ACUHO-I: Day 4 Recap

It's taken me a few days (ok, a week) to finally finish my ACUHO-I conference posts. Between catching up with work and the July 4th holiday, life got a little busy.

It was nice to take my time on the last morning- had a nice breakfast, checked out of my hotel, and dove right into sessions. I started with Moving Training into the 21st Century. Much like the Social Media session I had gone to the day before, it was pretty neat in terms of the ideas generated. I feel like, however, unless you considered yourself intermediate to advanced in terms of technology and social media, it might have gone over your head. It was certainly informative; as the presenter, Dan Oltersdorf from ACUHO-I Central put it, "We're going to have you take a drink from a firehose... try to keep up." I'm not sure how much of there was to take away for my home institution, except that there is value in up front costs for long term benefit with regards to things like software and hardware upgrades for your departments. There was definitely some good information in terms of considering whether or not moving to online curricula is good for your school and your staff, and then considering if this is just a one-time thing, a refresher course here or there, or to be completed in lieu of traditional training entirely. Very interesting points to consider.

The second session of the day was probably one of my favorite sessions at the conference, about Personality Clashes within the staff. This was a highly interactive, engaging program that can totally be taken back to your own campus and tailored to your staffs. We started by making small group discussions of one-word adjectives to describe an effective team and then shared these aloud into a master list. Then, we were introduced to four animals; this was essentially a Myers-Briggs redux that categorized people into four personality groups: Bears, Owls, Rabbits, and Turtles. Through this activity, participants self-identify with a particular group based on general characteristics of each group. Everyone broke off into their respective groups and discussed specific actions/behaviors of their own group, and the positives and negatives of working with that type of person.

After each question, each group was asked to share their findings and present. There was a lot of room to play around with the order of who presents as it relates to personality characteristics, and the presenter much be actively listening to pick up subtleties in the way each group described themselves as key indicators of that group’s personality.

We then came back as a large group and looked at the list of adjectives we made for an effective team and then determined with animal most closely represented that adjective. It was a very fun and quite informative way to see how diverse personalities on a team can contribute in very specific ways. The great thing about this entire presentation was that it could be taken back to your own home institution and tweaked as you needed to drive home issues pertinent to your institution.

I also went to a fantastic, informative feedback session from the Case Study Competition. It was great to digest the entire experience, and there was a lot of engaged discussion, from both participants and judges. I found out later that our team didn't win (I flew back before the closing reception), but I was still very satisfied with the whole case study experience.

In all, ACUHO was a pretty incredible conference; a very different vibe than from the NASPA conference I attended in Boston in 2008. I think not only being out-of-town, but traveling with coworkers made a huge difference in how I personally engaged in this conference. For NASPA, it was local so I just took the T in each day, and I was the only person representing my school, in addition to it being my first national conference ever. Still, both are essential professional organizations in the fields of student affairs and residence life, and I look forward to engaging with and utilizing them more in my professional work.

ACUHO-I 2009: Day 3

Sorry for the late update… had quite an adventure yesterday evening where I just didn’t feel like writing (more at the end of this post).

Yesterday’s sessions were excellent. My morning session, Social Media Recruiting, was extremely engaging and energizing. I think back to my first course in the SAA program, SA & Technology, and it’s amazing to see what people are already doing with available and emerging technologies in higher ed just in terms of professional recruitment. There was totally a collective “why didn’t I think of that?” moment when the presenter, Steve Desir from Georgia State University, suggested using Skype for phone interviews. During the presentation, I started thinking about all sorts of other ways in which to use these widely available (and many free to low-cost) in just general operations within our department: RA selection & housing lottery updates via Twitter, creating a dept’l Facebook page – the goal is of course, to refer folks back to our University sponsored website, which is already very thorough anyway. I was even thinking of my own responsibilities of generating the dept’l newsletter – a blog is so much more efficient, and again, points people right back to our website.

