The President's Blog

From Cradle to Career in Clinton County

2011-12-13T14:43:00.014-05:00

Last week was a big week for SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. On Monday, December 5, she was at the White House sharing her insights on the future of American Higher Education with the President of the United States and the Secretary of Education. Two days later, she was here at Clinton Community College helping us to launch the first rural Strive partnership in the nation.

Strive is an organization that was co-founded by Chancellor Zimpher when she was President of the University of Cincinnati. In Cincinnati, Strive has already helped to increase student test scores and graduation rates. More recently, as head of the nation's largest comprehensive system of higher education, Chancellor Zimpher has used her influence to help expand Strive to a national network of community partnerships. The Strive Network exists to help each member community to build an infrastructure that promotes student success at all levels of education, from cradle to career. Until last week, all of the Strive partnerships were in urban centers like Cincinnati, Portland, Denver and Detroit. Last week, with Chancellor Zimpher's help, Clinton County, New York, announced that it is the first rural community in the nation to sign onto the Strive Network.

Strive recognizes that educational attainment and success are influenced at every level of the education pipeline. What happens in early childhood determines how well prepared students are for kindergarten. What happens in kindergarten has a great deal to do with how students learn to read, which in turn influences how students read to learn in higher grades. All of these factors accumulate to influence the likelihood of success in college and beyond. The sad fact is that, in New York State, for every 100 eighth graders, only 19 go on to earn a bachelor's degree in six years or an associate's degree in three years after they graduate high school. The numbers here in Clinton County are better, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

The Strive approach to this work is based on four pillars: (1) shared community vision, (2) evidence-based decision making, (3) collaborative action, and (4) investment and sustainability. Clinton County is well on its way to erecting the first pillar. More than a year ago, a group of top-level leaders from a host of community organizations formed the Clinton County Workforce Development Roundtable. The CEOs of the Chamber of Commerce, The Development Corporation, the Workforce Investment Board, SUNY Plattsburgh, Clinton Community College, Champlain Valley Education Services and local businesses and schools began meeting to develop a vision for increased and sustainable educational attainment in our region. The presence of the business community is evidence that this work is not only important to educational leaders like me, but it is also important to business leaders and economic developers who are building a sustainable economy and a high quality of life for the people of our region.

Now, with the support of the Strive Network, we are ready to turn our attention to the other Strive pillars as we engage in evidence-based decision-making, as we take collaborative action, and as we work toward sustainable solutions. The point is that the tasks at hand are not as simple as they may at first seem, and therefore, no single person or organization can bring about the systemic change that is required. But working collaboratively, in accordance with the Strive approach, our chances of long-range success are greatly enhanced. I'm proud to be a co-founder of the Clinton County Workforce Development Roundtable, and I am especially proud that we have now become the first rural group in the nation to launch a Strive initiative.

That's what I think. Please tell me what you think by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Christmas Card Reminds Me Why I Became a Dean

2011-12-06T15:30:00.010-05:00

Last week I received a Christmas card from a man who used to be my boss. But he was more than my boss; in a way, he was one of my mentors. Many years ago, he gave me an important piece of advice that changed my life.

At the time, I was working as a full-time faculty member at another community college. After years of hard work and dedication, I had just been promoted to full professor. I was tenured, my salary had gone up with the promotion, and I loved my job. Life was good.

My boss was the Vice President of the college. He walked into my office one day and explained that there was a reorganization going on and that the college needed a new dean -- one with some institutional history. He asked me if I was interested in the job. I surely was, but I also had lots of reasons to think about the offer before I said yes.

The dean's job was a 12-month job with a fixed salary, and the professor's job was a 10-month job that allowed me to earn additional compensation by teaching summers and evenings. I did the math, and I realized that I would actually have to take a slight pay cut, work harder and probably give up a lot of my free time if I said yes. Being an open and direct guy, I pointed this out to my boss. It was then that he gave me this life-changing piece of advice.

Based on his many years in higher education administration, my boss said, "Don't do this job for the money; your hourly rate of pay will surely disappoint you. Don't do it for thanks and praise; there will be as many people who hate you as love you, and sometimes there will be more." He went on to say, "Do this job if, at the end of a long hard day, you can get into your car, all by yourself, drive home, and take satisfaction knowing that you did something good, made somebody's life better, or helped to advance the mission of the college. If you find that type of satisfaction rewarding, this is the job for you."

By now, you probably have guessed the end of the story. I took the pay cut, and became the Dean of Business and Technology. I worked harder and longer, I had shorter vacations, but I drove home on many evenings with the satisfaction of knowing that I made a difference on a fairly big scale. Eventually, I became a vice president and a president. My satisfaction with my career in higher education administration has lasted for many years.

It was great to hear from my old boss, my mentor, and it was great to be reminded why I became a dean. I sometimes wonder if he ever thinks back on the private conversation that he had with me that day, and if he has that quiet feeling of satisfaction when he sits down to write his Christmas cards. I bet he does.

That's what I think. Please let me know what you think by sending me an e-mail at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

I'd Rather Be Busy than Bored

2011-11-16T09:20:00.000-05:00

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: "I'd rather be busy than bored." So far, the month of November has not disappointed.

Anyone who's been on a college campus knows that academic life tends to heat up at this time of year. Thanksgiving is staring students and faculty right in the eye. Term papers and final exams aren't far behind. The start of academic advising and registration for Winter and Spring only adds to the excitement.

But what about the administration? The people who work most closely with me don't have to grade term papers or give final exams, but they and I have been busy, nonetheless. Here's a quick rundown of some of the exciting things that we've been doing over the past two weeks to accomplish our Mission:

As part of our strategic agenda on "Infrastructure," our Board of Trustees officially adopted an updated Facilities Master Plan.
As part of the Facilities Master Plan, we secured the approval of the Clinton County Legislature to replace the antiquated heating plant in The Moore Academic and Administration Building.
Also as part of our Facilities Master Plan, the co-chairs of The Clearly Clinton Campaign met with key leaders to begin raising $7.5M for our proposed 21st-Century Learning Commons.
As part of our strategic agenda on "Globalism, Internationalism and Diversity," Vice President for Student Affairs Steve St. Onge and Director of Admissions Tobi Hay traveled to China to expand our student recruitment efforts there.
As part of our "Professional Development" agenda, Associate Vice President for Advancement Steve Frederick and Foundation Board Chair Ron Marino participated in the Council for Resource Development in Washington, D.C., where they learned how to establish public-private partnerships to advance our Mission.
In support of our "Branding & Marketing" agenda, a new taskforce began the process of developing a request for information (RFI) from consultants who want to help us in this effort.
In support of our "Access" and "Success" agendas, Vice President Cheryl Reagan and Willow Nolland, Coordinator of Educational Partnerships and Academic Services, continue to make progress toward accreditation of our College Advancement Program (CAP), which allows high school students to enroll in CCC courses.

As if those strategic activities weren't enough, we've also been busy with a few other things over the past two weeks:

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and the leaders of six other SUNY campuses were here at Clinton at the beginning of the month to showcase our progress on the SUNY Strategic Plan and its Six Big Ideas.
SUNY Trustee Eunice Lewin made her first visit to our campus the following week.
On November 11, the CCC Veterans Club organized a community-wide program to honor those who have served our country in the armed forces.
Also on Veterans Day, Congressman Bill Owens was on hand when students from Bailey Avenue Elementary School presented a hand-made banner to thank our veterans for their service.
Later that day, twenty new members were inducted into the Alpha Pi Tau Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
Vice President for Administration & Finance Tom Moffett and his staff are busy with our independent auditors as they wrap-up their annual review of the College.
And Director of Human Resources Adrienne Boyd-Wiley is juggling several searches to fill key vacancies in our faculty and staff.

And the month is only half over. Whew!

Clinton Community College is a busy place these days. There are many people at all levels of our operation who are contributing to our success. Many of them are pictured on our Facebook page. Are we perfect? Of course not. But we don't have to be perfect; we just have to be better today than we were yesterday. And that certainly keeps us from getting bored.

That's what I think. Please let me know what you think by sending me an e-mail at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Ask Not What Your Count(r)y Can Do for You

2011-10-31T08:08:00.002-04:00

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.

Leadership, Decision Making and Diversity of Thought

2011-10-26T09:36:00.008-04:00

Several years ago, I had the honor of being President of the board of directors of a very successful non-profit organization. That board was comprised of about 20 people who came from widely differing backgrounds. Some were male; some were female. Some had relatives who were served by the organization; others had only a community connection. Some were full of youthful exuberance; others possessed the wisdom that comes from a lifetime of experience. As you might expect, we often had spirited discussions on topics of importance to the organization. One day, during a particularly spirited discussion, one of our members named Bob quoted former General Electric CEO Jack Welch.

According to Bob, Jack Welch said, “If three of us are in a meeting, and we all share the same opinion, two of us are unnecessary.” I have tried several times to verify that Jack Welch actually said that, but so far, I have been unsuccessful in those attempts. Whether it was Jack Welch or someone else who first spoke the words is less important to me than their meaning. Bob and the words he quoted remind us that we come together on boards, in committees and on panels to share our individual points of view with others. Sharing these points of view is not merely an exercise; it helps to ensure that we have considered the matter from as many perspectives as possible. This usually results in a better decision than the one made by a single person in isolation.

As President of Clinton Community College, I try to remember those words. While I am quite capable of making decisions on my own, I tend more times than not to involve others in discussion before I make a major decision. Sometimes, the discussions reinforce my initial thoughts. In these cases, it is relatively easy for me to make a decision. At other times, the discussions expose one of my blind spots and help me to change my thinking on a topic. Especially in these cases, I appreciate the willingness of others to help me to see different points of view and reach a better decision than I might have reached on my own. There is a third situation that is much more challenging than the first two. Sometimes, even after hearing differing points of view on a topic, consensus cannot be reached, and we agree to disagree. In those cases, the weight on a President’s shoulders can be quite heavy.

