Bethany Trivia

In what year was the current Bethany Bridge built?

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Teaching and Learning in a New Era of International Realities

(The State Journal, March 18, 2011 - by Scott D. Miller)

Recent astonishing developments in Egypt, Libya, and other nations underscore the significant challenge of colleges and universities in teaching international relations. These events are fast-moving, fueled by decades of frustration and minutes of diligent social networking by would-be revolutionaries.

Like the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the former Soviet Union, and our own experience on 9/11, the revolutions sweeping across northern Africa present highly practical, teachable moments on a global scale. Educators seek to give American students relevant, current perspectives on events that are seemingly sudden and technology-driven, and yet deeply rooted in history. How do we make sense of, and the best intellectual use of, these complex and dramatic events on the world stage?

Whatever our approach, if nothing else we have a lot of work to do in conveying to our students the career importance of world awareness.

Speaking at a Council of Independent Colleges-sponsored forum last October, Philip E. Lewis of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation acknowledged the expectations of students and parents in turning expensive educations into “secure and lucrative employment.” But, he cautioned, “the globalized, post-industrial, knowledge-driven economy into which we have gravitated may well remain fragmented, volatile, and politically unmanageable.” Lewis said, therefore, “that a liberal education may provide better preparation for dealing with the turbulent socio-economic environment the younger generations will face than a college experience that provides a currently valuable skill or competency that will fade into obsolescence or be undermined by the vagaries of supply and demand.”

That American students are often woefully ignorant of world history, current events, and economic trends has been well documented. Our students remain so at their peril. American economic strength, national security, and environmental health, among many issues of importance to our nation and others, have a direct correlation to a working grasp of international trends, threats, and opportunities. America’s relationship with China, to cite one obvious example, is a complicated, multi-layered, and evolving story of critical importance to our country. The same can be said of Mexico, India, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Those of us who grew up in the Cold War will likely respond strongly to a new book by Ron Rosenbaum, How the End Begins: The Road to a Nuclear World War III, which offers sobering perspective on the “unthinkable” threat many of us assumed was over. Other international issues may be less frightening but remain just as compelling. Can we deal effectively with global climate change, loss of species, and health and diversity of our ecosystems without an understanding of the politics and cultures of other nations with which we share the planet?

Fortunately, many of our academic institutions continue to be sources of enriched thinking and analysis of international issues. At the height of the turmoil in Cairo, Bethany College Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of International Studies Dr. Marc Sable provided a thoughtful and thorough overview of the revolution in Egypt and its likely implications for other nations in that region. Last fall, 1959 Bethany alumnus and retired United Nations official Charles “Pete” Perry returned to his Alma Mater to offer his insights on a variety of international topics, drawing on his rich experience representing the UN in Africa, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, and the Caribbean. Mr. Perry eloquently challenged our students to do their part to help determine the course of the world’s destiny.

That is a challenge, however, that America’s students cannot manage alone. As educators, business leaders, economic forecasters, and trend watchers, we will very likely need to reframe our teaching of what is known in campus core curricula as “international studies.” Our approach should always be interdisciplinary, uniting the examination of history, languages, culture, economics, art, religion, politics, and society—leading to a more comprehensive appreciation by students of other nations that is not only rewarding intellectually but also professionally. Their future jobs, as Philip Lewis suggests, may well depend on “coping confidently with instability” in a global society.

To teach international relations effectively, we also need to rely on our best professors and other leaders, such as global business executives, with up-to-date international perspectives to offer. Finally, there is no substitute for encouraging American students to travel abroad and to experience other nations firsthand—not as tourists but as scholars learning about their future responsibilities and opportunities as world citizens. What they learn there cannot be duplicated in a classroom, or retrieved from the Internet.

Dr. Thomas Buergenthal, Holocaust survivor, Bethany alumnus, and former American judge on the International Court of Justice in The Hague, returned to Bethany for this year’s Founders Day Convocation. Citing the value of his liberal arts experience at Bethany College, this leading authority on issues of global law and human rights counseled our students to have “international interests and internationally transferable skills.” He warned of avoiding “foreign policy debacles” resulting from lack of understanding of other nations, and suggested that “weapons alone and grandiose statements by our politicians full of ignorance about other countries and peoples do not make for wise foreign or economic policy decisions which increasingly have negative consequences for the United States.”