Someone in this session also suggested using things like dept’lly created videos for programming, such as a user-submitted talent show. Residents film their own acts, submit them to YouTube, and then the RA coordinated the online judging process. It got me thinking – what does this mean in the context of passive programming? We’ve come a long way from door hangers and flyers in the bathroom stalls. Really neat, innovative stuff.

The second session I attended was about using a curriculum model for programming. The presenters were definitely greenhorns, but it was enjoyable and they had great energy. Introductory material with lots of great ideas to take back to my campus – curriculum-style programming really adds a whole level of intention instead of the RA just doing a program to complete a requirement.

The big exciting part of the day was the Case Study Competition. I paired up with a gentleman from Canada (University of Guelph). We had just met on Sunday, during the Strength-session. The competition was intense- 30 minutes to review a 2-page case study, 10 minutes to present, 5 min of questions from the judges. The scenario was essentially a potential campus shooter/loner who draws pictures of guns. The scenario described a series of events that vaguely allude to some kind of mental health/violence aspect to the student, but there was enough info in the case study to also allude that he’s just an emo guy who likes guns with no intent of violence whatsoever. Our role was that of the Area Coordinator, and basically, what we do next. Amir, my partner, had some great ideas and we collaborated and presented well, I think. I’m looking forward to the feedback session later today. The winners will be announced tonight; sadly, I’m flying back before the awards so I won’t necessarily know until tomorrow.

So, as promised, why I was up late last night: I won’t say that I saw a ghost, but- I definitely felt something very strange, like I was being followed on the 19th floor of my hotel, the Lord Baltimore Radisson. Just wanted to check out the floor, it was about 1am… it was pretty creepy. Go back to my room (on the 16th floor) and Google the hotel to see if there were stories about it being haunted… turns out it’s registered as haunted by the Historic Hotels of America!

ACUHO 2009: Day 2

What a day! 2 sessions, 1 rambling but fascinating/inspiring keynote, and I'm signed up for the Case Study Competition tomorrow. I'm also a hair buzzed *pinches fingers* from dinner.

The morning started bright and early with Phil Tompkin's (Central Arizona College) session on Strengths-Based Housing Programs. It was a rather inspiring way to start my ACUHO experience in terms of interest sessions. So much of our leadership development is based on weakness-eliminating; a strengths-based approach comes at it from the opposite direction. By actively engaging and cultivating our strengths, and thus, that which comes naturally to us, not only will we more effectively develop ourselves professional, but *gasp* enjoy more of what we're doing at the same time.

The Strengths session was mostly an overview; I was vaguely familiar with the Strengths approach already. Phil handed out free codes to Gallup's Strength Finder online- I'm looking forward to completing this assessment so I can create a more focused approach to my own professional development.

The second interest session I attended was Dr. Susan Komives' (Univ. of MD-College Park) Leadership Model in Theory and Practice. She reported on the findings of the 2006 Multi-institutional leadership survey of over 52 institutions to determine practical applications of the social change leadership model. It was a lot to digest, but I received a lot of great material on the social change leadership model, as well as the leadership identity development model as well. While the session was focused on student leadership, I think there will be many transferable themes revealed in SAA704: Interpersonal Leadership. I also saw Bob, an ACUHO veteran who lead my small group at the New Attendees Reception, and he highly recommended Dr. Komives' Exploring Leadership. So, naturally, I bought it from the ACUHO bookstore. I figure there's a lot I can glean from there to SAA704, and vice versa.

Lunch meant a stroll around the Expo Hall- so many booths, so little time! Got a free fun swag items: the usual assortment of pens, notebooks, and stress balls, but this time, I managed to win a free toss pillow too :) Thankfully, I have plenty of room in my luggage to bring it home.

After lunch I hit up the Case Study Competition Info Session, where I'm paired up with Amir from Canada. We met during the Strengths session, and were the only two to show up without partners, so it was a natural match. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's competition- a little nervous, but otherwise excited to test my skills. With 3 years of professional experience already, I'm surprised I haven't participated in one by now. It's also less intense than some other case study competitions- we only have 30 minutes to review the case, and 15 minutes to present- no powerpoints, no day of research: just kind of gut instinct, hands-on presentation.

