Post date: Aug 3, 2011 3:24:12 PM
If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown
Latest Edit: August 10, 2011 August 14, 2011 August 19, 2011 August 23, 2011 August 28, 2011 September 22, 2011 September 28
Hello,
I wanted to let people know that there have been changes on campus over the summer. This is my personal attempt to communicate the rationale and provide a broad-scoped assessment as I see them taking place to help build understanding to support making SIT more awesome. Several folks on campus have asked me about each of these topics... And if one person asks the question, then more will have asked it quietly. So I'm sharing my observations out loud.
These observations are subject to change, as are all things. There is also expected to be official notices coming out from each point if it is expected to affect the student experience , and once a concrete plan is established, and as the resources are available... I will try to link them as they appear. (E-mail Shawna Parker with official SIT communication questions and remember that Any SIT person can have access to edit this whole site! How To Edit This Site - You can also comment below and on most pages.)
NOTE: This is not an official announcement, but a personal assessment, from a series of collected conversations. And as always, you are invited to have your own conversations, think deeply, analyze all the contexts and constraints, and keep your eyes on what you came here to get.
Voluntary Severance Packages:
Update: This is not a 'retirement package' it is a 'voluntary severance offering', Currently 2 faculty and 2 staff have chosen this option -- This is subject to change -- the deadline for acceptance is 8/15.
While, again, change is hard, this falls into the category where you can generally collect unemployment benefits, find new work, and it is kinder and gentler than "So long and get out." Some employees chose the package, and while not everyone could take the package for various reasons, ultimately they have to make their own personal choices about their lives and what is best for them. Thusly, expect to see many fresh faces and ideas on the faculty side as well as the students side with which to learn productively and effectively.
HR Practices:
Usually HR practices are generally not a student's concern. However, SIT Graduate students are not your average students. We care deeply, build strong relationships with those around us, learn about listening and engaging with the community, and this means that we engage here, with the employees, as well as with the development work we will do.
They are following many of the standard practices of Human Resources bounded by law. HR decisions are never easy, their practice is shrouded in mystery, and legal constraints. As above, some folks have left because of family, or personal reasons, and many have taken the voluntary severance package that Human resources offered. This sort of HR decision is always hard, because people you know and like are seeking, or asked to seek life elsewhere.
I know that these practices do not often mesh with the ethos of SIT, but they are common and highly constrained (by law) and industry practices. Sometimes it does feel unfair, and if people are being treated unfairly in a legal sense, the bulletin board in Boyce outlines all the legal basics. And if you have any questions, please contact HR (while again, legally constrained, by what they can share as each employee case has a life and privacy that needs to be respected.)
I personally wish those who have taken the packages, or have found other employment opportunities piles of success, and I am grateful for my time knowing them. I know that it is not easy, but this happens, no matter what organization, ones you work in, have worked, and will work in the future.
If you have further questions, or inquiries, the HR department can be found in the basement of Upton, or through the Staff Directory: http://www.worldlearning.org/staffdir.cfm
VP of Information Technology:
This position was removed. I'm not certain if they will bring the IT leadership back to the VP level, or how the management structure will function, however I am excited to see this shift, and I hope that this will mean that the technology on campus, and virtual will begin the process of being easier to manage, update, and that communication tools can be optimized for excellence.
Alumni/Career Department:
There are many changes here, with the career center, and the constituent relations department. Several jobs are open, and they are looking to expand the alumni network/career center into something much more substantial.
Personally, I am beyond pleased at this interest in listening to students, and taking their fears about the development job market, and the visibility of the alumni network very seriously and manifesting these changes. As part of Practitioner Inquiry, I wrote about 135 pages on this, and surveyed almost 200 alums.. the research was passed onto leadership, so I am very excited that they are looking at augmenting the department.
UPDATE: There has been some changes in the Career services department. In Brattleboro and DC respectively, the services will be done by consultants in each area. It is my hope that they understand the ways of accessing the networks of World Learning and its Alums and the really deep connections that our institution has in the international sphere.
There will, of course, be growing pains about what this help will look like, and until folks (students too!) can be either structured in a way to increase communication (see consultants, below) managing expectations is going to be hard work. How can you help shape what this all looks like? Instead of asking the question, "how is this screwed up?" ask "How can I make it better? or How can I rationally express my needs, to not only help the greater communication issues, but also lend energy to my fellow students?"
Memo from Squeak Stone about the new offerings
MAT/PIM Program:
The MAT/TESOL and PIM program enrollments are up, and that's really great news! (There is more news here, so I'm waiting on the memo before forming an opinion.)