For our students, cultivating knowledge, collaboration, adaptability, and vigilance on an international scale is more than a noble cause. It’s an approach that will yield practical benefits for our nation and others whose fortunes will someday depend on the decisions these future leaders will make. We should invest in international pursuits to ensure that those decisions will arise from informed judgment about the potentially challenging, even troubling, but always relevant realities of other nations.

Bethany Trivia

How many students attended Bethany College on opening day?

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Surviving and Thriving in Challenging Times -- Five Myths About Strategic Planning

(College Planning and Management, February 2011- by Marylouise Fennell and Scott D. Miller)

“No one ever said it would be easy.”  These cautionary words from our colleague Dr. Jo Young Switzer, president of Macalester College, aptly summarize the climate facing college CEO’s, COO’s and CFO’s today.  As Dr. Switzer notes, although headline-grabbing items abound, college presidents and senior administration receive “scant attention for leadership during times of external challenge.”

There is no doubt about it. Leading an institution is hard work in good times.  In sustained difficult times, the arduous job becomes even more wearing.

  

The good news, though, is that sustainable, quality growth continues on many campuses.  In this series, we want to debunk five prevalent myths surrounding institutional sustainability. Among common misconceptions are these:

• Colleges without large endowments cannot thrive in tough economic times;
• Increased enrollment must come at the cost of decreased selectivity;
• Capital projects should be put on hold or severely scaled back;
• Scarce resources mean fewer opportunities for synergistic partnerships; and finally,
• The unstable times demand short-term solutions rather than long-term planning.

In this first of a five-part series, we will address the fifth prevailing myth first, because careful planning is the bedrock upon which all future growth must be based. As an astute admissions dean once remarked, “The ability to respond to the market is a better benchmark of the health of an institution than any short-term tactics.”

In a chapter for our book Presidential Perspectives (Aramark Publications), Dr. Antoine H. Garibaldi, president of Gannon University, emphasizes that “strategic planning is a time-consuming but worthwhile process that requires discipline and effective implementation,” including the following steps:

• The plan must include a clear vision and focus for the president and senior leadership, emphasizing priorities and aspirations;
• It must also serve as a working blueprint for the institution’s current and future direction, giving guidance to faculty and staff in their development of new programmatic initiatives;
• A clear transitioning plan is essential to blend the existing strategic plan with the new and next five-year strategic plans; and finally,
• Because strategic planning is a continuous process, the strategic plan must be viewed as a living document that is updated every few years.

While thoughtful, focused strategic planning, implementation and annual progress reporting are essential elements in fostering sustainable growth, we offer these additional recommendations:

• Leverage facilities to create value.

Sustainable viability means long-term, planned growth, planning for alternate uses, leasing, rather than buying, and leveraging the successful strategies of the non-academic environment to create a competitive advantage. “Tired” classrooms, grounds and facilities create a drag on the entire enrollment management process.  Often grouped under the areas of “student services and facilities,” enhanced residences, recreation-fitness facilities and dining services as an integral part of the student experience play a vital role in attracting and retaining students; supporting institutional growth and retaining faculty and employees.

• Investing in technology today reaps rewards tomorrow.

Technology in higher education is best understood and managed, not as a one-time expense, but as an ongoing investment for the vitality and growth of the institution.  Thus, we must continue to manage what our colleague Michael K. Townsley, former president of the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, called the “six conditions of high technology management,” including the need to change structures, policies, processes an delivery of services to accommodate new technologies.  Randomly spreading technology around campus, Dr. Townsley emphasizes, will neither automatically yield operational efficiency, nor will it enhance strategic value.

• Keep the focus on students by constantly evaluating and reviewing the institutional product mix.

As families become increasingly savvy about educational values and outcomes, we must continually find new ways to communicate these as well as accountability.  Nontraditional, graduate, certificate and distance programs offer the opportunity for a healthy rate of growth without increasing expenditures on infrastructure.

Finally, sustainable growth demands a relentless focus on core mission and values, recognizing that any institution that attempts to be all things to all people is doomed to fail.

