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OVERVIEW
Many individuals aspire to lead colleges and universities. However, they may face challenges when trying to understand the different levels of reporting and their role in the university. "As most higher education institutions, upper-level administrators do not possess unilateral power to hire or fire faculty, initiate new or modify existing courses, determine the requirement for a degree, or admit or dismiss a student, among other activities" (Hendrickson, Lane, Harris, & Dorman, 2013, p. 267). Rather, these decisions are shared with faculty, staff, and administrators through a shared governance approach.
Faculty members have a different role (while the same goal) in the university's overall mission than the Dean of the College or School who was a previous faculty member. Higher Education Administrators are tasked to effectively and efficiently lead and represent their roles every day.
When I was enrolled in the Higher Education Administration program, I learned about the historical, theoretical, and philosophical background of the higher education system in the United States and how it has evolved over the years. As colleges and universities have changed over time, so did the role of college presidents. Hendrickson et al. (2013) reflect that, "Beyond their function as a team leader, academic presidents play several roles, real and perceived. One of the most important roles a president can play is to become a personal symbol of his or her institution's mission, goals, and aspirations, or at least understand how to use appropriate symbols to advance the mission of the institution" (p. 250).
In some universities, the primary role of the President is to fundraise money and strengthen relationships with external partners while the Provost makes the academic decisions. Other schools the president takes an active and intentional role to engage with employees and students of their college. Hendrickson et al. (2013) acknowledged that if academic leaders do not interpret the college or university culturally correctly, their decisions may not make sense to the college community and therefore provide a negative or unintended outcome (as cited in Tierney, 1989, p. 387). It is important for individuals who want to work as a college administrator to understand that the same job title has different roles depending on the college they choose to work at. Therefore, understanding the culture, climate, and being able to demonstrate role discernment will make leaders actions successful.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
I was first exposed to the importance of understanding role discernment in 2008 when I served as the legislative liaison for the Student Senate at St. Cloud Technical & Community College. My role was just not as a student anymore, but a student leader. I was challenged to meet expectations given to me by my peers. Then, I was elected Vice President of the Senate in Fall 2008 and then President in 2009. In these roles, I worked with students in the Senate and the college administration to meet student's needs and the administration's plan to advance the college goals. One of the most memorable experiences was discussing tuition and fee increases.
Another moment where I had to learn to be self-aware was when I started my appointment to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. At the time, I was a full-time admissions representative and a part-time student as well. As a trustee, I was charged with the duties and responsibilities to oversee all 31 colleges and universities with 54 campuses. I had to be informed before making my decisions because my role now impacted over 400,000 students. In any of the leadership roles I have served, my decisions were formed based on conversations with all constituent groups. Although I always aim to make a decision that reflects everyone's stance, sometimes it is not possible. And when it is not possible to find a way where everyone is satisfied, I share my reasonings and why I made that decision.
Recent leadership opportunities include: Chair of the NYU Residential Life & Housing Services Paraprofessional Training Committee, Chair of the ACUHO-I Live-in Professional Network, and member of the NYU Student Affairs Mission, Vision and Values working group. In all of these spaces, I am aware of my roles in addition to being a scholar-practitioner. Sometimes I am more active and take the lead, and other times I share the stage and encourage others participation. It is important to be aware of my environment, so I help drive the conversation and not stifle it.
These and other leadership opportunities have taught me to be intentional when making decisions even when I am not able to please everyone. Unless I am part of a private and confidential process, none of the decisions go without consulting the impacted groups.
The one challenge I experienced was when I started as a trustee at the age of 21. As someone with an accent and new to the political environment, sometimes people made incorrect assumptions of me and disregarded because I was labeled as "just a student" or "too young" to understand the system as a whole, when in reality, it was by participating in the process and sharing my opinions that the student experience was heard across the board. But most importantly, I took that opportunity to establish relationships with key administrators and higher education leaders from Minnesota and across the country. And I went from being "just the student" to someone who advocated for technical and community college students.
Nevertheless, I continue to learn every day. I believe that, although I will make unintentional mistakes, it does not mean that I am not responsible for them; I will have to address them accordingly. My hope is that we all have opportunities to grow from our mistakes; continuous improvement is something I believe in. I also understand that I need to be mindful when establishing and maintaining my professional and personal relationships, so it does not result in me overstepping boundaries. For example, one of my supervisees is responsible for the supervision and management of the student leaders in the team. Just because I supervise this person, it does not mean that I should undermine her role and talk to the student leader when they do not meet expectations or have an issue about a policy and protocol. I believe in respecting the proper reporting channels when addressing an issue unless they have an issue with her (their supervisor), then it would be appropriate for them to come to me. I still engage with these students on a weekly basis, by caring about their development and college experience, but my point here is the importance of understanding roles in higher education (or any organization), so it can lead to a respectful and productive working environment where people feel valued and understood.
REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hendrickson, R.M., Lane, J.E., Harris, J.T., & Dorman, R.H. (2013). Academic Leadership and Governance of Higher Education: A Guide for Trustees, Leaders, and Aspiring Leaders of Two- and Four-Year Institutions. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
Tierney, W.G. (1989). Symbolism and presidential perceptions of leadership. The Review of Higher Education, 12(2), 153 - 166.
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