Dorms:
Apparently the dorms are full! Wow!
New Chairperson of the Board of Trustees:
There is a new Chairwoman of the board, as noted elsewhere on the site, we had a wonderful meeting with her and the Adam, which gave the group a lot of hope for the future. I will try and upload a video of the conversation debrief with the communication committee, to share this new insight.
Meeting with the Incoming Chair of the Board
Heath Center:
There will no longer be a heath center on campus. This is a cause for concern, among several folks, however, the Heath Center does not provide regular wellness care, and provides limited services, primarily around existing prescriptions and travel medicine. The student health care will be taken care of at Brattleboro hospital, and student will be able to use the van service, to make those arrangements. They may choose to bring a doctor on campus for student intake testing (TB, etc) if it is needed, and I hope that they find a communication method that will keep students informed of the services offered and changes.
It is also noted that there are an extensive number of regulations that are coming down the policy and legal channels regarding record keeping and care compliance by the year 2012. This is a hugely extensive pile of work, deeply unpleasant, and I am uncertain that SIT has (or wants) to add this level of compliance to their operations for the limited services that the Heath Center provides (or SIT Insurance covers.)
There are concerns about the legal requirement surrounding the Youth programs on campus, and that in the USA, all youth program sites, require an on-site heath center.
Lastly, it is my personal wish that the institution plan this transition *very* carefully and effectively, and find the benefits offered and augment the SIT insurance to cover check-ups and wellness care.
Official Announcement: President's Memo: Heath Center
Health Insurance:
The health insurance provided is processed by Tmesys - which is a company that processes workman's compensation claims, for employees who have been injured on the job. This provides a great deal of administrative angst, as well as being set up to provide service that does not manifest wellness care for students. I understand it to be chosen as a result of being a rider on the study abroad program.
I really hope that they implement a wellness care plan, and at the very least, choose a program that more accurately reflects the needs of the students who attend either program. (This is not "new" but given the healthcare changes, it is worth noting that this is how it is structured.)
It should also be noted, that they really do try. But for decentralized claims, and multiple insurance carriers, it is a ridiculous amount of red-tape.
The Consultants (JMFA):
There is a lot of fear and confusion around the presence of the consultants. They have only just begun their process, and it is expected to be a long road, and organization and change is never easy, and takes time, and it seems like they are good folks, and in for the long haul. (One consultant mentioned that "sometimes its like they aren't reading the same book, much less being on the same page.")
Personally, I see the participation of the consultants as a positive step towards making a more operationally functional institution. They seem to be chosen for their understanding of decentralized operating structures (is in banks, call centers, etc) and finance management. Their method is 'bottom up' and they have been on campus for several weeks interviewing *everyone* that is willing to speak to them and making weekly recommendations (to keep up with the pace of a complicated organization!)
One issue that I have heard is related to their inexperience around educational compliance. Accredited institutions have tons of rules, regulations and many of these requirements are deeply integrated into the services offered.
One suggestion I would have for the consultants would be linked to understanding not only the compliance issues, but also Appreciative Inquiry methodologies, and understanding/learning about working with diversity educated, non-profit populations.
UPDATE: There have been a lot of questions I nave been hearing related to "what are the consultants doing and why are they needed" After all the the research I have seen, and done, I state emphatically, that YES, they are worth having, and YES, they are worth the money (or rather, the amount of suffering that was going on isn't worth not paying) and YES the changed will take time. They have a long term contract (detail unknown) and are really here to be with the institution during this shift.
New Graduate Dean:
We have a new dean of the graduate school. It would seem that she is a good person, and while as with many leaders, there are some reports of mixed experiences. I hope that the student body can support her leadership, and generate a sense of understanding and fairness to her as a person, and to the work she needs to accomplish.
You will be able to find her in UG, at the end of the hall, over near the media lab and the CONTACT office. And her email is: shroffmehtap(AT)gmail(DOT)com
You will also find the new dean around campus, and she seems very willing to work with students.
President's Memo: New Dean (Preeti)
Oman Program:
There is no longer an Oman Program. I believe that the students were given an intensive coursework program to meet their requirements. The failure of the program was linked largely to a very generous gift to start the program that was linked to Oman specifically and likely with a time constraint. This meant that SIT was put in a position where they had to build a program in Oman, and build it now. SIT was not sufficiently networked into that country and culture to build a new degree program, on the not tested decentralized model, with the brand new provost and president. It was a wrong-time, wrong-place, new-leadership triumvirate.