#  #  #  #

Dr. Scott D. Miller is President of the College and M.M. Cochran Professor of Leadership Studies at Bethany College in West Virginia.  Now in his third college presidency, he has served as a CEO for 20 years.

Dr. Marylouise Fennell, RSM, a former president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA, is senior counsel for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and a partner in Hyatt Fennell, Higher Education Services-The TCR Group.

They have collaborated on six books, including “President to President:  Views on Technology in Higher Education” (2010) and “Presidential Perspectives: Economic Prosperity in the Next Decade” (2010.)  Both serve as consultants to college presidents and boards. 

West Virginia’s Private Colleges Lead Very Public Lives

(The State Journal, February 25, 2011; The President's Letter, March 2011 - by Scott D. Miller)
 
At a time when investment in higher education has never seemed more urgent, when the nation’s colleges and universities have assumed ever greater responsibility for “winning the future,” in President Obama’s words, West Virginia’s eight private colleges lead very public lives of service and distinction.

Although you won’t find small private colleges playing in fancy football stadiums, building huge facilities with corporate sponsorships, or shuttling students between sprawling branch campuses, the results of our work are highly visible—as evidenced by the successful careers and lives of some of America’s most prominent leaders, many of whom were the first in their families to graduate from college.

Collectively, our state’s independent colleges are 892 years old, yet as new as the latest learning technologies that bring the world to our typically small, scenic campuses.  Bearing substantial responsibility for educating our citizens beyond high school, these institutions—Bethany College, West Virginia Wesleyan College, University of Charleston, Wheeling Jesuit University, Alderson-Broaddus College, Davis & Elkins College, Ohio Valley University, and Appalachian Bible College—have the capacity to serve and grow without capital investment from the state, and to move quickly to respond to expectations of students and their potential employers in the global marketplace. 

Our role is not to compete with West Virginia’s public colleges and universities, whose contributions to the state are important in their own right. Rather, in the words of our consortium, West Virginia Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (WVICU), our vision is to be “an accessible, indispensable and highly visible component of the State’s educational, economic and cultural life.” With a focus on preparing our 7,500 students for careers and lives that will change dramatically within years of their graduation, West Virginia’s private colleges are student-centered, administratively lean, and academically innovative. Most retain  historic affiliations with religious denominations, and offer students personalized opportunities for intensive, residential study in liberal arts and pre-professional programs.

We work hard for our students, many of whom—as in the public higher education community—are the first in their families to attend college.  At Bethany, these first-generation students make up some 30 percent of our enrollment. When I look out at the assembled high school juniors and seniors, and their families, during our campus open houses, I can detect in many faces the eagerness to make a four-year college education a milestone event in their family experience.

Many in West Virginia’s business community, along with foundations and  other funders, share our commitment to student access and success through the Circle of Vision Scholarship Program of WVICU, providing essential funds each year to keep the cost of enrollment affordable to as many as possible.  Since 1997, this program has funded approximately $3.5 million in scholarships to over 2,900 West Virginia students.

Our partnership with the federal government is also critically important.   Pell Grants, serving over 7 million needy students nationwide, represent one of the most responsible and financially feasible investments in America’s students. We hope they will continue to be funded (at a maximum of $5,550 per student through next year) at a critical time when the percentage of American students graduating from college continues to lag behind that of some other industrialized nations.

Although small private colleges remain a well-kept secret in West Virginia, our graduates tell a truly international story.  In March, Bethany will welcome back to campus as our Founder’s Day speaker Holocaust survivor and 1957 Bethany alumnus Thomas Buergenthal, formerly the American judge on the International Court of Justice in The Hague and now a professor of law at The George Washington University.

Bethany’s graduates include Greg Jordan, Global Managing Partner of Reed Smith, one of the 15 largest law firms in the world; Robert McCann, Chief Executive Officer of Wealth Management Americas and member of the Group Executive Board of UBS; Marie DeParis, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for SNY, the official television home of the New York Mets and Jets, and the Big East Conference; Dr. Arthur Keys, Jr., founder and President of International Relief and Development, Inc., and many other distinguished alumni throughout the world.

Having attended recent meetings of various higher education organizations and consortia, including WVICU, I am struck by what a compelling case we can make for continued support of private colleges, here and throughout our nation.