At the end of the day, it is the President who has the authority to make major decisions for the college, and it is the President who is held accountable for those decisions. On occasions, a CEO will find it necessary to make a decision that runs contrary to one group or another, even after considering their point of view. In such cases, a wise CEO will examine his motives to make sure that ego is not the driving force. It is never a good idea for a leader to use “because I said so” as justification for a decision. Once ego is eliminated as a motive, the CEO is usually left with a short list of reasons to make one of those difficult decisions. Sometimes, it is a matter of ethics, a sense of doing what is right, even if it is unpopular. In such a case, the decision is usually very straightforward. At other times, it is a matter of perspective and judgment.

By the nature of their job, a CEO has to consider not only what is good for those within the organization, but what is good for the greater community that supports and relies on the organization. More than anyone else at the college, the CEO comes into frequent contact with external stakeholders, including the county sponsor, state legislators, trustees, and business leaders. These perspectives provide the CEO with diverse points of view that may not always be the same as those of the internal constituents, but are valid nonetheless.

So it seems to me that Jack Welch and my friend Bob were right: an organization does thrive when its CEO considers diverse points of view. These points of view come from inside and outside the organization. As a result of discussions around these diverse points of view, the President is better able to analyze the situation and to synthesize a solution. It then falls to the President to be accountable for the decision and to lead the organization forward on its mission, a responsibility that cannot be abdicated. Even if the President ultimately arrives at a different conclusion than some of the organization’s constituents, the inclusive discussion leading up to the conclusion can help all parties to understand how and why a decision was made.

That’s what I think. Please let me know what you think by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Institutional Effectiveness and Accountability

2011-09-21T09:30:00.016-04:00

Sprinkled throughout some earlier posts are my comments on higher education as a public good -- specifically, the idea that our whole community and our whole society benefit from the work that we do here at Clinton. But what evidence is there that this college is accomplishing its mission "to provide educational opportunities that enrich minds, strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life in our region?" As it turns out, there is a great deal of evidence, and with the end of September fast approaching, now is a good time to highlight some of it.

By the end of next week, I expect that our annual report to the community will be published and ready for distribution. This is a document that we produce shortly after the start of each academic year to demonstrate through examples how Clinton Community College contributed to the public good during the previous academic year. Last year's report was titled Engaging Community. This year's report is titled Building Community. It is chock full of examples that demonstrate our institutional effectiveness, in other words how well we are accomplishing our mission.

We also are putting the final touches on this year's Institutional Effectiveness Report, which is not as glossy and colorful as our annual report. The Institutional Effectiveness Report is heavy with data, statistics and analysis. It is a tool that helps the College to monitor its progress toward its institutional goals and to point out where we are succeeding and where we are not. To the casual observer, it's a thick and dry document, but to us insiders, it's a wealth of information that helps us set a course for the future. Highlights of the Institutional Effectiveness Report -- without all the dry details -- are included in the annual report to the community that I described in the previous paragraph.

The College is also evaluated by outside observers. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is one of six regional accrediting bodies throughout the United States that provides an external evaluation of the effectiveness of colleges and universities. In the tradition of peer review, Middle States is made up of member institutions from several states and U.S territories. Middle States has developed a set of 14 standards called Characteristics of Excellence, against which peers from other states gauge the overall operation of a college or university. These standards include items on educational programs, governance and leadership, the assessment of student learning outcomes, adequacy of resources, and the assessment of institutional effectiveness.

Once every ten years, Clinton Community College comes up for reaccreditation. To prepare for reaccreditation next year, the college community has just completed a year-long self-study of how we are complying with the Characteristics of Excellence. On October 3, we will receive a visit from Dr. Thomas Isekenegbe, President of Cumberland County College in New Jersey. Dr. Isekenegbe is the chair of an external evaluation team that will review our self-study report this winter and visit the College for several days at the end of February to evaluate our College against the accreditation standards. The external evaluation team will provide a report on our College and make a recommendation to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education regarding our request for reaccreditation.

The end result of the process is twofold. First and foremost, we at Clinton Community College will become an even better institution by examining ourselves in relation to the Characteristics of Excellence and making improvements as indicated. Second, we will account for ourselves to our students, our community and the institutional sponsors who provide public support for this College.

A College is a complex organization with a lot of moving parts. By publishing an annual report to the community, by writing an Institutional Effectiveness Report, and by subjecting ourselves to external evaluation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, you can be sure that we're doing what is appropriate to accomplish our mission and achieve our vision in and for our community.

That's what I think. Please let me know what you think by e-mailing presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Even Friendlier than Usual

2011-09-13T15:57:00.015-04:00

Over the last 30 years or so, I have been a student, a faculty member or an administrator at five different college campuses. Some of these institutions have been small, rural campuses, while others have been large universities that resemble medium-sized cities. As a general rule, I have found the smaller campuses to have a friendlier feel, at least for me.

Clinton is a small, rural community college, so it's not surprising that people here tend to know each other and act in a friendly manner. Generally speaking, I'm a friendly guy. When I pass a member of the campus community, I usually make eye contact and say hello, or at least flash a smile. I often do this even if I am not personally acquainted with the person who is passing. Most of the time, people who notice my gesture will return a smile or a kind word as we each continue on our way.

The striking thing this Fall is that so many of our students are beating me to the punch; they're saying hello to me before I can say it to them. I love it! And just when I am starting to feel good about that, some students are even approaching me and striking up an actual conversation. How cool is that?

Some might say that I am observing a fluke occurrence, a random fluctuation in human behavior, but I think there's something more to it. I think that the positive attitude of our faculty and staff is a model for student behavior. And then, the good nature of our students helps make us feel better, and we enter a positive feedback loop.

On Saturday, about 20 students turned out to march with the CCC float in the annual Battle of Plattsburgh Parade. The students arrived in identical green tee shirts made especially for the occasion. On the back of the shirts were three simple words: Leadership, Friendship, Service. I was impressed! If they were any doubt in my mind that a conscious effort is underway to make our campus community an even friendlier place, those shirts put those doubts to rest.

I have said it before, and I'll say it again, "A bad day at Clinton is better than a good day at most other places." I am very happy to be working at such a friendly place.

The Clearly Clinton Campaign

2011-07-19T09:47:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, July 16, 2011, in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary Gala of Hotel Champlain II, the Clinton Community College Foundation kicked off its first-ever capital campaign. It was my honor to address the audience to explain the significance of this fundraising effort. For the benefit of those who could not be present, I have posted the text of my speech below.

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Is everyone having a good time? I am so thrilled that all of you are here to help Clinton Community College celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Hotel Champlain and to launch the capital campaign that will help build a 21st-Century Learning Commons on this Bluff. We will talk more about that in a moment.

Two years ago, I began my job as President of Clinton Community College. During my first year, various stakeholder groups – students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, Foundation Directors and community leaders -- explored together the Mission of and Vision for this fine institution.

For some, the process seemed slow, but the time was well spent. As a result of that year-long conversation, this College and its stakeholders have come to the shared conclusion that our Mission is “To provide educational opportunities that enrich minds, strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life in our region.”

This simple statement is not trivial. Embedded in it is the dual nature of public higher education: education for the private good, and education for the public good. We know that our mission is to elevate the individual student who is educated here – to help them find a better job, increased earning capacity and a better life for themselves and their families. But I suggest that every resident of Clinton County – whether they enroll here or not -- benefits from this College.

Here are a few examples:

• Because of Clinton Community College, the quality of healthcare in our region is outstanding. Our most recent class of nurses posted a 97% pass rate on the national nursing license exam. I don’t know if that is the best pass rate in the state, but I do know that it exceeds the state and national averages by more than 10%

• Because of Clinton Community College, local business and industry have been able to expand and prosper. Short-term training for 200 Nova Bus employees is a good example, but not the only one.

• Because of Clinton Community College, there are culture, art and sporting events that might not otherwise be here. Our Concerts on the Bluff draw hundreds of guests during the summer season. Our student and community theater groups entertain us and make us think. Our national championship women’s soccer team delights the hometown crowd. And 1800 Quebec cyclists came to Clinton County because we have a college with vistas beyond compare.

Yes, there is a private good that comes to individual students, but more importantly, we at Clinton Community College have discovered and announce with pride that we are also here to “strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life” for everyone in our region.

We mean it when we say, “Community is our middle name.”

In just a few minutes, all of you will receive a first-edition of Richard Frost’s new book on the history of Hotel Champlain and Bluff Point. It is a remarkable piece of work, of which we can all be extremely proud. Richard, you have outdone yourself!

As the book explains, great and important people gathered here a hundred years ago. We drop their names like they are old friends: Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Babe Ruth, to name just a few. When this was a luxury resort, they came here for rest and recreation. Their history here is important to us and we celebrate it tonight.

But I suggest that the work that we do here on this Bluff today is historically just as important, if not more so. Tonight’s festivities notwithstanding, people come to this Bluff today, not because this is a luxury resort, but because we “enrich minds, strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life in our region.” Few causes could be nobler.

Tonight, in recognition of the important work that we do in and for our community, I am pleased to formally announce the College’s first-ever capital campaign. The campaign is called, “Clearly Clinton.” Its goal is to raise $7.5 Million in private support over the next five years. It is far more ambitious than any prior effort here, and as important as any endeavor we have ever begun.

With the help of JMZ Architects and Planners, we have developed a thoughtful and comprehensive Facilities Master Plan – based on our Mission and Vision -- that will guide our capital projects for the next five years and beyond. With the ongoing financial support of our sponsor, Clinton County, we intend to address critical maintenance items on campus, especially in this 100-year-old gem that tonight – for one night only -- is once again The Hotel Champlain.

But this campus needs more than just repairs; it needs to grow and modernize. This year, the College enrolled a record number of students. In fact, we have grown by more than 14% in just two years. This year, the College also graduated a record number of students, 23% more than last year. Unfortunately, this double-digit growth comes at a time when public resources are becoming scarcer. So we tighten our belts and do more with less.

And yet, we have a pressing need for a 21st-Century Learning Commons. A hundred years ago, we would have called it a library. Our existing facilities are woefully inadequate – especially for those with physical challenges and learning disabilities.