World Learning Press release about Oman: http://www.worldlearning.org/11056.htm
Internet Archive of the Oman Program Offerings
DC Program:
There is now a Program in DC. SIT/World Learning is firmly integrated into the DC community and culture, it has the money to build it, and the leadership has generated, the resources needed to manifest a program. So far, it looks very interesting, and the one year - hyper intense - model, puts the internship into the middle, which allows for students to begin to process their knowledge in a real-world setting. Also the DC connections will yield a fantastic set of internships for future students, as long as the resources and energies are focused and sustained.
The DC Program (archive) info page.
New Foundations Core Courses:
The SIT core courses OB1, ICC, OB2 and Social Change have been eliminated as separate courses. (Practitioner Inquiry remains as a distinct course.) A new required core course combining key aspects of these courses/replacing them was piloted with the ‘January starts’ - and was well received by all the students I spoke to.
The impetus for the change was persistent student requests for fewer required course hours and more electives, interests in revised curricula for each of the four core courses, and interest in greater continuity with Fall I (formerly OB1) groups.
The new course (which all new PIM students are enrolled in) is called ‘Foundations of Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management’. The course will meet every day during Fall I and once a week for four weeks during the first part of Fall II. Student evaluations and comments from previous core courses were used to help develop the syllabus. At least one Foundations course instructor has been having informal conversations with alumni and students who finished the previous core courses to learn more about what was most useful/important for them in these subject areas. A summary of these conversations will be shared with all Foundations course instructors as they finalize plans for this fall’s version of the course.
Renovations:
There have been a series of physical renovations that have taken place on campus. The first was the creation of the "Quiet Study Room" adjacent to the library. There needs to be some echo-dampening, fabric, etc, since folks still use the library as a hub of social interaction - and the door cannot close for fire-code reasons.
Other renovations include the replacement of some moldy infrastructure and improving the drainage to help deter the collection of water. There was also some repainting, a replaced roof for the IC (spring 2011)
I'm waiting for them to replace the HVAC and the carpet, with something squishy/durable, but moppable... but that can wait for the more important structural necessities. :-)
Also El Cafe got new signage and a Mural was painted in IC 105.
Library:
There is a rumor going around that the library is closing. This is NOT happening. They are going to acquire more digital resources (yay!) A library is required for accreditation: Link to NESAC (accrediting bureau) section about College Libraries
The library stacks will be closed to student browsing, however, someone remotely could be able to browns the digital stack, and see what is next to it. If google can archive the Louve this way, then I suppose the SIT library is ok, however the lack of quiet space with books in a culture of academic rigor, makes less sense. However, for a series of students working in DC, on their RPP, or in the field... this could be a very cool development.
There will be three windows of opportunity to pick up books that are held digitally.
10-11 am
12:30-1:30 pm
3-4 pm
UPDATE: AND the Library will be open from the morning until 1:30PM for browsing the stacks/shelves.
(I am really hoping for some dinnertime/hours. Not everyone lives on campus, and those evening hours were some of my most productive study-times)
I also suspect that it may help the library keep track of its books... you know, like that reserve book that was held for a whole month by that one student, who didn't check it out? Yeah. that.
CRITICAL UPDATE!:
There is a rumor about the campus closing in 2012. There have been many changes towards the goal of the decentralized operating model that World Learning would like to use... Adam has these things to say on the matter:
"I am going to send an end of summer letter to students. I will mention the Campus. Unfortunately that rumor has been floating around the organization for over a decade. I am very committed to Campus and believe it an important piece of our global platform. The rumor is not true. I always find it odd that this rumor is going around, despite the fact that we are making investments in the campus. For example: today we are putting in a very expensive generator in the IC. (A. Weinberg, personal communication, August 23, 2011)"
Whew! I will be interested to see what SIT is able to make happen when it can build a supportive team and environment for the staff, students, and administration.
Yours in Engaged Studentship,
Sarah
They are, also restructurers for global banks and call centers which operate on the node-like 'network' organizational structures (image at left). This is a goal that SIT has had for years and the Oman program and the DC program, discussed below, are parts of movement towards that shift/interest.There is the question: did they make the right selection for a non-profit educational organization? That remains left to be said, however, I have seen the consultants take time to learn what is needed by our organization. But, truthfully, it can't get much worse, and I'm glad that they have at least taken the first step to recovery -- which is "admit that they need help." Godspeed.Mentioned in: President Memo - Nov 3: 2010 -- discussed at the Town Hall Meeting, where Adam announced that students would be able to talk to consultants... (and as a proponent of the bottom up methodologies, students are consumers, and important for 360 feedback.)