ACUHO's keynote speaker was Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Apart from his odd fife and drum corps entrance (seriously), it was an engaging speech about the economic advantages of sustainability pursuits on a national scale. He kind of went over his time, mostly because I think he just had so much to share with the group. Not sure if there ever was a solid takeaway bit in relation to housing, but it was a fascinating keynote just the same.

Exhausted from the day already, my crew skipped out on Roundtables and headed back to our hotel for a lil decompression time. My colleagues headed to dinner in my hotel (I stayed in a different hotel b/c I found a wicked cheaper rate) and I trekked out to Fell's Point and had a simply scrumptuous meal at MELI, a French/Mediterranean inspired bistro, with a ton of honey-themed menu items. Grilled tomato salad, lavender honey salmon, and a Greek honey parfait - all prepared to perfection.

Now it's past midnight, actually closer to 1am. I need to get my rest for tomorrow- 2 sessions, a case study competition, and a corporate sponsored dinner tomorrow night. The adventure continues...

ACUHO 2009: Day 1

I am absolutely wiped after a long day of hoofing it all over downtown Baltimore today. I woke up bright and early this morning, headed up to Manchester, NH, and flew on a very pleasant flight down to BWI. Hopped on the light rail train and made it to my hotel. Room wasn't ready, told to come back at 3pm. Reduced down to a tiny purse, left the rest of my luggage in storage, and ventured to Lexington Market, just a few blocks from my hotel; it was certainly a NFT/Yelp treasure find. Definitely teetered on the edge of safe/unsafe neighborhood, but at noon on a Saturday, it was bustling with activity and people.

The people watching alone was amazing. I was very visibly the minority there, but hopefully I didn't give off too much of the tourist vibe. Stall after stall of just about any food you could think of, and lots of fresh produce, meats, seafood, and fresh baked goods. And live jazz to boot! It reminded me of a Southern version of Boston's Quincy Market, but earthier and with a lot more local heart as opposed to blatant tourist trap.

My work colleagues called me to meet up for lunch, and we ate some really delicious crab cakes. They splurged and went for the jumbo lump, but I was happy to save a lil cash and get a regular crab cake. I'm also on Weight Watchers right now, so I'm really trying my best to keep my points in check, despite lots of food temptations :)

Checked in at the Conference, picked up my goodie bag, headed back to the hotel. Rooms still weren't ready, but a few batted eyelashes and respectful assertiveness got me a room faster than the dozens of folks in line waiting for rooms to be freed up (hotel is sold out). Barely had time to change and headed to the New Attendees Reception. Met up with some old friends from another school at where I've worked, made some new connections, got some good insight to make the most out of my first ACUHO conference.

Then it was off to Camden Yards for the O's Nats game and a special picnic dinner in the bullpen area. Made healthy choices about food (just a taste of nachos as opposed to a whole plate, lots of fruit and veggies), but treated myself to a hotdog - no bun. It is a baseball game... you gotta have a hotdog! Game pace was wicked slow... O's walked 2 runs by the top of the 2nd inning, and my coworkers left just after the 3rd. I stuck it out until the top of the 5th, then called it a night. Hoofed it to the Inner Harbor area, stopped in the Harborplace Gallery just before it closed to pick up a pair of stretch pants (my legs got wicked chafed walking all over the place in a skirt) and took a cab back to the hotel.

I will have no problem getting to sleep tonight... I'm beat! It's been a whirlwind day already, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow, especially the Case Study Competition Info Session. My dogs are tired, there's a new episode of Law & Order: SVU on tv, and I'm ready to fall asleep sitting up. G'night!

Dusting off the ol' blog

It's been a while since I've posted here... my personal life has been all over the place the last 6 months, and I've been playing catch up.

I plan to post a summary of my experiences in my History of Higher Education course; it was a really fascinating course that allowed me to examine the history of my own home institution in the greater context of the growth of Student Affairs in higher ed.