For many years this small space has served as our Library. Our tutoring center is tucked upstairs into retrofitted hotel rooms. And one of the greatest ironies is that our Accommodative Services – which support students with learning disabilities and physical disabilities – are located in one of the most unwelcoming, remote corners of this old hotel. While we have central spaces for students to eat and play, we do not have adequate facilities for students to gather for academic pursuits.

The proposed 21st-Century Learning Commons is part of a comprehensive plan for the further development of our campus. It will be constructed between the Moore and Stafford Buildings. Yes, there will still be books in the 21st-Century Learning Commons, but there will also be electronic resources, spaces for students to study alone and together, to collaborate, and to receive tutoring and accommodative services.

Our goal is ambitious. But, in the past, when we have solicited private funds for program innovation, our needs have been met. They were met with 100% participation of our faculty and staff. They were met by 100% participation of our students. And they were met by gifts from smart businessmen and women like George Moore. Therefore, we are confident that this community has the will and the capacity to support this first-ever capital campaign.

George Moore’s single magnificent gift a few years ago was used to establish “The Moore Innovation Fund,” a $2-million endowment that we use to develop new programs, to support professional development and to move the College forward in ways not otherwise possible in times of scarce public resources. No College has had a better friend and supporter than George Moore. We can never thank George enough, but in honor of his past support, we are pleased to announce that George Moore is the Honorary Chair of the Clearly Clinton campaign. Please join me in recognizing and thanking George Moore for his generosity.

The construction of the 21st Century Learning Commons will be a public/private partnership. Private contributions from organizations and individuals, with matching State funds, will allow us to realize our dream. With the help of financial experts, we envision many creative ways that organizations and individual can contribute. Some may write a single check, but others may wish to plan and structure their contributions more creatively. We stand ready to discuss the various options and naming opportunities with those who may want to hear more.

Tonight, along with Dr. Frost’s book, you will all also receive more information about Clearly Clinton and our plans for the future.

Ladies and gentlemen, we hold Clinton’s future in our hands. Today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hotel Champlain; in five years, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Clinton Community College. At that time, I expect that we will be able to announce that we have met our five-year capital goal.

We can transform this outstanding college into a truly exceptional one. But wishing won’t make it so. We have to earn our greatness – and by your investment in all that we seek to achieve, we will.

The vision is clear… Clearly Clinton!

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That's what I think. Please let me know what you think by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

The Hotel Champlain II: Celebrating 100 Years

2011-07-01T14:05:00.011-04:00

A hundred years ago, the George Moore Academic and Administration Building at Clinton Community College was The Hotel Champlain. It was a luxury resort on Bluff Point -- a summer retreat that catered to the wealthiest and most prominent people of the day. But which Hotel Champlain was it?

The original Hotel Champlain was built in 1890. It was a five-story, wood-frame Victorian building that burned to the ground in May 1910. In just over a year, the second Hotel Champlain -- this one of masonry and steel -- was constructed on the same site. In fact, it was one hundred years ago today, July 1, 1911, that the second Hotel Champlain opened for business.

Anyone who has set foot on the CCC campus knows why this site was chosen for the hotel. This perch is the highest point on shores of Lake Champlain. From here the vistas are magnificent! To the east, the views of Valcour Island and Crab Island are beyond compare. These historic islands figured prominently into the American Revolution and the War of 1812, respectively. Beyond the islands are spectacular views of the Green Mountains, including Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. To the west, the Adirondack High Peaks are our skyline. It is no wonder that five U.S. Presidents, heads of state, captains of industry and sports legends chose this spot among all others for rest and recreation.

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hotel Champlain II, it is important to honor the historic role that the Hotel played. It was the "Summer Whitehouse" to President William McKinley in 1897 and 1899. It was the site where President William Howard Taft came to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's discovery of this remarkable lake. And it was Yankee slugger Babe Ruth's vacation getaway.

As impressive as it is to drop the names of the rich and famous who once vacationed here, I suggest that we have every reason to be equally proud of the work that we do here today. Then, this was a place of leisure and recreation. Now, the Bluff and the former Hotel Champlain are home to an institution of higher education. Our mission is not only to enrich individual minds, but also to strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for all people in our region. Few causes could be nobler.

In commemoration of this historic metamorphosis, the CCC Foundation has commissioned a new book, Hotel Champlain to Clinton Community College: A Chronicle of Bluff Point. The book is written by historian Richard B. Frost, widely regarded as one of the foremost experts on the history of our region. It is chock full of photographs, archival materials and personal recollections of the Hotel and the College. It is essential reading for anyone who would like to know more.

That's what I think. I am interested to know what you think. Please contact me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu to share your thoughts.

GED Ceremony Is a New Beginning

2011-06-13T10:14:00.013-04:00

On Saturday, I had the honor of delivering the commencement address to the graduating class of Champlain Valley Educational Services General Education Development (GED) program. The event was held in the Stafford Auditorium here at Clinton Community College. My remarks on lifelong learning are appended below for your consideration.

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Members of the platform party, honored guests, friends and family, and members of the Class of 2011, good afternoon and welcome to Clinton Community College.

I’ve been President of Clinton Community College for about two years. College presidents wind up on all sorts of e-mail lists, and we try to stay up on all that is going on in the world of education. One of the electronic publications that comes to my inbox every weekday is Inside Higher Ed, a daily, electronic “newspaper” for college faculty and administrators. Especially at this time of year, Inside Higher Ed lists commencement speakers from around the country. The following dignitaries were among those listed as commencement speakers this year:

- Harvard: David Souter, Retired Supreme Court Justice
- St. Lawrence University: Tom Brokaw, Retired News Anchor at NBC
- Spellman College: First Lady Michelle Obama

… and you, my friends, are stuck with me.

But what I lack in name recognition, I hope to make up today in brevity and relevance. Woodrow Wilson said, “If you want me to talk for five minutes I need at least a week… But if you want to hear me speak for an hour I can start right now.”

Fortunately for all of you, I was invited to speak several weeks ago.
Therefore, I will be brief. It is a huge honor for me to be invited, and I want to do a good job. After all this is your commencement.

You probably have thought about that word recently: commencement. I know other graduation speakers have talked about it before. It seems kind of odd word for today, doesn’t it? This should be the celebration of your accomplishment, attainment of a goal, and it is. But this goal that you have reached today is not an endpoint; it’s a milestone. It’s more than a milestone; it’s the beginning of the rest of your life.

You know full well that getting through life without a high school diploma is difficult. Until now, even getting started on certain things has probably been difficult. You may have faced challenges related to a job, career advancement, pay increases, college and maybe even a social life. Life without a high school diploma is just plain harder. How many things have you wanted to start, that had to be delayed? There probably have been times when you just felt stuck, stopped, and blocked.

But you have done something about it. You’ve gotten yourself "unstuck." You’ve started to move again. You’ve gotten past the roadblock. You are ready to begin something new. After all, this is your commencement!

When I was briefed on the program that you have just completed, I found out that this year, some of you not only did the standard GED curriculum, but you did something new: the "GED Plus." Not only have you met the requirements for a high school diploma, you have done more. In collaboration with Clinton Community College, you have prepared yourselves for higher education and lifelong learning.

"Lifelong learning" can include a lot of things. It can be an apprenticeship in a trade. It can be advanced career training in a specialized field. And it can be college. Yes, it can be college.

Here you are at Clinton Community College… a graduate, prepared to enroll in college if you choose to do so. This isn’t such a scary place, is it? The “Plus” in “GED Plus” is an indication that you have something extra: Something more than just a diploma. You are prepared to take that next step. After all, this is your commencement.

One of my wife’s all-time favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz. Since it’s one of my wife’s favorites, it has also become one of mine. My favorite character is the Scarecrow. As Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Scarecrow proclaims from the very start that he’s not very smart. But when Dorothy couldn't figure out how to get him down off the fencepost, the Scarecrow figured it out for her. And when the Wicked Witch’s evil apple trees harassed Dorothy and her friends later in the movie, it was the Scarecrow who figured out how to trick those apple trees into giving up their fruit. And when Dorothy’s friends plotted to free Dorothy from the Wicked Witch’s castle, it was the Scarecrow who had came up with a plan.

Yet, when the Scarecrow got an audience with the “all powerful Oz,” the one thing that he asked for himself was a brain. As pretentious as the Wizard was, he was sincere enough to inform the Scarecrow that he already had a brain. The Scarecrow was very smart, indeed. But the Wizard said, what you lack my friend, is not a brain, but a diploma. And the Wizard presented the Scarecrow with a Th.D. – a Doctor of Thinkology.

Make no mistake, a credential without learning is hollow... far more hollow than the Tin Man’s chest. The Scarecrow’s credential, though, was not hollow. It was a testament to his intelligence, his persistence, his knowledge and his skills. Likewise, the diploma that is conferred on you today – while not a Th.D. – is certainly NOT hollow. Your GED is confirmation of something:

- Not that you are smart – your intelligence has always been there,
- Perhaps that you are persistent – because you had to stick to it to earn this credential,
- But most definitely, that you are learned – that you have basic knowledge and skills as a result of this program that you didn’t have before.

And the proof that you have these knowledge and skills is the start of great things to come. After all, this is your commencement.

In closing, let me share with you another quote, this one by Henry Ford. He said, “Whether you think you can’t or you think you can, you are right.”

- If you think you can’t, you’ll never try, and therefore you’ll never succeed.
- If you think you can, you will try, and persist, and work hard to achieve your goals.

“Whether you think you can’t or you think you can, you are right.”

Class of 2011, I think you can, and I think you will. After all, this is your commencement!

Congratulations and best wishes from all of us at Clinton Community College.

A Record Year for CCC

2011-05-26T08:15:00.011-04:00

The 2010-2011 academic year is quickly coming to a close. And what a year it has been for our students and our College!

With the official enrollment for Spring 2011 now posted, we know that our combined enrollment for Fall, Winter and Spring has surpassed the all-time record for total annual enrollment. The previous record, set in 2005, was broken even before enrollment for Summer 2011 was taken into account. Summer 2011 enrollment will only add to the current total.

