At a time in American history when it looked as though the United States was losing ground to the Soviet Union, President John F. Kennedy rallied the nation with these now-famous words, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” In that speech, he called upon Americans to do something unnatural; he called upon them to look beyond their individual needs to the needs of the nation as a whole.
In the two and a half years that I have been President of Clinton Community College, I have often been reminded of that JFK speech. It was squarely in my consciousness as the College developed its current Mission and Vision statements. As the College worked to discover its Core Purpose (i.e. Mission) in 2009-2010, we made use of the “Five Whys” described by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Built to Last. Collins and Porras suggested that an organization can identify its Core Purpose by asking the question “Why do we exist?” and then asking the question “Why?” five more times to drill down to the core.
In its simplified form, the conversation that happened within many college stakeholder groups went something like this:
Q: “Why does CCC exist?”
A: “To provide educational opportunities.”
Q: “Why?”
A: “So that students can learn.”
Q: “Why?”
A: “So that they will become better thinkers and problem solvers.
Q: “Why?”
A: “So that they will have better lives and an increased earning capacity.”
Q: “Why?”
A: “So that they can provide for their families and others who depend on them.”
Q: “Why?”
A: “So that our entire community is economically stronger and enjoys an enhanced quality of life.”
During that year-long discussion of the five whys, everyone agreed that individual students should receive a return on their personal investment in their education; however, most stakeholder groups recognized that this “individual good” (or “private good”) is only part of the equation. If private good were the only reason for our existence, it would be unlikely that our county sponsor, Clinton County, would be so heavily invested in our College. Indeed, Clinton County and New York State sponsor us because there is a “public good” that comes from the work that we do. Therefore, it is fitting that our Mission reflects both the private good and the public good: “To provide educational opportunities that enrich minds, strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life in our region.” I have often said that our work not only benefits the 2,400 students who enroll at Clinton each year, but it also benefits some 80,000 others who reside here in Clinton County.
As Clinton Community College moves forward, there are those that would ask what their county can do for us at the College. While it’s true that we rely on the financial support of our county sponsor, I prefer to recall John F. Kennedy’s words and adapt them to the topic at hand: “Ask not what our county can do for us; ask what we can do for our county.” As we do our part for the public good, the public will see that it receives an excellent return on its investment in us. That can only strengthen our relationship with those who support us in our Mission.
That’s what I think. Please let me know what you think by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.
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