I'm about to start my Interpersonal Leadership course on Monday... right smack in the middle of the 2009 ACUHO-I Conference in Baltimore, MD. Luckily, my hotel has free wifi so I'll be able to check in online in the evenings.

I am, in a very geeky way, incredibly excited about attending ACUHO. This is not only my first ACUHO conference, but my first out-of-town conference :) NASPA 2008 was in Boston, so it was just a hop, skip, and a jump on the T down to the Hynes Convention Center.

I'm sure I'll have more to post about the conference. I really need to get this blog back in shape!

Economic impact on college endowments: 2 articles

College endowments feel the sting - The Boston Globe

Fortunes Falling - InsideHigherEd.com

From a staff meeting the other day, we all spoke of how we all know at least one person who's been laid off, and that people are losing jobs every day. My husband (and it will be rare I mention him here) is working damn hard to make sure that he is seen as a valuable employee to his company. At another meeting earlier this year, an executive level member came to speak to us, and there was an unusually strong push for the importance of mid-year reviews and making not just our individual selves seen as valuable to the university, but our entire department seen as valuable.

I was actually pretty unsettled after that presentation... Whether it's uncertain enrollment rates for the fall, or shrinking budgets for FY10, I've gotta say I'm really nervous about these uncharted waters for me as a professional, and the implications for higher education in the next few years.

Museum backers seek halt to selloff - The Boston Globe

Museum backers seek halt to selloff - The Boston Globe

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There is something profoundly sad about this. I know times are tough, but art is not expendable. I really don't care if the gallery space is being turned into art classrooms... what good is studying art if you can't even experience it where you study? From the SNL Save Broadway skit to the very real closure of the North Shore Music Theatre here in MA, this economy is literally killing off the arts.

EDIT: 10:20pm.
This reader comment on a related article on the Boston Globe site has me seething... art is not expendable damn it!

"It is an extremely reasonable decision. I applaud the Brandeis executives and board for this unpopular but wise decision. The art museum is not at all central to the mission of the university. It is a chotchke - a toy box of interesting playthings - a collection of dust-gathering luxuries. The school should be given the right to dispose of these assets unless there were condition imposed on the 'gift' and that's the critical word: gift. (How many of you, dear reader, disposed of your recent holiday and birthday presents with returns, exchanges, e-bay posts, or yardsales?) Outside of the Waltham campus community, who even knows that this collection exists? There are numerous colleges and universities with obscure campus museums filled with oftentimes extremely valuable objet d'arts donated or bequeathed by alumnae/alumni. The price of collectible art has skyrocketed to dollar amount that were scarcely imaginable a generation ago. Can you imagine what it costs to insure these pieces? Campuses can't provide the type of security needed to safe-guard multi-million dollar art from professional thieves. These types of assets have always been a store of value for the wealthy, something that could be liquidated or exchanged in times of need. Is it regretable? Of course. But compared to all the other assets Brandeis could sell for a good return without harming its core interest, Brandeis is wise to liquidate all or part of this collection. It will use the funds to pay current obligations, re-fill the rainy day emergency fund, and support its key academic mission - which includes scholarships for the students whose parents have also been financially devastated in this economic climate. Perhaps some of the wealthy donors will buy the pieces back or offer to fund the museum. Egos shouldn't be allowed to get in the way of sustaining the university.

The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50

Went to the Brattle St. Theatre tonight with a friend to hear a lecture by the author, Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot. While her topic was on the developmental theory and experience of the older generation, I thought it provided a fascinating bookend to much of what I had learned last semester in my Student Development Theory course.

She raised an interesting point that so much developmental theory focuses on human growth to mid-life, as this is perhaps the Bodhi tree enlightenment of human development, but through comprehensive interviews conducted with 40 individuals in their 50's-70's, she argues that there is a highly invigorating and crisis-driven developmental stage to be found later in life (the "Third Chapter"). Using Erikson's stages and the concept of a struggle of moving from one stage into the next, Lawrence-Lightfoot states that it's perfectly natural to recognize the "death" of the younger stage, mourn its passing, and look to being reborn, in a sense, in the latest stages of our life.