Not only have we seen record enrollment this year, we also have set a new record for the number of graduates. The combined total for December 2010 and May 2011 commencements was 518 graduates. The previous high of 435 occurred in December 2004 and May 2005.

These records are probably the result of a combination of local and national factors. First, the national economy is still recovering, and many individuals are retraining for a new career. The struggling economy also causes students and families to look for a good value. In this economy, the affordability of community colleges makes them an even better value than usual.

Second, the national spotlight is shining more brightly than ever on community colleges. Increasingly, community colleges are becoming the college of choice, instead of a fall-back option. For example, Clinton Community College's Presidential Scholarship program has attracted scores of honor students to our campus over the past few years.

Third and finally, we at Clinton Community College have worked hard to develop new and relevant programs and to position ourselves well in our community, in our region and throughout the state. Our Wind Energy and Turbine Technologies programs are still the only ones of their kind in the Northeast, we have a new certificate in Health Studies and our Human Services program has recently received national accreditation.

While we are proud of our accomplishments this year, we also recognize that there is more work to be done as we strive to increase access to higher education and promote student success. Our newly adopted Strategic Plan is our roadmap to those ends. The future of Clinton Community College continues to be very bright.

That's what I think. Please e-mail me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu to let me know what you think.

You Say You Want A Revolution

2011-04-20T09:56:00.008-04:00

In the Beatles song "Revolution" John Lennon wrestles with the idea of revolution as a manner of social change. At first, he seems in favor of such sudden, disruptive change. "You say you want a revolution; Well, you know; We all want to change the world." But even the casual listener will notice that he tempers the sentiment throughout the song with lines such as "But when you talk about destruction; Don't you know that you can count me out." As a sign of his internal struggle over the question, at one point in the song, he sings, "count me out/in," perhaps signaling that he is having a hard time deciding.

Today, at all levels of our education system, some people are wrestling with similar questions about an education revolution, sudden drastic, wholesale change that would abandon much if not all of the system that once was undisputed as best in the world. This as an alternative to evolution, which has connotations of slow, gradual and perhaps even accidental change. I suggest that the choice is not between only two options, revolution and evolution. Instead, there is a third option, reform.

To me, the word reform signals a balance between the key elements of revolution and evolution. It has an element of urgency and substantive, deliberate change that is associated with revolution. But it lacks the abruptness of revolutionary change in favor of a more orderly adaptation that is usually associated with evolution. In China, from 1966 to 1976, Mao Zedong led the Cultural Revolution during which books were burned, thought was stifled and dissidents were jailed. Change resulted to be sure, but the cost on so many levels was extremely high. Today, China is also changing rapidly and profoundly, but not through revolution. China's current economic reform has been built on increasing openness to foreign investment and privatization of some, but not all, business. It is more than evolution but not as drastic as revolution.

The orderliness of the profound changes that come from reform appeal more to me than the alternatives associated with evolution and revolution. This is especially true when it comes to my chosen field, education. In my view, one of the best ways to bring about reform is to engage stakeholders. For education reform, these stakeholders include those who are on campus: students, faculty and staff. But there are many off-campus stakeholders, too: chambers of commerce, economic development agencies, leaders from other education sectors, employers and government officials, to name a few.

By engaging these stakeholders in a collaborative partnership, in which thorough and objective analysis of data is the basis of discussion, we provide a vehicle for the stakeholders to work together and drive the reform for the common good. This is the premise of The Collaborative Advantage by Dennis McGrath, Richard Donovan, Barbara Schaier-Peleg and William Van Buskirk. It is also the premise that underlies a group that is taking shape here at Clinton Community College, that is our Workforce Development Roundtable.

The Workforce Development Roundtable was an idea born from Clinton Community College's Community Business Summit in March 2010. There, business leaders participated in a forum to discuss the role that CCC could play in our community. From those seeds it became clear that as "The Community's College," it was incumbent upon CCC to step into the role of convener on matters such as this. And so we did.

Since September 2010, a group of community leaders has been meeting more or less on a monthly basis to see how together we can foster positive change in our regional education pipeline, and ultimately give our community a competitive advantage. Don't expect a revolution, but do expect that we are intent on something much more deliberate than evolution. If we do our work well, we can quote John Lennon one more time: "Don't you know it's gonna be all right."

That's what I think. Please tell me what you think by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

The Builder

2011-03-31T16:10:00.000-04:00

Before I became President of Clinton Community College, I worked at another community college. In the room where the Board of Trustees met, a poem was framed and posted on the wall. It made a favorable impression on me, and I post it here in hopes that it may also make a favorable impression on you.

THE BUILDER¹

I saw them tearing a building down --
A team of men in my hometown.

With a heave and a ho and a yes yes yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.

And I said to the foreman, "Are these men skilled?
"Like the ones you'd use if you had to build?"

And he laughed and said, "Oh no, indeed.
"The most common labor is all I need.

"For I can destroy in a day or two
"What takes a builder ten years to do."

So I thought to myself as I went on my way...
Which one of these roles am I willing to play?

Am I the one who is tearing down
As I carelessly make my way around?

Or am I the one who builds with care,
To make the world better because I was there?

¹The author is unknown to me personally, and also to all others whose reprints I have researched for attribution. Please e-mail me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu if you can find an attribution.

"The Ladder of Inference"

2011-03-24T09:00:00.017-04:00

Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right." In other words, our beliefs have a lot to do with the way things turn out. The reason is that we act on our beliefs. Our beliefs also affect how we interact with other people. They determine whether our interactions will be civil or uncivil, friendly or hostile.

Chris Argyris, an expert in the field of organizational analysis, explained this phenomenon and even gave it a name: "The Ladder of Inference." At the base of the ladder lie observable facts. The first rung of the ladder is reached when we select some of the observable facts that we will consider. This decision is based on our past experiences, values and beliefs. We decide what to see and hear, and so the climb begins.

As the climb up the ladder of inference continues, we affix meaning and make assumptions on the second and third rungs, respectively. At the fourth rung we arrive at conclusions. By the time we reach the fifth rung, we develop beliefs. These beliefs are shaped by our previous beliefs from the very first rung.

A fictional example may help to illustrate the theory. (This truly is fictional; no actual people or events are portrayed.) Suppose that I go before a group of my peers at a national conference to talk about some new academic program that is being proposed at Clinton. I am enthusiastic in my presentation. When the time comes for questions and answers, there are several members of the audience who contribute to the conversation. So much for the observable facts at the base of the Ladder.

Continuing the fictional example, I become fixated on the comments made by a person from a four-year college who said, "My college introduced a similar program in 2001, and it flopped." Subconsciously, I have selected to focus on the fact that the comment came from a person associated with a four-year college, not a community college -- perhaps because I felt that the community college sector is underappreciated. Whatever the reason -- valid or invalid -- I have just climbed the first rung of the Ladder of Inference.

By the time I get to the second rung of the ladder, I affix meaning. I say to myself, "His comment must indicate that he secretly wants my program to fail, as his did." It doesn't take long for me to reach the fourth rung and assume that the people sitting next to this person, who also happen to be from four-year colleges, also want my proposal to fail. In this fictitious example, the conclusion that I reach is that all people associated with four-year colleges want my proposal to fail. It would then be easy for me to start to believe that people from four-year colleges are antagonistic toward community colleges.

Wow! What a leap from "My college introduced a similar program in 2001, and it flopped." to "Four-year colleges are antagonistic to community colleges." Imagine how I might then interact (or how I might refrain from interacting) with people from four-year colleges. Then imagine what observable facts my future actions would generate. It's scary how the cycle can repeat, isn't it?

Adapting Henry Ford's adage to this situation, one might say, "Whether I think they are, or I think they aren't adversarial, I am right." My beliefs would have affected the outcome. We all climb the Ladder of Inference from time to time, but none of us likes to admit it. However, by admitting it, we can begin to "climb back down" the Ladder and set the stage for more civil (and productive) interactions.

Suppose that in my fictitious example, I took the opportunity to be less defensive, and engage my colleague in conversation. Perhaps he would have pointed out that there was a particular reason that the program didn't work in 2001, but that lessons were learned that could help to ensure success in 2011. Imagine the different conclusions that I would have reached and the different beliefs that I would have adopted. The person who would have been my adversary (if I chose for him to be) would now be my ally. My beliefs about four-year colleges would have been markedly different. Therefore, my future interactions with people from those institutions would be much more productive.

Replace the actors in my example above with your own set of actors, and see how easy it is for us to unconsciously reinforce our own unfair beliefs about groups of people -- "the faculty," "the administration," "out-of-county students," "taxpayers," "politicians," etc. If all of us made an effort to "climb back down" the Ladder of Inference more often, imagine the possibilities...

That's what I think. Please let me know what you think by e-mailing me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Parlez-vous français?

2011-02-28T14:00:00.012-05:00

If you walk up to a person in Plattsburgh and ask, "Parlez-vous français?" The answer all too often is "No." In other parts of the state, or in other parts of the country, this would be of some concern, but to us in the North Country, it's an especially big deal. Consider where Plattsburgh is situated:

Clinton County shares an international border with the Province of Quebec, where the official language is French;
residents of Plattsburgh can drive to Montreal -- the second largest French-speaking city in the world -- in about an hour; and
Plattsburgh, with its International Airport and numerous Canadian-based businesses, truly is Montreal's U.S. Suburb.

Living here affords me the opportunity to be a tourist in Montreal on a fairly frequent basis. When I am there, I am struck by the fact that retailers, waiters and tour guides all respond to me in my first language, which is English, even though their first language is French. How welcome and comfortable they make me feel. With the help of the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce and Clinton Community College, our community may soon be able to reciprocate when our Quebec neighbors come to visit us.

