May sure has been a busy month for FAS as we wind down the spring semester and gear up for year end!
This year’s Spring Fling was truly wonderful and I am grateful to the PEER Team and Spring Fling Planning Committee for the hard work that goes into making this annual event a success. Thank you for making President Haynes, First Gentleman Jim Mickelson and the President’s staff feel very welcome; I know they had a great time and always look forward to the invitation. Congratulations to all the nominees and award winners for personifying and exemplifying what Responsibility, Trustworthy, Professionalism, Encouragement, Service, Excellence and Collaborative mean in our ever changing and evolving work lives.
This month, I also had the opportunity to attend my first CSUSM commencement ceremony as a member of the platform party. It was both memorable and inspiring and the true reason why we are all here…to support and promote student success. A special thank you to the FAS employees who volunteered their time to ensure commencement was an enjoyable experience for the graduates and their families: Chief Ronald Hackenberg, Lt. Robert McManus, Sgt. Timothy Dow, Sgt. Jesus Flores, Officer Yosaren Panza, Community Service Officers John Hall, Hiram Lopez, Billy Barron, Bryan Alt (UPD); Edward Johnson, Ellen Hawthorne, Gerard McQuade, Craig Curtis, Sid Alvarez, Cal Kidd, Megan Simpson, Cheryl Zwack and Rosie Peterson (FDM), Bruce Bradley (HRRM), and Marietta Kimball and Charlene Montalvo (BFS).
I hope all of you were able to attend the workshop entitled “If You Can’t Say Something Nice, What DO You Say?" conducted by Sarita Maybin. What an opportunity to listen and gain insights and perspectives from someone like Sarita who left the secure world of university administration (some may disagree with this one) and venture into self-employment as a speaker and trainer. The part of the session that stood out for me was Brave, Braver and Bravest. You can choose to not “go there” or get to the heart of the issue by seeking the underlying intent of the words or actions. It takes guts to be able to respond to negative remarks made by others while preserving relationships. No one way is better than the other….assess the situation and decide for yourself. How brave are YOU?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
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.
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.
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