Collegial Staff - Entry #19

I work at a small commuter, regional campus of the University of Connecticut.  We have a great administrative staff.  In my view, the most positive aspect of the group is our collegiality.  We have very few “silos” at our location.  If the Admissions Counselor needs assistance skirting tables for the Fall Open House individuals from the Registrar’s Office or our head librarian will assist—no questions asked.  When we host our annual 5K road race through the streets of downtown Waterbury everyone pitches in—from staffing the registration table to handing out cups of water to parched runners to setting up the post-race refreshment tables.  No grousing.  No complaining.  The varied staff gladly volunteers.  It’s just the culture of our campus.

I have tapped into this all-for-one attitude the last few years for our Parents Orientation.  Most schools organize this function with, what I term “The Talking Heads,” where a plethora of staff take turns presenting information to the assembled parents.  I take a different turn.  The thrust of our 90 minute program is staff facilitated discussion.  Our Multi-Purpose Room is set-up with 10 person round tables—eight or nine parents and one administrative facilitator per table.  The focus of the activity is twofold.  First, to give the moms and dads a chance to have their questions answered in a more comforting setting.  Second, to engage them in conversation about their thoughts and feelings having their son or daughter enter the ranks of higher education.  There are few opportunities for parents to be introspective or reflective when they visit.  Our normal modus operandi is to just feed them information.  My role in this environment, in my best Phil Donahue impression, is to bop from table to table, wireless microphone in hand, answering questions, prodding the discussions, and addressing the assembled crowd.  I have found this interactive approach to be beneficial for a number of reasons including keeping their attention more pronounced during the evening; less head-drops.

I could not possibly succeed with the program unless I have buy-in and participation from our campus staff.  So, over a ten day period I sent handwritten notecards to my colleagues that assisted me.  I told each of them that they are the backbone for the program’s success.  They are the face of our campus and their enthusiasm and knowledge base are the reason the evaluations for the night are so overwhelmingly positive.  I know a simple email thank you or verbal appreciation would have sufficed, but I wanted them to feel as special as the parents did that early September evening.

Connecting With Colleagues - Entry #18

I have been involved with professional associations since my graduate school days in the early 1980’s.  As with most students, my choice was heavily influenced by the faculty at the institution I was attending.  The professors at Teachers College, Columbia University were firmly aligned with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) as opposed to the competing student affairs group, the American College Personnel Association (ACPA).  Therefore, I became a NASPA fledgling by age 22.  The choice proved a wise one as the location of the NASPA National Conference during my graduate studies just happened to be a few subway stops away in mid-town Manhattan.  It afforded me the opportunity to attend a national gathering on a shoestring budget, further enmeshing me within the organization. 

When I began my professional career I started to attend state, regional and national conferences from many different associations, but I also made time to fly out to wherever the NASPA National was being held.  When I moved to Connecticut I contacted the woman who was the NASPA Region I (the New England states and maritime provinces of Canada) Vice President about becoming involved.  Before I knew it I was appointed to the regional executive committee serving as the secretary-treasurer.  I stayed involved with NASPA for many years, serving in a number of capacities at the regional and national level.  Along the way, I befriended many colleagues throughout the country.  Most of the time I would just see them at a regional or national conference or a quarterly board meeting.  It was always good to meet and greet and catch-up with old friends at these assemblages.  At larger gatherings (nowadays, a national conference will attract thousands and thousands of student affairs professionals) it is comforting to know that many colleagues will be in attendance.  While I can be affable and out-going, national conventions can be quite intimidating.  However, knowing that many of my peers would be in attendance made the experience less daunting.  I knew there will be people to chat with, share a cup of coffee in some quiet spot, or arrange dinner companions.

As I have pulled back in my involvement and conference attendance with NASPA, my contact with colleagues has sorely diminished.  The beginning of the 2012-2013 academic year coupled with the seemingly endless stream of conference email announcements (Register Now!  Early Bird Special Until!, Mark Your Calendar!) brought about a melancholy.   I had been very active within the organization, but had now directed my professional efforts elsewhere.  I felt the need to send notecards to many of the student affairs administrators I had worked side-by-side with for so many years.  I didn’t wax poetically, become profound or reflective in my thoughts.  I included a few personal comments, but the missive was more to reestablish contact with individuals within New England and beyond.  The thrust behind each correspondence was simply to say hello.  In fact the constant for each card was the sentence, “I wanted to reach out to NASPA colleagues to say hello.”  Most of the people I wrote to were still entrenched at their institution but, interestingly, as I researched mailing addresses I discovered changes had taken place.  Some of my colleagues had left their longtime school for a better position elsewhere while others had left the field to become consultants. 