David Graham and Joe Marcil are instructors of French here at Clinton. Michelle Powers is head of the Adirondack Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau, an arm of the Chamber. Michelle, Joe and David have developed an educational program designed to help front-line staff in the local hospitality industry to learn French. The goal of the program is not to create French scholars, but to teach waiters, hotel clerks and tour guides French phrases that will help them to show respect for our Quebec visitors. Not only is this the neighborly thing to do, it's also good for business. As David, Joe and Michelle complete the first few training cycles, there is talk of expanding the program to other business sectors, such as retail and manufacturing.

Programs like this demonstrate the power of collaboration and partnership. By working together, the Chamber and the College can accomplish more than either of us could accomplish on our own. Consequently, visitors to our region soon will be much more likely to hear, "Bienvenue aux voyageurs internationaux!"

That's what I think. Please let me know what you think by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Retention, Completion and Student Engagement

2011-02-17T15:37:00.007-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, there is a heightened awareness lately regarding college completion rates. At the national level, the so-called "completion agenda" is being driven by the fact that the United States -- in terms of the percentage of adults who have earned a college degree -- has gradually slipped from number one to number nine in the world. Obviously, this has negative implications for our nation's ability to remain economically competitive. The Obama Administration has set the goal for the U.S. to regain its number one status among nations by 2020.

Here at Clinton Community College, we are building our strategic plan within this national and global context. First, let's acknowledge that not everyone who enrolls in a community college intends to pursue a degree. Many people enroll to learn some particular skill or achieve competency in a particular area without earning a credential. Second, let's not use the first point as an excuse to back away from the completion agenda, which is imperitive for our future. Many people who do aspire to a degree are leaving college before they complete. We know that there is always room for us to do better.

In our effort to help more students earn at least an associate's degree, Clinton Community College is taking a two-pronged approach. To those on campus, these two prongs will have a familiar ring: access and success. Over the next five years, we intend to provide increased access to certificate and degree programs, especially for working adults. While the final details have yet to take shape, increased access is likely to involve one or more of the following: evening programs, weekend programs and/or online programs. But providing access is only one part of the equation. Once students cross our threshold, we must do a better job of helping them to be successful. Some of this help will come in the form of academic support services, that is, extra help outside of the classroom. But academic research leads us to believe that student engagement is also an important factor in student success.

Student engagement has to do with the degree of connection that exists between the student and their college life. Especially at a commuter campus, some students "check-in" and "check-out" of class each day without taking advantage of the rich learning opportunities that exist outside the classroom. This causes them to miss so many learning opportunities. These learning opportunities occur when students interact with others in the library, during faculty office hours, and in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Students learn from each other and from faculty and staff as they interact in and out of the classroom. Research has shown that students who engage in college life in these kinds of ways feel more connected to their college, are academically more successful and are therefore more likely to persist and to complete their degree programs.

As part of Clinton's emerging strategic plan, we are actively developing strategies to further engage students in the richness that is college life. In the years to come, I expect that we will have programs, activities and living/learning spaces that help students to get the maximum benefit from their experience at Clinton. In turn, these strategies will increase our retention rates, our graduation rates, and ultimately, our national, state and local competitiveness.

That's what I think. I am interested to know what you think. Please e-mail me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Standing Still is Falling Behind

2011-01-28T15:27:00.009-05:00

"If we're standing still, we're falling behind." It's a phrase that is heard more and more often among the leaders of Clinton Community College these days. Call us ambitious, call us competitive, or call us paranoid, but don't call us lazy.

The fact is that the world around us is changing at a pace never before seen. Most economists agree that in less than a decade, the United States will no longer be the world's largest economy. Most educators know that our students are no longer among the top achievers in international assessments of math, science and language. Most community leaders understand that we have to keep embrace systemic change if we are to sustain our quality of life and our local economy.

So, in the American tradition, we at Clinton Community College are not settling for "good enough." We have disconnected the "autopilot" switch and taken the controls on our journey to the future. Our soon-to-be-launched strategic plan will be our roadmap; our vision, mission and values will be our compass.

So what can people expect to see on the road map? Look for a focus on improving access and increasing success. We do a good job at getting recent high school graduates through the front door, but we have room for improvement when it comes to flexible scheduling and delivery modes for non-traditional learners. And in every category, there is room for us to do more to promote student success and goal attainment. Our faculty, staff and administrators need to upgrade their knowledge and skills on a continual basis, and we need an improved infrastructure to achieve the access and success agenda. And, across the board, we need to better prepare our students to take advantage of the benefits of living and working in a globally diverse environment.

Other countries, other states and other communities are taking similar steps to gain their own competitive advantage. The people of Clinton County and the North Country deserve nothing less from their community college. Standing still while others pass us by is not an option.

That's what I think. I'm interested to know what you think. Please let me know by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

The Power of SUNY

2011-01-20T11:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I traveled to Albany to watch and listen to SUNY's Chancellor, Nancy Zimpher, deliver the first State of the University Address in SUNY history. True to form, Chancellor Zimpher delivered an inspiring message that the State University of New York is the engine for the State's economic recovery and a catalyst for improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

As I sat and listened, I could not help but draw parallels between what SUNY is doing throughout the State and what we here at Clinton Community College are doing in the North Country. By partnering with the Chamber of Commerce, The Development Corporation and educators at CV-TEC and SUNY Plattsburgh, we are helping to strengthen economic conditions here in our area. Our credit-based enrollment last year was up by almost 10%, and our non-credit training programs grew by some 39% last year. We educated and trained students in emerging sectors, including technology, manufacturing and alternative energy, while we continued our commitment to transfer programs that are part of the seamless education pipeline.

In addition to building human capital for a stronger economy, we at Clinton are also educating good citizens who will lead and guide this region into a future with a quality of life that is as good as or better than it is today. Some of our students are aspiring to work in Human Services, Criminal Justice and Nursing to name a few. Our students are developing a deeper appreciation for the value that lies in human diversity, they are practicing leadership skills, and they are building character. All of these traits will serve our community well as they rise to lead us into the future.

The Chancellor is a champion of higher education, as you would expect. She believes that each campus working alone can do some good, and she knows that all 64 SUNY campuses working together can bring about historic, positive change for the entire State of New York. This is The Power of SUNY, and we at Clinton are proud to be a part of it.

That's what I think. I'm interested to know what you think. Please let me know by sending an e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Happy New Year (Again)

2010-12-31T23:18:00.011-05:00

In academia, we celebrate the new year twice in a twelve month period. Our academic new year begins at the end of August when students return to campus for the Fall semester. Our calendar New Year begins on January 1, along with the rest of the world. In both cases, the beginning of a new year is a good time to look back at the past year's accomplishments and draw inspiration for the year ahead.

With that in mind, we at Clinton Community College are pleased to release our 2009-2010 annual report, the first in recent history. The annual report covers the academic year that ended on August 31, 2010. The layout and design of the annual report began in September and concluded around the end of October.

We are proud of the accomplishments listed in the annual report. We chose "Engaging Community" as the title for the annual report. The title is fitting since the 2009-2010 academic year saw us make great progress on many fronts in and for our community. The credit for these accomplishments goes to stakeholders on and off campus. From our state and county sponsors, to our philanthropic supporters, and our students, faculty and staff, the annual report is a platform to celebrate our shared successes.

I invite you to contact my office to request a copy. I hope you will be pleased with our progress and optimistic as we contribute to an even brighter future for our community. Happy New Year!

Confessions of a Recovering Perfectionist

2010-11-25T12:25:00.014-05:00

A few years ago, I heard a politician say that we must be careful not to allow "the perfect to be the enemy of the good." He was explaining why a little progress on an important issue was better than political gridlock, and how compromise is often more productive than intransigent idealism. Eventually, I discovered that this political figure was paraphrasing Voltaire, the eighteenth-century French author and philosopher.*

I suppose that the reason that this quote so captured my attention is that, at an earlier time in my life, I considered myself a perfectionist -- and not necessarily in a good sense of the word. Taken to extreme, perfectionism can inhibit progress. Sometimes progress is inhibited when a good plan that is only 90 or 95% perfect never leaves the drawing board. Even when a plan is 100% "perfect," the value added by the last 5% of the plan is often not worth the cost in time or money. As the years passed, I learned those important lessons. Today, I euphemistically consider myself to be a "recovering perfectionist," and (with a grin) I sometimes introduce myself that way.

As it turns out, Voltaire was not the last person to write with great insight about this idea. In 1956, Herbert Simon wrote about what he called "bounded rationality."** His essay has since become a sort of classic for those studying organizational theory. Basically, Simon pointed out that we human beings are incapable of making 100% rational decisions, especially when it comes to complicated matters. There are a number of reasons for this. First, none of us has the gift of omniscience; we don't known everything there is to know about any topic. Second, even if we could know everything about a topic, it would take an inordinate amount of time and lead to a sort of "analysis paralysis." Finally, our cognitive ability is limited; none of of is perfect in our thinking and reasoning. So, as a practical matter, we often settle on the first solution that meets our needs, even if it is imperfect -- that is, we "satisfice" (a term coined later by Simon).

The degree to which we satisfice is often dictated by the importance of our decisions. If we were performing brain surgery, the decisions that we make would need to be more perfect. Fortunately, most of us make hundreds of decisions in the course of our work week that are less critical. Therefore, we can feel much better about satisficing as a strategy for making as much progress as we can. Nonetheless, we should never mistake slipshod work for satisficing. Satisficing meets our needs. Slipshod work does not.

There are plenty of recent examples here at Clinton Community College. We've made great progress on a number of fronts, including the construction of our new Student Services Support Center, our efforts to recruit students from China, and our first-in-the-state Wind Energy and Turbine Technology programs. To be sure, none of them has been 100% flawless, but we are making excellent progress on all fronts. As I often say at our staff meetings, "We don't have to be perfect; we just have to be better today than we were yesterday." If we do that day after day, we will have accomplished much in the course of a year.

That's what I think. I am interested to know what you think. Please e-mail me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu to let me know.

