado, and lived in the Denver area for 10 years before moving to Vermont in 1995. He’s published short stories and poetry, and continues writing in his spare time. He traveled recently to Lebanon and Iran to trace his family roots, lived in Spain, spent a summer in Sweden, and has visited Turkey, Italy, France, and places in-between. His interests include video production and documentary film. He lives in East Montpelier with his wife, Ellen Lesser, two rowdy Catahoula leopard dogs, Rufus and Beauregard, and one very patient Irish water spaniel, Nora Barnacle. Andres Gonzales Andres is a California native and grew up in Watts. Andres attended University of California at Davis, and received his bachelor’s in sociology and Chicano studies in June 2004. He came to work for Union in November 2004 as an assistant administrator and was later promoted to director of admissions at the Los Angeles center. Andres is currently finishing his first year of graduate school, working toward his master’s in business administration /nonprofit management. When not working or studying, he likes to stay active by playing basketball or baseball. Jenny Maier Jenny lives in the small city of West Sacramento. Originally from Indiana, she and her family moved to California in 1986. She and Rayla, her 12 year-old daughter, live with their two dogs, three cats, and one bearded dragon. Jenny just planted her yearly “salsa” garden in which she grows all the ingredients for fresh summer salsa. As an award winning visual artist, Jenny also enjoys the time she can spend in her painting studio. Trips to the California Musical Theater are also a regular occasion, most recently to see the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company. Now in her fifth year with UI&U, she is looking forward to the changes coming and hoping the best for the future. Debbie Alicen Rick Boyle Rick has been with the admissions team for two years. Rick enjoys carpentry and music and has been an avid snowboarder. Francis Francois Francis was born in Haiti but has lived in the U.S. since he was two. Francis earned his bachelor’s in communications from Knoxville College, Tennessee. He earned a scholarship to play football, but his love for writing and the fact that he is only 5’7” encouraged him to revive the school paper where he was sports editor – then editor – of the New Aurora. Francis is the father of a lovely, nine year-old son, Bradley Francois. He is an avid football fan and loves the Dallas Cowboys. He enjoys writing and watching sports programming. Francis also coaches little league football, where his Miramar Wolverines made it to the 80-pound championship game. He is a member of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence and the Miami-Dade Chapter of the NAACP. He also tutors on the weekend for the Greater Miami Urban League. Jamie Kline, Jamie has been with UI&U for nearly five years and has worked in both admissions and the Vermont College Undergraduate Program. He earned a bachelor’s from Goddard College, and his professional life has carried him to and from various educational organizations in Montreal to France and back again to Vermont. Jamie is interested in educational theory, literature, world cultures and folk traditions, and he bikes and plays guitar from time to time Kathleen Murphy Kathleen hails from the Boston area and came to Vermont College many years ago as a program coordinator for the weekend option. She also earned her bachelor’s degree through ADP. Kathleen has been part of the admissions team for more than two years. Her interests include visual art, particularly painting. She travels often to the southwest and enjoys a margarita on a sunny day. Marc Weber Marc enjoys watching sports on TV and in person, particularly UC Bearcat basketball, the Reds and Bengals [of which he is a season ticket holder]. He also plays the same sports occasionally, as well as golf and biking. Like most people, he enjoys listening to music. Otherwise, he spends much of his time with his friends socializing. Paula Whiting Paula is a 2003 graduate of ADP, finishing what she started at Vermont College in 1969 when it was a two-year women’s college. After a year as the coordinator for the Brattleboro Weekend option, Paula moved into admissions as a member of Team One. Born and raised on Cape Cod, Paula spent eight years aboard a charter yacht in the Caribbean before settling in southern Vermont. The empty nest mother of two, Paula is an avid gardener, reader, and knitter who hopes to complete her MFA in Writing someday.
@ Attention First UI&U Psy.D. Cohort Meets in Cincinnati, Ohio The UI&U Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology held its first academic residency May 4-May 7 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The initial cohort of nine learners hailed from various corners of the nation, including Idaho, Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Four faculty members convened the residency, including Dr. William Lax, associate dean; Dr. Margarita R. O'Neill-Arana, director of clinical training; and core faculty members Dr. Robert Keisner and Dr. Richard Sears. UI&U departmental representatives provided orientation for many of the university’s learner services, including the Gary Library, IT support, and eCollege. The new cohort had the opportunity to speak with members of the Institutional Review Board, the Registrar’s Office and the Financial Aid Office. In addition, the Psy.D. learners had initial face-to-face meetings for four of the Spring/Summer term courses, which they will continue and complete online. Dr. William Lax describes the residency as “very successful.” In their residency evaluations, learners praised UI&U professors as being “very human and compassionate,” and welcomed the “opportunity to engage” with experienced professionals. Many cited continual interaction within the cohort—including meals and recreational events—as one of the most important aspects of the residency. The next Psy.D. orientation and academic residency will be held in September 2007. MFAW Faculty David Wojahn Chosen as Pulitzer Prize Finalist The Pulitzer Board recently selected M.F.A. in Writing faculty member David Wojahn, M.F.A., as a 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his collection of poems, Interrogation Palace: New & Selected Poems 1982-2004 (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2006). The 2007 Pulitzer Prizes for Letters, Drama, and Music were announced and awarded by Columbia University on Monday, April 16. Poetry Magazine calls Interrogation Palace “superb…powerful, panoramic,” written with “as much formal and emotional strength as any poet alive.” The collection is a combination of work from Wojahn’s five previous books of poetry and his more current work, with themes ranging from rock n’ roll history to the loss of family, from ancient villains to present politics. David has penned several other books of poetry, in addition to a collection of critical essays. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Illinois and Indiana Councils for the Arts, and in 1987-88 was the Amy Lowell Traveling Poetry Scholar. Congratulations, David!
@ Union this Month 5/15/07 5/16/2007 5/17/2007 5/18/07-5/22/07 5/31/2007 6/01/07 6/08/07-6/12/07
@ Our Best UI&U Florida Commencement is a Family Affair
CAPTION: Sisters Cynthia Powell (center front) and Deloris Small (far left) attended a UI&U Presidential Reception on May 5 and later that weekend walked the stage together as UI&U baccalaureate graduates. Sister Bridget Chew (center back) and other family and friends supported and cheered the siblings throughout the entire celebration.
@ Your Service Deadline for submissions for the June issue: |
5/15/07 5/16/2007 5/17/2007 5/18/07-5/22/07 5/31/2007 6/01/07 6/08/07-6/12/07
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Straight talk and timely information from President Roger Sublett
More than 175 family members, friends, colleagues, and UI&U staffers gathered to remember friend and co-worker Alice Soule-Collins in a memorial service at our Vermont campus’s College Hall chapel on Friday morning, May 11. Her two daughters were presented with a Board of Trustees resolution in commemoration of her many years of service to the university. They were also given memorial mirrors picturing College Hall, in honor of the more than 20 years that Alice served the college.
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