I ended each notecard, wistfully, about possibly meeting up one day at a regional or national conference.  Initially, this was just a way to craft a closing paragraph, but as I penned these thoughts I realized I just might need to reconnect.  So, who knows?  You just might see me in Mystic and Orlando these upcoming months.

Writing Project Reactions - Entry #17

“Mr. Brown, you come over here so I can give you a big hug.”  This was the response by one of the children librarians to my note thanking her for all her years of service, primarily, during my children’s formative years.  My short, handwritten card had struck a very appreciative chord.  I was a little embarrassed, but gave her a well-deserved embrace.  It was at that moment I realized the power of the handwritten word.  A verbal thank you is gratefully acknowledged and an email or text is considered a nice gesture.  But a handwritten missive, especially one that recognizes service or accomplishments, can have such a powerful effect on an individual.  As John Kralik, the author of “365 Thank Yous” points out, “a handwritten note just feels like sincere gratitude.”  Maybe it’s the age we live in where everything is measured in 140 sterile characters, dulling the magnitude and potency of what we are trying to convey.  Or, simply, no one writes anymore so being on the receiving end of some type of correspondence is a cherished event.

Soon after writing a card to my son’s teacher I received a phone call from him.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t home but his voice quivered while he left a sincere and heartfelt voice mail.  As I listened to message I felt somewhat ashamed.  Through all my children’s schooling, from K-12, I never wrote a thank you note to any of their teachers (I’m sure my wife wrote a few).  Extrapolating on this realization I wondered how often parents write truly wholehearted or commendatory notes to their child’s secondary educators.  I’m not talking about the quick thank you attached to a year-end gift, but a card that requires time and thought and genuinely expresses one’s feelings and/or gratitude.

Librarians seem to greatly appreciate a kind word, especially in handwritten form.  In addition to the hug I received the Director of another local library emailed me a lovely response to the note I mailed to her.  I complemented her patient and helpful staff in regards to working with my son.  She read my notecard aloud at a staff meeting and “they all had such smiles on their faces!”  She went on to say the library hears from dissatisfied patrons concerning fines and complaints on other matters, but few notes like the one I sent.  As I reread her email I had a smile on my face.

Not all the responses I have received are of the thank you variety.  A colleague in Maine wrote a very nice card in response to my post about my golf fanaticism.  He talked about his love of flyfishing, a passion where skill and art merge.  Not only did I appreciate his notecard, but in just a few short paragraphs I learned a lot about the sport.  But the most interesting aspect of his correspondence was not within the card, but on the outside.  There was a reproduction of two men casting from a small boat (see picture).  It turns out, unbeknownst to him, an artist, Dave Tibbetts (also an avid flyfisherman), caught my colleague and his friend in action.  He was able to reproduce the painting for notecards.  I thought that was cool, neat, first-rate, keen, nifty, and swell all wrapped into one.

Today I mark my three month start date.  I continue to draw inspiration from Judge Kralik.  In a card he sent to me earlier this month he stated there will be down days in trying to complete this project, but not to be discouraged.    He wrote, “Life throws us fresh challenges all the time.  But in the end you will have experienced something special you would not have missed.”  Thus far, he is right on the money.

The UnConference - Entry #16

Earlier this month I attended the annual #satechBOS UnConference for student affairs administrators.  It was a very good conference for information and networking purposes.  More importantly, over the two days we met, a number of student affairs professionals, myself included, were able to come together and, by working totally in sync with each other, were able to create a resource that will benefit the student affairs profession.  My notecards went to a number of the individuals I worked with on this project.  More on this later.  First, let me explain more about the UnConference concept. According to Wikipedia.com it is “a participant-driven meeting…that tries to avoid one or more aspects of a conventional conference, such as…sponsored presentations” or an organized agenda.  Held at Boston University, the broader purpose of the two-day meeting was to look at the impact of technology, primarily, within student affairs.  But, more specifically, the UnConference was designed so:

Participants will not only engage in peer-peer learning around topics they have chosen, but also will be asked to “create” something in those smaller groups through “creation stations.”  Participants will be asked to create, foster, or develop an idea that they can take back to their respective campuses and communities and use immediately.

