Off to a Great Start...

Believe it or not, it has been a little over three months since Vice President Hoss walked into my office and asked “Got a minute?” I could tell from the look on his face that what he had to say was very important. However, I was totally unprepared for what I heard since my mind was made up that 2008 was the year I would buckle down and finish my dissertation since I probably have the oldest active student ID number at Alliant International University. One thing I have learned in my career is to be ready to be called off the bench at any time because opportunities will not come at perfect times, but rather at the more imperfect ones.

According to Michael Watkins, author of “The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders”, he suggests that evidence of “quick wins” sets a positive tone for a new leader. I will share some of the quick wins I have experienced since assuming the role as your leader for Finance and Administrative Services.

As counterintuitive as this sounds, the news of the state budget crisis created the first early wins. It provided an opportunity for FAS Leadership Council to come together and rally around a common goal: How can we as a division address the budget challenge while providing quality, high level services to the campus community? A way to look at this is to start with the end in mind. How do we want the picture to look when whatever spending reductions we need to make are in place? What is clear is we can achieve our vision elements of collaboration, laughter, inviting, excitement, communication, innovation and finest. We do this by celebrating, coaching, marketing, and focusing on our human and physical environments. A few weeks ago, my direct reports and I participated in an all day retreat and not once did the words “budget cuts” come up. Now that is a quick WIN!

I also survived my first “mini-crisis” which occurred during spring break. Roof work was being done on Craven Hall which necessitated the evacuation of the 5th and 6th floors of the building for the afternoon which thankfully, was on a Friday. In collaboration with the incredible team of Katy Rees, Ellen Cardoso, Gina Frasca, Steve Watters and Gary Cinnamon, decisions were made and implemented that were in the best interests of our employees and the campus. Now that is a quick WIN!

As leaders, it is important to recognize that people want results but they also want to be part of the solution. Give full and undeniable to credit to those who support the University’s vision, mission and goals. They will return that support when times become challenging and indeed, they will. Respect for one and respect for all: that is the ultimate WIN!

Bright Future Ahead

Approximately two years ago, our University was characterized by a local newspaper as a quiet giant emerging in the North County. We work for California State University San Marcos, a college noted as one of the fastest growing campuses in the CSU; a region noted for its abundance of sunshine and a state noted for its historical commitment to higher education.

It is truly remarkable how far and fast we have come as campus since those early days at Jerome’s. However, true challenges lie before us that give us cause to reflect while others may persuade us to stay where we are and rest. This University was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. Our university will continue to grow and prosper….we move forward.

What does this picture look like? I hear laughter coming from the conference room in the Vice President’s Office on a daily basis….Katy and Bella, your laughs are contagious and put a smile on our faces. I always feel welcome when I go to Cougar Central and experience the wonderful, inviting service provided by Mary, Nancy and the staff at Student Financial Services.

Collaboration is the essence of what we do and who we are whether it is helping a faculty member plan a car wash, listening to student concerns regarding increasing parking permit fees, the implementation of a Universal Pass program for Sprinter riders, or the implementation of our future Leadership Academy. Innovation...Dora is making a difference in the lives of our faculty by installing a copier for their use in the Library. Minor and insignificant….not to an instructor who is late to class due to traffic and needs copies of a test in 15 minutes.

I see excitement at our division meetings….excitement in the hearts of Planning, Design and Construction as they share their worlds with us. The finest…we demonstrated to the campus we are the finest at Academic Senate last week with a presentation by Lt. Miller accompanied by Russ and Dora.

We choose this picture and not because it is easy…it will be full of challenges. It is who we are…laughing, inviting, innovative, collaborative, excited and the finest. Changing our current reality requires all of us to deploy our best skills and energies. This challenge is one we accept, one we will not postpone and one we achieve not as one division but as one university.

Continuing a Great Tradition

Dear FAS Employees,

In keeping with great traditions, I will be posting regularly to a new blog called "Hawk Talk". VP Hoss originated his blog as a way to regularly communicate with all of you. It was an opportunity for you to get to know him better, learn about the latest ongoings in the division and campus, and to find out more about his leadership style and philosophy. I plan on continuing this practice by posting my thoughts and updates on the latest hot topics for our division. I hope that we can have a two-way dialogue so that I may know your thoughts about various things that I post. Please feel free to leave comments on my blog entries. I want you all to know that I’m excited and honored to lead this wonderful division, and to working with all of you.