___________________________________

* "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien." - Voltaire, Dictionnaire Philosophique (1764)
** "Rational Choice and the Structure of the Environment" - Herbert Simon (1956)

Honoring Our Veterans, Living and Deceased

2010-11-09T08:19:00.023-05:00

On November 11, our nation and our College pause to remember those who served our country in the armed forces. Many of those who we honor have served in the distant past and are no longer with us, but even today we benefit from their defense of our country and its values. We are especially indebted to those who have made the supreme sacrifice in the the line of duty. There is no possible way for us to repay them and their families for their sacrifice, but we honor them each year with this day of remembrance.

Veterans Day is also an opportunity to recognize those veterans living among us. These men and women have given of themselves for the sake of our nation and its people. We owe them a debt of gratitude, too, and Veterans Day gives us an opportunity to express that gratitude. Whether they volunteered or were conscripted, whether they served in time of war or in time of peace, our veterans have made it possible for us to enjoy the freedoms that we often take for granted.

In recognition of the service provided by our veterans, the United States Government provides certain benefits to those who have served. Some of those benefits are from the GI Bill that help veterans to pursue higher education. Clinton Community College is the college of choice for many such veterans. We take pride in providing an exceptional level of service and support to them. Earlier this year, Clinton Community College earned the distinction of being a "Military Friendly School," in recognition of our standing as one of the top 15% of the all colleges and universities in the United States for the types of veterans programs and services that we make available.

Clinton provides this high level of service for a variety of reasons. First, our veterans have earned our respect and our gratitude, and we take seriously our obligation to help them to make the best use of their benefits under the GI Bill. Second, our veterans enrich our campus and our community. They bring their life experiences and their first-hand knowledge of other parts of the world onto our campus and into our classrooms. They provide new perspectives and fresh insights that inform classroom discussions and cause us to look at the world in new and different ways. They diversify the college community, which makes us a stronger college and a better institution of learning.

With Veterans Day upon us, all of us at Clinton Community College should take the opportunity to honor the veterans who are no longer with us and to thank the veterans who have defended our nation and who now enrich our campus.

No Room for Hate

2010-10-05T12:36:00.013-04:00

TJ Lyden is the author of an unsettling book titled Diary of a Recovering Skinhead. It is a cautionary tale about hate groups that feed on intolerance. While some may think that the North Country is untouched by such radical thinking, the truth is that hate knows no boundaries. It lurks within our midst.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of good will here in our community. In fact, there is so much good will that -- like a healthy lawn that makes it difficult for weeds to infiltrate -- our community stands a better than average chance of leaving no room for hate to flourish here.

Three recent examples come to mind:

On October 1, I was privileged to hear two outstanding speakers at a medical society reception here on campus. One was a young man who immigrated from Poland and is now embarking on a career in Nursing. The other was a more senior citizen who immigrated from India and spent his adult life here as a physician and philanthropist. Even though neither person was born in this country, both reminded the audience of what a great nation we are. And the reason that we are so great is that we have grown up as a nation of immigrants, a melting pot that has brought the best, brightest and strongest minds from around the world into a single nation of free men and women. Each of these men literally has been around the world, and lived in several countries, but the United States is the place that they are proud to call home. There was no room for hate in the room on that night.

Earlier this week, a group of concerned students at CCC were looking for a way to express their positivity in the wake of the tragic suicide that recently took place at Rutgers University. With chalk in hand, these students used our sidewalks to remind each other that love surrounds us all. Although we experience pain, embarrassment and anger from time to time, there is one force that is strong enough to carry us through those moments of despair: the love of our fellow human beings. There was no room for hate on our campus that day.

On September 19, 2010, the Press-Republican ran what I consider to be an inspirational editorial. It urged us to be more than just tolerant of others' races, religions and creeds. It made the point that we must embrace such diversity if we, as a community, are to realize our full potential for prosperity and success. The editorial concluded with the statement, "Tolerating is tolerable; embracing is embraceable." There was no room for hate in my mind as I read that column.

A healthy lawn leaves no room for weeds. A healthy community leaves no room for hate. And we at Clinton Community College intend to work together to ensure that we promote a healthy environment in which we can all grow and prosper.

That's what I think. I'm curious to know what you think. Please contact me by e-mail at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Smiling in the Face of Change

2010-08-31T11:35:00.014-04:00

More than usual lately, I have been contemplating the subject of change. By definition, change is unsettling. It breaks our stride. It upsets our routine. It takes us off auto-pilot. British novelist and playwright Arnold Bennett wrote, "Any change, even change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." In other words, change can cause stress!

Here at Clinton, we certainly have be staring change in the face. On April 15, we threw the switch on Dynamics/GP, our new financial management software system. On June 15, we did the same for CAMS, our new academic software system. Having been through several software conversions in my career, and having heard horror stories of many more, it seems that our 12-month implementation was as smooth as any and much, much better than most. Nonetheless, change brings stress. I have heard it said that in the first year, a new software systems works against you; in the second year, it works with you; and in the third and subsequent years, it works for you. In other words, it takes a while to get used to the new system. Ugh!

We're also working on organizational changes. Last year, when I arrived at Clinton, many people had commented that there were too many committees here, and that some of them seemed to overlap and others seemed to have outlived their purpose. This year, we have introduced a revised model that changes some of the standing committees to ad hoc committees, and changes others to work groups or taskforces. We're also writing charters and charges that make clear the role of each group. Though our commitment is active and ongoing, we may not be done until the end of the year. Sigh!

More change is coming this fall. The College is preparing for the construction of our new Student Support Services Center (SSSC). The SSSC will be located on the first floor of the Moore Academic and Administration Building, along the south corridor. To accommodate the construction, offices will be relocated, pedestrian traffic will be rerouted, and all of us will have to endure noise and perhaps even unexpected interruptions of utilities from time to time. Even the most optimistic of us expect that the project will stretch into the second half of the spring semester. Oh, brother!

Neither I nor anyone else I know will try to convince you that changes like the ones listed above are easy, but I will suggest the following:

While we who lead and participate in change are not perfect, together we are making progress. As a result of these (and many of the other changes), we will be a better College in the long run. The new software systems are already improving the way our faculty and students interact with each other and with our administrative offices; the Student Support Services Center will dramatically improve the quality of service that we provide to students, prospective students and their parents; and the effectiveness and efficiency of our shared governance will be enhanced by the changes in our committees and other functional groups. If we misstep, we beg your forgiveness; but even more importantly, we beg your assistance and welcome constructive efforts toward improvement. After all, we are on the same team.

How we face change -- with a smile or a grimace -- is a choice that each of us makes. I choose to smile in the face of change; I choose to focus on the benefits that will ultimately result from it, and not on the discomfort that it takes to get there; and I choose to take our mistakes in stride, and correct for them when we can, knowing that every person who is involved is doing their best to make good things happen.

That's what I think. I'm curious to know what you think. Please send your feedback and comments to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

The Word of the Year

2010-07-26T13:31:00.022-04:00

The word of the year is alignment -- at least that's what it seems like to me. The word has come up repeatedly in many of the conversations that I've joined lately.

When something good happens, we say that "the stars align" to create an unusual situation. Since we don't have much control over the stars, this old saying implies that the positive results happen by chance. Sometimes that is the case, but here in Clinton County a lot of people are working hard to make the stars align.

I have the honor of serving on three local boards of directors: The Development Corporation, Mountain Lake PBS and The Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Each of these organizations is working on its strategic plan at one stage or another (developing, executing or updating). What is amazing to me is how much alignment there is among the various strategic plans. For example, The Development Corporation is working to expand the Foreign Trade Zone in Clinton County so that we are an even more attractive location for international business; Mountain Lake PBS is working on projects that bridge cultural differences across the international border between New York and Quebec; and the Chamber of Commerce touts Plattsburgh as Montreal's U.S. Suburb. Is it mere coincidence that all three of these leading organizations are developing or executing strategies that are so well aligned? I don't think so.

If the alignment among the various strategic plans is not the result of luck, what then is the reason for it. I submit that the force that is making the stars align is a sense of shared vision for our community. Although each of the organizations mentioned in this post may have a different way of expressing it, they all have a similar vision for the future of this area. The vision is that this will be an international community of choice to live, work and play -- a community with a competitive advantage that attracts high quality employers and draws young professionals and entrepreneurs who want to raise their families near an international border, in a region of unparalleled natural beauty. These are not my original ideas, but they have been suggested and discussed by some of my esteemed colleagues from within this community. To a large extent, this vision is already becoming a reality. With the success of the Plattsburgh International Airport, with the growing list of Canadian, Korean and German businesses that have chosen to locate here, and with the bi-national membership base of our local public-media organization, we are already becoming a hub of global business in northern New York.

Although it sounds simple enough, developing a shared vision for the community is no mean feat. With the passage of time, most organizations have a natural tendency to lose sight of the external reason for their existence and to focus internally instead on self-preservation. We forget to ask, "What need are we supposed to meet?" and we begin to ask, "What do we need?" A community cannot achieve a sense of shared vision unless the organizations within the community are willing to shift the focus from their own internal needs to the external needs of those who depend on us.

To my astonishment, the organizations in this region have done a remarkable job at focusing on the external interests of the community as a whole. As a result of this unselfish behavior, the efforts of each individual organization are better aligned toward a common goal. Therefore, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. This gives me great cause for optimism -- optimism that we will achieve our shared vision and become a community of choice to live, work and play; a community with a competitive advantage; a community that can sustain economic prosperity and a high quality of life.

You can call it a luck if you like, but like the old saying goes, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." Fortunately for us, there are a lot of people in this community who are working very hard on a shared vision. We at Clinton are helping to shape that vision and we are committed to aligning our efforts with those of others who are working for the common good.

That's what I think. What do you think? I welcome your comments and reactions via e-mail to presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Moving from Vision to Strategy

2010-06-14T10:29:00.020-04:00

On May 21, 2010, I was formally inaugurated as the seventh President of Clinton Community College. The inauguration was an opportunity to propose a big idea that would serve as a rallying cry for stakeholders – a compelling goal that would help us to align our individual efforts to an important common cause and thereby maximize our collective impact.