(www.satechbos.com)

After the opening keynote, the 100+ attendees split up into breakout areas with topics voted upon by the group.   I attended a session that was billed as “Professional Branding and Managing an Online Presence.”  I didn’t really know what to expect but, if my memory serves me correctly, the 20 or so people in our group started talking about how using social media can build an on-campus presence.  Allison Stinson from Merrimack College spoke about their Pic[ture] of the Day.  Students, Faculty and Staff can submit a photo with some relevance to the school.  One picture is chosen each day (and linked off the institution’s home page).  Allison stated this daily activity had driven traffic to their website and, more importantly, created a buzz on campus.  I thought it was a great idea and lamented there was no repository of social media ideas that individuals could tap into.  Heads began to nod and we all began to brainstorm such a site.  What about developing an administered blog?  A Website? 

After lunch we reconvened into our incubator setting, broke down into subgroups and continued to fine-tune the idea.  We came up with a name—satechSHARE—registered its domain and created a Twitter account.  The impressive aspect of our endeavor was how a gathering of total strangers were able to quickly come together, agree on a direction, and begin to implement it.  There was no grandstanding, no posturing, no glory-seeking.  It was all for one and one for all.  I had never encountered such a collective experience.  We were bees in a hive; ants in a colony with one sole purpose.

Fast forward—there is still work to be done for satechSHARE to become a viable tool for student affairs administrators.  We are hoping to have a finished product by the end of Fall 2012.  The notecards I sent to a number of the main contributors to this idea summarized our experience and expressed my joy of being part of such a collaborative group.  In my 30+ years in this field I have never been involved in such an intense, time constrained undertaking.  I think the saying is catching lightning in a bottle.  We surely did and I wanted to share my euphoria, my glee with these individuals. 

Hug Your IT - Entry #15

I have always had good relationships with IT staff.  Even though people on campus feel I can solve any technology problem I am always knocking at the IT office door pleading for assistance.  It can be something simple or more involved and complex, but no matter what situation I present to them I am always welcomed with a smile and a “let me take a look” attitude.  My most recent batch of notecards went to my campus’ IT threesome as well as a member of the somewhat imperceivable IT presence at the main Storrs Campus of the University.

Here is one of my patented terrible analogies—both times I have visited Paris the French have been very nice and accommodating.  They overlooked my pitiful language skills.  They were gracious.  They smiled.  My experiences were always positive.  The reasons—I wasn’t demanding, nor did I treat them as inferiors or with contempt or impatience.  Do you see where I’m going with this?  How many times have you been in a meeting or having a casual conversation with a colleague and as soon as the discussion turns to tech support an emptiness engulfs your space?  Nearby plants begin to wither.  Dogs begin to howl in the moonlight.  Think of the effect Dementors have on Harry Potter.  It’s almost an Olympic sport—the IT Dehumanization Clean and Jerk.  Why is this attitude so prevalent on our campuses (and probably in the corporate world as well)?  I’ve never figured that one out.  Maybe it’s a function of the frustrations we have with the ever-expanding technology in our work-day world.  “How do I mail merge this document?”  “I can’t open my flash drive!”  “I need this database up and running yesterday!!”  “The %#&!@ computer crashed…again!”  Technology, in all its faceless glory, has no identity except for the IT staff member with the big red target on their back.  All the irritation, annoyance and dissatisfaction now has somewhere to be redirected.  But we are talking about human beings with feelings and needs, people who want to be included as part of the team, not as an add-on contracted vendor.  I’ve always found IT personnel helpful and ready to assist.  My secret?  I don’t send off an arrogant or demanding email.  I use the telephone or my feet for an in-person visit.  I ask, nicely, for their assistance.   And, more times then not, voila, we are in sync and in business.

My notecards wanted to convey my thanks for all the assistance I have received during my time at the University.  Whether large, more involved projects or small, one-time fix-me-ups, my life as an administrator is that much easier because of the IT staff.  So, go out and hug an IT staff member today!  Tweet about it at @istudentaffairs.

Broadway Musicals - Entry #14

Three weeks ago, in passing, I mentioned my Broadway music radio program. Since my last blog post my notes have been more specifically related to my weekly on air show.  There were two groups that received correspondence.  One segment was composed of press agents for theatrical productions in Connecticut and New York City.  The second cluster consisted of individuals involved with the production, manufacturing and distribution of Broadway original cast recordings (OCR).  The people that head these companies are so important to show music djs like myself.  They are the ones that are meticulously documenting the Broadway musical through a show’s OCR even though all but a select few recordings will ever sell huge numbers. 

This was not always the situation.   Cast albums of popular musicals in the 1940’s – 1960’s sold millions of copies.  The cast recording of Oklahoma!, which was the very first OCR to feature the complete score of a Broadway show with the original performers, sold over a million copies.  Some OCRs not only had blockbuster sales, but also spent weeks on the pop charts.  The Music Man’s OCR spent 12 weeks as the number one album in the country.  It stayed on the Billboard charts for a total of 245 weeks.  Not only have the OCRs of earlier musicals been hits with the public, but individual songs from Broadway shows have been popular.  For instance, “Some Enchanted Evening,” from South Pacific was the number one song in the United States for five weeks in a row; “Hey There,” from The Pajama Game spent six weeks at number one in the summer of 1957.