According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), our institutions nationwide enroll nearly 20 percent of all students, award approximately 30 percent of all degrees, and serve a significant percentage of non-traditional (aged 25 or older) students. We have substantial economic impact on our home communities in West Virginia—think of the small towns of Bethany, Philippi, Buckhannon, Elkins, and Mount Hope that are home to five of the state’s eight private colleges. And we’re efficient. Independent college students tend to complete their degrees on average in 4.5 years, compared with a national average of nearly 6 years for graduates at state schools.

We are lesser known than many of our bigger public counterparts, and you may have to drive along some gorgeous stretches of country road to find us, but West Virginia’s private colleges are academically vibrant and economically important. We partner with business and industry, we do research, and most of all, we teach well, focusing on the needs of the individual student in today’s complex society.

Although we are private, we do a lot of public good.

January is Out, Spring Term is In

(The President's Letter, February 2011)

As I write this letter, another round of snowfall is covering our scenic campus.  We see students in the evening “traying” on the hills in front of Christman Manor at Pendleton Heights and Campbell Village.  A few daring students are using inner tubes on some of the bigger hills.  It’s hard to believe that it has been one year since the great ice storm that closed the campus and surrounding area for more than a week. 

Our spring term is underway.  A week ago we completed January Term, with approximately 450 students taking classes. This concentrated format permits them to explore subjects of interest that might not be possible in a semester-long course; some of the intriguing titles included “Appalachian Mythbusters,” “The Lowdown on Getting High,” and “Ninja Turtles: Math, Science and Art.”

The final week of January Term was also a time for seniors who have completed major requirements to take their comps.  I enjoyed visiting with a number of celebrants as family and friends gathered following this sometimes excruciating, but always meaningful, experience that links Bethanians through the generations.  The sense of accomplishment and pride by family and friends is a special and memorable Bethany tradition.  We are, reportedly, one of just three dozen colleges and universities nationally that still require a senior project as well as written and verbal comps.

Also last month, the Bethany College Day of Service honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday in his memory, with 53 volunteers gathering to share in a variety of service projects and a celebratory dinner featuring remarks by Shaunda Miles, director of programming and cultivation of the August Wilson Center for African-American Culture.  The commemoration served as a reminder of Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community” and his challenge: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Bethany was selected by West Virginia Campus Compact as an MLK Day of Service 2011 Host Campus and received a mini-grant to help fund the day’s efforts in which faculty, staff and students logged 212 hours of work with local organizations.  It was my privilege to spend the day with a group of students working at the Wheeling area homeless shelter.   Fostering community service is one of the most rewarding actions I can take as a college president.  One person can always make a difference; when a group of people pools its resources, anything is possible.

Bethany’s faculty and alumni continue to earn accolades.  The Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia announced that Bethany College Professor of Biology Albert “Jay” R. Buckelew has been selected as one of five finalists for its 2010 Professor of the Year. This is the second time in three years that a Bethany professor has been chosen for the honor. John Burns, also a professor of biology, was a contender for the 2008 award.

Leadership 101: Maximizing Board Effectiveness

(College Planning and Management, December 2010 - by Scott D. Miller and Marylouise Fennell)

Editor’s Note: Final in a series of six focusing on “Leadership 101,” issues of special interest to college presidents and trustees.

We too often forget that the administration of an institution consists of the appointed president and the volunteer Board of Trustees.  Working in tandem, they can effectively advance a college or university, if expectations are clear and each understands and observes its proper role.

Frequent miscommunications occur around how “hands-on” the Board should be in day-to-day institutional management, how to effectively evaluate volunteer leadership and especially, how to avoid real and perceived conflict of interest.

·         Roles and Expectations

Volunteer boards can and should frame “the big picture,” setting the stage for long-term success.  Trustees’ appropriate role is to hire, evaluate and support the CEO, holding him or her accountable.  They should not micro-manage day-to-day decisions such as hiring and evaluation of staff; these are properly the role of the president.  This represents a special challenge for trustees also serving on corporate boards, where the business model is often somewhat more hands-on.  As one of our most effective trustees recently remarked, “We (board members) knew what long-term strategies the college needed to pursue, but we had no idea of what tactical decisions needed to get there.”  He understood and clearly articulated that, in the words of a colleague, “My role is to steer the ship, not to set the course.” 