Like John F. Kennedy’s “Man on the Moon” goal¹ -- which was a response to the shocking news that the Russians had launched Sputnik -- Clinton’s big idea was born in response to an impending crisis, i.e. the projection that by the year 2035, the number of Clinton County residents between the ages of 25-49 will be insufficient to support a thriving economy and to maintain the quality of life that we currently enjoy². This shocking projection is focusing our attention on the urgent need to transform this community into one that would attract and retain young professionals and entrepreneurs who would help to grow the economy and sustain the high quality of life that we have come to enjoy. In my inaugural address, I proclaimed that Clinton Community College would be a leader and a partner in creating a brighter future for Clinton County and the North Country, helping to transform the region into one that would attract and retain young professionals and entrepreneurs who would come here to raise their families and thereby start our economy on an upward spiral.

On inauguration day, I invited the community to imagine that by the end of this decade, the College would relocate its current off-campus residence halls to an on-campus site here on Bluff Point. In and of itself, this would have the likely effect of improving student retention, graduation and achievement. I also invited the stakeholders to imagine that we used the opportunity to create a global learning community here on Bluff Point – a community that would build upon the international history and character of this region and its rich geographic assets along the Quebec-New York Corridor. By doing this at Clinton Community College, we would align our efforts with other community organizations that are working to attract and retain international business to our region, and we would make this a more vibrant community for young professionals and entrepreneurs to locate and raise their families.

With that bold goal in mind, it is now our task to move from vision to strategy. If this were a cross-country journey, we might say that we have identified our desired destination, and now it is time to plan the trip. For example, we need to determine our mode of transportation, our route, our meals and lodging, our itinerary along the way and our budget.

If we propose to develop a global living/learning community on campus, complete with a modern residence hall and conference center, there are certain strategies that we must pursue over the course of the next nine years. We don’t need to do everything in the first year, but we do need to have a general outline of the types of things that must be accomplished. For example:

Re-commit ourselves to the development of programs and services that meet the needs of our community -- especially the need for a twenty-first-century workforce.
Build an infrastructure that supports the types of programs and services that the community expects us to deliver.
Embrace globalism, internationalism and diversity as essential elements for the future of this community and its economy.
Establish a development program that provides the resources necessary to achieve our goals in and for our community.

Within these four broad strategies, each constituent group and each individual in the college community can make a contribution. By using this framework to align our departmental and individual efforts over a sustained period, the collective results that we achieve will be greater than the results that would be achieved if our efforts were uncoordinated.

That's what I think. Please let me know what you think. I welcome your response via e-mail at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.
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¹ “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” – John F. Kennedy’s A Special Message to Congress on Urgent National Needs, May 25, 1961.

² “By 2035, the second largest population group in Clinton County will be in its fifties. If we exclude the college-age bulge, we see that there will be about as many people of retirement age or over fifty and preparing for retirement than there are those in the critical workforce years of 25 to 49.” – A Call to Plan by Colin Read.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

2010-06-03T11:29:00.023-04:00

On May 21, 2010, I had the opportunity to deliver my inaugural address as the seventh President of Clinton Community College. It was a chance for me to reflect on the history of Bluff Point and Clinton Community College, to celebrate our current successes, and to envision the future of the College and the community we serve.

In Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge also has the opportunity to reflect on matters from his past, his present and his future. Terrified by images of the future shown to him by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge asks the Ghost, "Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be, only?” He goes on to suggest an answer to his own question: “Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said Scrooge. “But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!”

Earlier this spring, I participated in Vision 2040, an ongoing discussion of the future of Clinton County and the North Country. Like the shadows revealed to Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the demographics projections for Clinton County are unsettling, to say the least. One projection is that by 2035, there will not be a sufficient number of workers in the age range 25-49 to sustain the economy and maintain our current quality of life. However, like Scrooge, community leaders here are asking whether this is the future that will be, or is it the future that may be. Having only adopted Clinton County as my home a year ago, even I know that this community, like Scrooge, has already answered its own question. This community is especially adept at creating its own envisioned future, rather than passively accepting the one that seems inevitable.

When the original Hotel Champlain was destroyed by fire 100 years ago, this community could have accepted defeat and called it the end of an era. Instead, a brand new Hotel Champlain was built on the same site and opened for business in June 1911, just one year after the fire closed the 500-room luxury resort. The Hotel operated for another 40 years on Bluff Point before it became home to Bellamine Jesuit College and later Clinton Community College.

In a similar story, the Plattsburgh Normal School burned to the ground in 1929. Some suggested that the catastrophe would result in the relocation of the teachers' college to Glens Falls, accepting that fortune had forsaken Plattsburgh and Clinton County. However, the community rallied and rebuilt the Normal School in Plattsburgh by 1932. In 1948, the Plattsburgh Normal School became part of the State University of New York and is now better known as Plattsburgh State University, a cornerstone of our community.

When the Plattsburgh Air Force Base closed in 1995, this community could have resigned itself to an unhappy future. Instead, community leaders formed the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corporation (PARC) and transformed the former airbase into the home for a diverse set of businesses and industries, including international companies who have chosen this place to locate their facilities.

As in the three examples listed above, I am convinced that this community will rise to the challenges that face us and create a brighter future, even in the face of unsettling predictions. Already community leaders are developing strategies to attract and retain young professionals, entrepreneurs, and their families to this area. Like the Scrooge who awoke on Christmas morning, determined to create a different future than the one that was shown to him, this community is taking bold strides to change the course of history. Through its educational institutions -- K-12 schools, CV-TEC, Plattsburgh State University and Clinton Community College -- we are developing a well trained and well educated workforce. This ready workforce, along with our geographic assets, will draw even more high quality employers to this region. As business and industry located and expand here, our economy will thrive. As our economy thrives, our quality of life will be sustained, and our community will be strengthened.

With these three efforts in mind -- workforce development, economic development, and community development (i.e., quality of life) -- Clinton Community College is committed to being a leader and a partner in and for our community. In upcoming posts, I plan to elaborate on the contributions that we intend to make. After all, "Community" is our middle name.

That's what I think. Please let me know what you think. I welcome your response via e-mail at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Taking Stock, Part II: Non-Academic Items

2010-05-13T13:00:00.007-04:00

In my previous post, I highlighted a few of the new and exciting things that have recently taken place at Clinton Community College. The focus of that post was on academic affairs in general, and the curriculum in particular. In today's post, the focus shifts to items that are not directly related to the curriculum, but are important and exciting nonetheless.

Earlier this year, work was completed on two historic cottages that were part of the 100-year-old Hotel Champlain here on Bluff Point. One of the cottages is now known as The Alumni Cottage and is home to the Office of Institutional Advancement. The other cottage is the new home of the former Continuing Education Department, which was recently renamed The Center for Community and Workforce Development (CCWD). The new name was chosen to better reflect the department's important role in the community. Among the many projects completed by CCWD this year was a major training project that supported the expansion of the NovaBus manufacturing facility here in Plattsburgh.

Several weeks ago, the North Country's first Class 1000 clean room was completed and opened for business at CCC. The facility was built with the assistance of Senator Betty Little to support workforce development initiatives related to the pharmaceutical industry, the electronics manufacturing industry, and health care and food production industries. The first contract training course was held in the facility on April 17.

This year was the first year of Clinton's Presidential Scholarship program, which allows the top students from local high schools to attend CCC free of charge. More than twenty Presidential Scholars enrolled at CCC this year. Applications for next year's program are very strong, indicating that Clinton is attracting more of the area's top scholars.

Over the course of this year, Clinton has made arrangements for as many as a dozen Chinese students to study here next fall. The students are from Beijing University of Business Administration (BUBA) and Sichuan International Studies University (SISU). The presence of these international students will enrich the educational experience of the 2300 local students who attend Clinton, and help them to prepare for careers in the global economy. These international students will also bring financial resources to the College and to the community, as they will pay double tuition and undoubtedly make significant purchases during their stay in our community.

A major software conversion project on campus is in its final stages. Over the past twelve months, Clinton has converted 40 years of student and institutional records from its legacy software system, which is no longer supported, to a modern Internet-based system. On April 1, the College's financial management systems were converted to the new Microsoft Dynamics/GP platform. Next month, the College's academic management systems will move to the Comprehensive Academic Management System (CAMS). The importance of these software conversions is immense. The project is on budget and on schedule for completion by June 14.

Last summer's major community/cultural focus on campus was a series of events associated with the quadricentennial celebration of Samuel de Champlain's discovery of the Lake in 1609. In the summer of 2010, CCC will be the host site for some 2000 bicyclists from Quebec who are taking part in Le Grand Tour. Most of these cyclists will make camp on our campus for two nights in August, while others will find lodging in local hotels. The economic impact of this event, which is being coordinated by the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce is estimated to be $1.5 million.

All of us at Clinton Community College are working hard to give the best possible return on investment to the people of Clinton County. By making significant contributions through our academic and non-academic programs, we strive to strengthen our economy, develop our workforce and enhance the quality of life in this region.

As always, I welcome your feedback at presidentsblog@clinton.edu. Please do not hesitate to send me your reaction to this or any post in my blog.

Taking Stock, Part I: Academics

2010-04-21T08:27:00.009-04:00

Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak before a number of community groups. Those speaking engagements have given me a platform to share some of the many exciting things that are happening here at Clinton Community College. Today's post is an opportunity to reprise those presentations and to take stock of recent good news on campus.

Our academic programs are blossoming. Student enrollment is approaching an all-time high, and several new programs have recently been launched.

Our associate's degree in Wind Energy and Turbine Technology is the first and only program of its kind in New York State. This summer, CCC will be the first training facility anywhere to install a new generation of wind turbine simulator that allows students to gain practical experience with scenarios that they are likely to encounter in an actual wind turbine. In addition to the state-of-the-art simulator, we also have plans to install a working prototype of a new small-scale wind turbine that is being developed for residential and small-business applications.

Our new Environmental Technology program is coming to the end of its second semester. Students in this program are preparing to enter the growing workforce related to hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER), water and sewage treatment, and indoor and outdoor environmental monitoring and testing.