She spoke of an interview she gave over the phone, and could tell her interviewer was young, so she asked her how old she was. The interviewer replied, "27." The author was amused and said that she was surprised her interviewer could still be so interested, to which she replied that her book gives a sense of optimism and freedom- that 50 and beyond is not an age of descent, rather one of curiosity-driven ascension.

As someone in their late twenties, this was actually a very uplifting lecture. There have moments in the last year where I've been fraught with unrelenting thoughts of my own mortality, but thinking of "being old" in a different context as Lawrence-Lightfoot describes is empowering.

The moderator asked if the author had noticed any patterns regarding race, gender, etc., and she said that men seemed to be looking for stability, a return to normalcy and calm, whereas most women described some interest in getting out in the world- taking flight, specifically. She described how one man said it was as if he was canoing back to shore, he passes his wife in a rowboat out to the middle of the lake. It was an interesting and illuminating metaphor.

At the conclusion of her lecture, she spoke of how technology is coming into play, and described how her son taught his grandmother how to use email. Not just how to use it, but to embrace and not fear the technology surrounding it. I wanted to raise the question if she thought this millennial generation, so saturated by technology, will actually continue to embrace and utilize technology in our Third Chapter, or if we might see some kind of backlash Luddite response - if our generation will unplug itself in our golden years.

All in all, a very thought-provoking lecture. I think I might actually pick up a copy of her latest book at the library if I can.

In poor economy, expect surge in applications to state schools - The Boston Globe

In poor economy, expect surge in applications to state schools - The Boston Globe

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Yes we can.

Our new President-Elect, in his ever techno-savvy strategy, has launched www.change.gov. Across the banner was the following quote from Barack Obama:

"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."

There's a lot of promise and a level of expectation our country has never seen before for our new President. After the last 8 years, it's not surprising that some of us are waiting for the other shoe to drop; it's just too good to be true. We'll have to wait and see, and Barack has already begun the expectation-lowering messages ("I will not be a perfect President" and "there will be challenges," among others). But what I feel is really different is that this time, so many people are willing to work with him, to help and support an administration of change. The mobilzation of the masses is near-revolutionary.

On change.gov, they ask for stories of American Moments, about what this election has meant to us. I share now what I sent to change.gov:

I am one of the Millennials. I voted in my first presidential election when I was 18, in 2000, only 5 months out of high school. After 9/11, when I was just a sophomore in college, I remember feeling so jaded about America, and what it meant to be an American. The flag had been commercialized into lapel pins and car magnets, a symbol of blind patriotism in a fear-gripped guns-a-blaze post 9/11 America. I was not proud to be an American. I was embarrassed.

On the evening on November 4, and into the wee hours of November 5, I felt something I have not felt in almost 10 years. I live on a college campus, and there were students hugging each other, jumping up and down, parading on the street in a spontaneous midnight march around campus - it was a beautiful sight. Inspiring. As I watched our President-Elect speak that evening, the American flag didn't look so trite. To be honest, it didn't look like the joke it has been for the last 8 years, with various leaders parading in front of it like a bad punchline.

For the first time, I saw the American flag as something built on ideals, and that our new President-Elect would remind us of and guide us toward to the foundational principles on which this country was built. I had this warm, fuzzy feeling like when I was a kid, reading about our Founding Fathers in elementary school. I got choked up when Obama spoke about what changes will we have made 50 years from now- what will our children live to see? For the first time for me, the American flag was about possibility. It was about truly coming together as a nation to build this nation together.

For the first time as a Millennial, I am excited to be a part of this generation, and to contribute to my country rather than rebuke it. This is the first time I’ve felt like I’m willing to give our country the chance, because I feel like it’s taken the chance on us to make a change. For the first time in my life, I am actually proud to be an American.