·         Ongoing evaluation

In our experience, boards are quick to evaluate CEOs; they are not always so quick to evaluate themselves. Yet both processes are necessary for effective governance.  We recommend a structured, systematic method for evaluating trustees by means of an executive nominating committee comprised of the current Board chair and vice chair and immediate past chair.  This group should evaluate attendance and participation of every board member as his or her term nears expiration. Likewise, we suggest an ongoing means of evaluating the effectiveness of Board committees by requiring each to set specific goals and timelines for achievement at the beginning of each academic year.

·         Orientation and Annual Review

After they join the Board, but before their first meeting, it is critical that new Trustees attend an orientation session clearly delineating their roles, responsibilities and expectations. Ethical and legal conduct and self-disclosure, such as the new Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB) requirements, need to be thoroughly reviewed and clarified.  These affect the participation of board members from specific industries or institutions, who may need to recuse themselves from certain decisions. Thereafter, we recommend holding an annual retreat for all members to update them on new requirements and to refresh their collective memories.  There should be “no surprises” after joining the Board.

Moreover, trustees should be encouraged to keep abreast of best practice and trends in governance and philanthropy by reading current publications such as The Association of Governing Boards (AGB’s) Trusteeship to maximize their effectiveness.  Retreats can include discussion and application of such articles.

“Give, get or get off,” has long been a standard for expected Board performance, but these guidelines go well beyond that old adage, ensuring that Board members and CEOs are partners in institutional leadership.

           

When both clearly understand and implement their rules, roles and expectations, presidents and boards can maximize their effectiveness, minimize conflict and exert true leadership.

Dr. Scott D. Miller is President of the College and M.M. Cochran Professor of Leadership Studies at Bethany College in West Virginia.  Now in his third college presidency, he has served as a CEO for nearly 20 years.

Dr. Marylouise Fennell, RSM, a former president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA, is senior counsel for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and principal of Marylouise Fennell, Higher Education Services.

Leadership 101: Building Trust and Relationships

(College Planning and Management, October 2010 - by Scott D. Miller and Marylouise Fennell)

Editor’s Note: Fifth in a series of six focusing on “Leadership 101,” issues of special interest to college presidents and trustees.

Nothing is more essential to a presidency, especially in the first 90 days, than building trust, loyalty and enduring relationships.  In their zeal to demonstrate success and momentum, new CEO’s too often allow relationships to take a back seat to tasks.  This is a potentially lethal mistake because, as globally recognized expert on leadership Michael Maccoby, author of The Leaders We Need: and What Makes Us Follow, “Loyalty creates loyalty, and it is essential for a leader to have a loyal team.”

Leaders must be loyal to the people who work under them, adds Yash Gupta, dean of Johns Hopkins’s Carey Business School.

           

One of our longest-serving trustees, a nationally recognized leader in his industry, recently noted that in his 50-year career, “in those (divisions of) my organization where performance exceeded my expectations, it was always because of the personnel.

“I’ve learned to both hold (employees) accountable and to hold them in utmost respect,” he pointed out. 

In his new book, The First 90 Days, author Michael Watkins, emphasizes building a road map by negotiating success, achieving alignment, building your team and creating coalitions.

"The right advice and counsel network is an indispensable resource,” he says.

           

Here are some other things that we’ve learned are critical to effective team-building in young presidencies:

·         Listen and learn

Cultivate active listening skills – listening for meaning, observing body language, noting what is left unsaid-- are among the most crucial, and under-utilized, leadership skills.  A common thread among the countless tributes to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, is that he listened to everyone, remembered and followed up on small details: birthdays, anniversaries and other significant milestones.  One long-time dean and professor who mentored dozens of students met with a prominent alumnus nearly 30 years after he had retired. The former recalled, “He must have asked questions for at least the first 30 minutes!”