During the 1940’s through the early 1980’s there were major record labels such as Columbia, Capitol, Decca and RCA Victor vying for the rights to record Broadway productions.  Today, with consolidations in the recording industry and the demise of show tunes as a fixture on radio there are fewer record labels devoted to OCRs.  This was one of the reasons I mailed cards to some of the people that run companies devoted to preserving the scores of Broadway shows.  Without CDs from the current crop of musicals my radio broadcast would just be a museum piece of older shows and their respective LPs.  I wanted the people behind Ghostlight Records, PS Classics, and Masterworks Broadway to know I appreciated their endeavors as well as providing me with the CD and/or digital version of their latest offerings.  There are very few Broadway music radio programs around the country.  Those of us “in the business” become slightly more relevant when we can play selections from such Broadway hits as “The Book of Mormon,” “Billy Elliot,” and “In the Heights” among others.

Part of the pleasure of hosting my own radio program in Hartford, CT is the ability to take in shows in The Big Apple and Connecticut.  I then offer up reviews to my listeners and readers of my blog (http://stuonbroadway.blogspot.com).  Over many years I have cultivated relationships with press representatives at some of New York’s largest agencies as well as with individuals at Connecticut’s nationally known regional theaters.  Without these contacts I would not be able to be the critical eyes and ears for would-be audience members.  With the upcoming Broadway season and subscription series for Connecticut theaters about to begin I wanted to thank the press people for returning my emails and answering my phone calls.

Fore! - Entry #13

Last week I reached a milestone—I have surpassed over 10% of my goal of sending out a letter/notecard every day for one year.  So far, I have mailed 42 pieces of correspondence.  Time goes by fast when you’re having fun… or is it as you grow older…or is it both?

This past week has a hodgepodge of cards.  Two were sent to the graduate students that for the Spring 2012 semester wrote our 2012 Student Affairs Job Hunt blog.  They shared their experiences—the high’s, the low’s--as they searched for their first professional position in the student personnel field.  I am glad to report that both were successful in the job hunt process.  I wanted to, first, congratulate them, but to also thank them for sharing their exploits, their feelings and, most importantly, their advice for others that will one day be looking for a position in student affairs.  This is the 7^th year that graduate students have been staffing the StudentAffairs.com job hunt blog.  Their insights, joys, heartbreaks, and successes have entertained as well as informed hundreds, maybe thousands of people over the years.  Note to self—track down all the previous bloggers to inquire what they are now doing.  Maybe start a reunion or where-are-they-now blog.

The majority of cards I mailed were related to golf.  I am a golf fanatic.  I love being outside for a few hours, walking the green courses, and soaking up the tranquility of the surroundings.  I try to get out to a local course 3-4 times a week, usually having time for just nine holes.  Before the night sky darkens I might be out on the putting green practicing my 2-3 foot putts.  After work I occasionally drop by the driving range to work on my assorted wedges.  Last week I finally figured out why my drives were slicing.  Golf is one of the most mentally challenging sports you can play.   Anyone who participates can tell you your focus must be right on for every shot.  My confidence level and shot making ability is at a point where I am usually self-assured, in a modest and humble manner (so as not to offend the golf gods), that I can break 100 for 18 holes.  So, what does The Writing Project have to do with golf?

I wanted to thank two of the professional staff members from my hometown course for keeping the golf course so well-maintained.  The fairways are green throughout their length, mowed to a consistent level, and devoid of brown patches and dead grass.  The first cut rough is demanding without being overbearing, and the putting greens are rolled to a challenging, but not overly difficulty consistency.  My friends and I play a number of courses in the area and none are as nicely manicured as our home 18, which consistently ranks as one of the best public golf courses in Connecticut.  I wanted those individuals responsibility for its upkeep to know their hard work and long hours are applauded. 

One of the other pros on staff, who seems to regularly be assigned the early morning shift at the check-in counter, always welcomes me by name and with a hearty hello.  It makes me feel like one of the barflies from the television show, “Cheers,” where everyone knows your name.  In today’s, sometimes impersonal, world where logins and passwords and electronic devices rule the day I truly value this small act of name recognition.  It makes me feel like I am part of a community and appreciated as an individual rather then just a member of a faceless foursome ready to tee off.