·         Be visible

Don’t “hole up” in your office. Appear energetic, optimistic, futuristic, dedicated and visionary. In the first 90 days, we suggest: making contact with all of your main constituent groups, in person if possible; begin calling and visiting your top 50 donor prospect list; and visiting editorial boards of area newspapers. Eat in the cafeteria, walk the campus and attend campus events (even if on a “fly by” basis.)  Presidents sometimes mistakenly assume that their presence at a small campus athletic event, for example, won’t be missed; these occasions are very meaningful for students, families and young alumni.

·         Help everyone to win

Ask about sick children of staff; help a young faculty member. These small kindnesses will pay huge dividends later. Foster and cultivate relationships by twitter, e-mail, phone and hand-written personal notes. 

Continually network; we find that about two dozen key relationships keep giving back to us in support, counsel, affirmation and friendship.

·         Small gestures count

Finally, never underestimate the power of a small, symbolic gesture to forge ongoing loyalty.  “Small gestures can often mean more than sweeping ones,” notes Gary E. McCullough, president and chief executive of the Career Education Corporation. McCullough recounts the “Lesson of the 38 Candy Bars” from his former career as a U.S. Army platoon leader at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina:  “The commanding general asked a vehicle driver what he could do to improve conditions for him in the field….’Sir, I sure could use a Snickers bar,’ was the reply. A couple of days later, a box showed up for the private, filled with 38 Snickers bars, the number of soldiers in the platoon.  From that day onward, we would’ve followed that general anywhere!”

#  #  #  #

Dr. Scott D. Miller is President of the College and M.M. Cochran Professor of Leadership Studies at Bethany College in West Virginia.  Now in his third college presidency, he has served as a CEO for nearly 20 years.

Dr. Marylouise Fennell, RSM, a former president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA, is senior counsel for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and principal of Marylouise Fennel, Higher Education Services.

Leadership 101: Negotiating a Win-Win Contract

(College Planning and Management, August 2010 - by Scott D. Miller and Marylouise Fennell)

Editor’s Note: Fourth in a series of six focusing on “Leadership 101,” issues of special interest to college presidents and trustees.

Former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn and his wife, Annie, received a singular honor at Ohio State University’s season opener Sept. 5 in Columbus: they were among the few non-alumni band members to “dot the i” when the band spelled out “Ohio” on the field at halftime before more than 100,000 “Buckeyes” fans.

When negotiating a Presidential contract, it is critical to “dot the i’s and cross the “t’s” before signing, because you will never again be in as strong a negotiating position as you are at the outset of your tenure. Missteps at this stage can, at worse, doom a new presidency and at worse, place a cloud over it.  It’s much better to get it right the first time.

Unfortunately, new CEOs and trustees, under time pressure and not wanting to jeopardize the job offer, too often throw away this bargaining chip. We recommend:

·         Haste Makes Waste

Especially for first-time college presidents negotiating a new contract, we suggest not succumbing to pressures that may accompany an offer.

Rather, we suggest taking time and consulting neutral, knowledgeable outside sources to ensure an equitable contract for all concerned.  This is especially true when compensation issues arise, because “low ball” offers, once accepted, can be difficult to readjust to a president’s satisfaction later.  We’ve known presidents who accepted an offer, only to feel unfairly taken advantage of later when they realized that they could have realized a far more competitive salary.  “Sign in haste, repent at leisure,” is a good watchword for both parties to a presidential contract.

·         Seek Objective Third-Party Counsel

Our experience has demonstrated that direct contract negotiations between an incoming president and search committee may create undue friction between the two which can compromise a subsequent presidency.  We find that an experienced third person, who knows what other peer and aspirational institutions are likely to offer, can prevent unnecessary tension between the board leadership and new president while addressing critical issues. We recommend a knowledgeable higher education third party.  After the basic terms are committed to paper, a lawyer in the home state of the institution should review to ensure that all state and local laws are applicable. 

·         Protect Yourself and Your Institution

Too often, in their eagerness to attract strong candidates, institutions fail to protect themselves in contract negotiations.  Three-year contracts for a first-time presidency are, in our view, too long.  If the president and institution prove to be a poor fit, it will become apparent before the three-year mark.  It serves both parties badly to lock them into such a long time frame.  For the same reason, we recommend against a common practice of awarding tenured faculty rank in a first contract.  If one or both parties are unhappy, it serves neither to have a dissatisfied former president among faculty ranks.  Better to leave both free to move on if the relationship is not working.

·         Strive for a “Win-Win”

When negotiating a contract, especially for a first-time presidency, all parties should take the time and due diligence to ensure that terms are fair to all concerned.   The most enduring presidencies are built upon a foundation of mutual trust and respect, and the contract is a cornerstone of these values.  If terms are skewed against either the president or the institution, one or both will likely come to feel victimized later.  As in all partnerships, the only relationship worth pursuing is that of an equitable, well-considered “win-“win” for all concerned.

Dr. Scott D. Miller is President of the College and M.M. Cochran Professor of Leadership Studies at Bethany College in West Virginia.  Now in his third college presidency, he has served as a CEO for nearly 20 years.

Dr. Marylouise Fennell, RSM, a former president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA, is senior counsel for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and principal of Marylouise Fennell, Higher Education Services.

Leadership 101: Center of Gravity

(College Planning and Management, June 2010 - by Scott D. Miller and Marylouise Fennell)

Editor’s Note: Third in a series of six focusing on “Leadership 101,” issues of special interest to college presidents and trustees.

Medieval kings and queens were surrounded by courtiers whose continued residence at court, social standing and in some cases, their very lives, depended upon the goodwill of the monarch. Needless to say, these sycophants became extremely adept at telling the ruler what he or she wanted to hear.  College presidents in the 21^st century are also surrounded by courtiers; they are called alumni, faculty, staff and others who orbit CEOs.

           

Like their medieval counterparts, college and university presidents today need to maintain balance, perspective and focus because when many others’ lives revolve around decisions you make, it is easy to lose track of all three.  Here are three maxims that will help presidents to maintain a healthy center of both personal and institutional gravity:

·         Focus on a few key priorities;

·         Maintain a balance in professional and personal life;

·         Go home at night.

Prioritize

President’s “in” boxes, especially at the outset of their tenures, always seem to be overflowing, with each item marked “urgent.”  Unless you can develop a laser-like focus on three and not more than four priorities for your first year in office, you will be perpetually consumed by minutia, always reacting, managing from crisis to crisis.

Alan Webber, author and founding editor of Fast Company magazine, offers this fundamental rule of thumb in his latest book, Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Yourself:  “Ask the last question first. That is, ‘What’s the point of the exercise?”

 As Webber points out, many military campaigns have produced victory in every individual battle, while the wars themselves were lost.  In every instance, “the critical missing element to (those) ill-conceived wars was a lack of clear definition of victory.” If you don’t have a clear understanding of what you hope to achieve, how will you justify the time, energy and human and financial resources to commit to the effort?

Maintain Balance

The late French President Charles deGaulle once famously remarked that cemeteries are filled with “indispensable” men (and women.) Perhaps the best advice that any one ever gave us is this: “Remember, it will all still be there in the morning.”  Take care of yourself, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Take vacations and when you are away, be away. Humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, can reduce stress and provide needed perspective. Make time for friends and family, for they will keep you centered.  

Go Home at Night

A former West Coast president, on his arrival at a small liberal arts college, initially created shock waves when he announced that he would buy his own home off-campus rather than live in the President’s House.  “Everyone else at the university gets to go home at night, and I want to do that, too,” he explained.  The former president’s residence became a well-used space for alumni events, offices and gatherings, while the respected CEO in question went on to a long and successful presidency. Go home at the end of the day. 

In the end, effective leadership “is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.”  Incorporate this counsel from the late author and professional management consultant Peter F. Drucker, and your tenure will be productive. Remember, that you must provide institutional gravity; others will be looking to your words, actions and demeanor for inspiration and guidance.  

Successful leaders in all walks of life recognize that you can’t take care of others unless you first attend to your own needs.  While bringing enormous demands, long hours and often, undue stress, college presidencies offer nearly unparalleled opportunity to help others, especially students.  It’s one of the best jobs around!

Dr. Scott D. Miller is President of the College and M.M. Cochran Professor of Leadership Studies at Bethany College in West Virginia.  Now in his third college presidency, he has served as a CEO for nearly 20 years.

Dr. Marylouise Fennell, RSM, a former president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA, is senior counsel for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and a partner in Hyatt Fennell, Higher Education Services - The TCR Group.