Clinton's re-activated Electrical Technology program is up and running. As part of a cluster of technology programs (with Wind Energy & Turbine Technology and Industrial Technology), the Electrical Technology program is preparing students to work in local businesses and industries. New courses in photovoltaics (generating electricity from sunlight) have been approved and will be offered starting next year.

Our most recent class of Nursing graduates has posted remarkable results on the NCLEX licensing exam, with more than 94% passing the exam on the first attempt. This is higher than the state and national averages for the most recent class. CCC's new Health Studies Certificate, which will be launched this fall, already has more than 100 students registered.

Earlier this year, our Human Services program was accredited by the Council for Standards in Human Services Education, making CCC the first and only college in upstate New York to be so accredited. Meanwhile, through a partnership with Clinton, Cazenovia College is offering local students the opportunity to complete their bachelor's degree in Human Services here on our campus.

Students who have not yet graduated from high school are also benefiting from academic programs offered by Clinton. In partnership with high schools throughout the region, CCC helped almost 600 students to get a head start on their college careers this year through the College Advancement Program (CAP).

The list goes on and on. The hard work and dedication of our Academic Council and the faculty and staff who deliver and support students in our academic programs are gratefully acknowledged. Through their efforts, CCC is rising to the challenge of developing a strong workforce and an educated citizenry that will help ensure a bright future for this community. In my next post, I intend to take stock of some of the non-academic accomplishments that we are making to the community.

Why I Wear the Phi Theta Kappa Key

2010-04-09T10:48:00.018-04:00

In recognition of tonight's Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony, I am pleased to take this opportunity to reflect on my personal experiences with the International Honor Society of the Two-Year College.

My first contact with Phi Theta Kappa was as a candidate for membership in the Alpha Alpha Upsilon Chapter at Fulton-Montgomery Community College. I didn't know much about the organization, except for the information that was provided in the orientation, but my father encouraged me to pay the membership dues and join. He suggested that membership in the honor society might provide some good opportunities. In hindsight, his advice could not have been more accurate.

Always one to take an active role, I was elected president of the local chapter. My office gave me the opportunity to work with other bright students in a variety of different fields. Together, we learned about the Hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa: Scholarship, Fellowship, Leadership and Service. We learned by practicing them -- in organizing campus events, running meetings, attending regional workshops and engaging in discussions on a wide range of topics. My involvement in Phi Theta Kappa also gave me the opportunity to work with faculty members and college administrators outside the classroom. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I now suppose that interaction was an important influence in my career path.

After graduating from FMCC, I went on to earn higher degrees from Union College and the University of Pensylvania. Since Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society of two-year colleges, I didn't have much contact with the organization in the years immediately following my graduation from FMCC, but my membership in Phi Theta Kappa was still working for me. I listed my membership prominently on my transfer applications and my graduate school applications. In fact, I still list Phi Theta Kappa on my resume to this day. Union, like many other colleges and universities, provided sizable transfer scholarships to attract bright community college students. I benefitted financially from those scholarships. I also benefitted from the confidence and organizational skills that I practiced in Phi Theta Kappa. Most of all, I benefitted from the friendships that I made in Phi Theta Kappa, some of which are still strong to this day.

Although I could not have planned it in advance, my life course eventually brought me back to FMCC as a faculty member. Before too long, I volunteered my services as a co-advisor to the Alpha Alpha Upsilon Chapter. Eventually, I became the senior faculty advisor and helped students in the chapter to develop on-campus activities, to participate in regional events and to work on Phi Theta Kappa's Five-Star awards program. As our chapter grew, we began to participate in regional events throughout New York State. I met faculty advisors and students from other campuses, some of whom are still my colleagues and friends. It was another great experience for me and I hope for the students, too.

As my career path again began to evolve, I moved to various administrative positions. No longer was I in the position of a faculty advisor, but my offices often gave me the opportunity to support the organization that had been so meaningful to me as a student and a young faculty member. I would offer remarks at Phi Theta Kappa ceremonies, help to cut through administrative red-tape and do my best to support the enthusiastic efforts of some of the best and brightest students on campus. In 2008, I was honored that members of the local chapter nominated me for the Administrator of Distinction Award. Knowing that Phi Theta Kappa is a huge organization with chapters throughout the country and all over the world, I honestly did not expect to receive an award, but I was honored that students on my campus thought that I was worthy. Lo and behold, in the spring of 2009, I attended the Phi Theta Kappa International Convention in Grapevine, Texas, to receive the award before one of the most enthusiastic groups of conventioneers that I have ever seen. The magnitude and the organization of the convention reminded me once again that Phi Theta Kappa is truly a remarkable organization.

So tonight, as the Alpha Pi Tau chapter of Phi Theta Kappa inducts its newest members, I again will wear the Phi Theta Kappa Key on my lapel. I am proud to have been a student member, a faculty advisor and now a huge fan and supporter of this outstanding group of students. Please join me in congratulating the newest members on our campus. I hope through their active involvement in Phi Theta Kappa, that they, too, will find opportunities throughout their lifetimes.

As always, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to e-mail me your thoughts at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

What’s a BHAG?

2010-03-18T17:13:00.017-04:00

BHAG (pronounced BEE-hag) is a term coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Built to Last. It is an acronym for Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal. As part of an organization’s Envisioned Future (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals and Vivid Descriptions of them), a BHAG represents a stretch-goal for an organization. Unlike an ordinary, operational goal, a BHAG elicits a positive, immediate, gut-level reaction that inspires the members of an organization to take a quantum leap forward. It is broad and lofty – up in the sky, not down in the weeds. It is not bounded by an organization’s current constraints (lack of money, lack of time, lack of staffing, etc.). In fact, it may help an organization to marshal the resources needed to overcome our current constraints and transform itself into something better than it is currently.

The term itself (BHAG) may strike different people in different ways. Some people think it has a playful ring. Others think it sounds unprofessional or awkward. But everyone seems to agree that the term draws attention, which I think is partly the point that Collins and Porras had in mind. A BHAG should grab you by the lapels and make you sit up and take notice. It should inspire and motivate the members of an organization. It should give them a sense of shared purpose. It should help them to align their individual efforts to a common cause over a period of many years. Last but not least, a BHAG should be consistent with an organization’s Core Ideology (its Core Values and its Core Purpose), respecting those ideals that the organization holds dear.

Henry Ford’s BHAG was to “democratize the automobile.” Nike’s was to “crush Adidas.” Stanford University’s was to “become the Harvard of the West.” What is Clinton Community College’s vision-level BHAG? What is it that we want to be in 10 to 30 years? What long-term goal is so powerful that almost all of us could immediately agree that it is worth pursuing, even if there is a chance that we may fall short?

This spring, as we create our shared vision for the future of the College, those are some of the thought-provoking questions on which we will spend time. Keep your eyes and ears open for your opportunity to participate. There have already been several meetings of school district leaders to explore our shared vision for the future. A Community Business Summit involving prominent members of The Development Corporation, the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce and others is scheduled for this week. On-campus constituents groups – students, faculty and staff – will soon have the opportunity to contribute their thoughts to an online, threaded discussion. And of course, I always welcome your comments via e-mail.

That’s what I think. Please let me know what you think. I invite you to e-mail me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Clinton’s Core Values

2010-02-28T18:21:00.010-05:00

In my previous post, I made reference to the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. In the book, Collins and Porras point out that some organizations have thrived over many generations of leaders because they have a Vision Framework that includes a Core Ideology and an Envisioned Future.

The Core Ideology is an expression of the heart and soul of the organization. It describes, at a fundamental level, why the organization exists (Core Purpose) and what the organization holds dear (Core Values). In my last post, I described Clinton’s Core Purpose: to provide educational, cultural and social experiences that have a transformative effect on individual students and that help to strengthen the community. In this post, I will complete the description of Clinton’s Core Ideology by describing our Core Values.

Like Clinton’s statement of Core Purpose, this statement of Core Values is based on broad input from students, faculty and staff. While it may still need some final editing, the main concepts have been identified. At our core, we value the following:

Access & Opportunity – As an expression of this value, we offer a variety of academic programs and diverse delivery modes designed to make higher education available to all people.
Excellence – As an expression of this value, we strive to provide high quality courses, programs and services that meet the needs of our students and our community.
Integrity – As an expression of this value, we strive for noble and honorable goals that improve the human condition, and we resist the temptation to compromise our principles for short-term gains.
Community – As an expression of this value, we recognize that the College is a community of diverse individuals and that we are also part of many larger communities.
Focus on the Student – As an expression of this value, we focus on student learning and personal development.

Of course, we hold many other values, too, but these are the five that we have discovered at our core. Even if these values were to cause us to be unpopular or unprofitable, we would continue to live by them because we believe so strongly in them.

Once discovered, the Core Ideology is cherished, protected and preserved as a set of guiding principles by and for the organization. In a sense, Core ideology is about holding on to that which is fundamentally good. On the other hand, the Envisioned Future is all about change and aspiration. The most enduring and successful organizations, according to Collins and Porras, create an Envisioned Future that is true to their Core Ideology, yet big, hairy and audacious. I will have more to say about that in future posts.

Meanwhile, what do you have to say? I welcome your feedback to this or any of my posts. Feel free to e-mail me at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.

Public Good, Private Good: The Dual Purpose of Clinton Community College

2010-02-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

In Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras offer an explanation as to why some organizations have thrived through multiple generations of leaders and over long periods of time. According to Collins and Porras, these successful organizations all have a Vision Framework that helps them to achieve and sustain success. The Vision Framework can be described in two parts.

First, organizational constituents share a clear understanding of their organization’s Core Ideology, which includes its Core Purpose and its Core Values. As the name implies, the Core Ideology is deeply rooted in the organization’s identity. It is the heart and soul of the organization. It should be cherished, protected and preserved. Once an organization discovers its Core Ideology, the organization should use it as a moral compass to guide all of its decisions.

Second, organizations that have thrived over the long term have created an Envisioned Future that includes Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) and Vivid Descriptions of those BHAGs. Everything that is not part of the Core Ideology is open for discussion, debate and reinvention, which gives constituents the freedom to think boldly and outside the box. The Envisioned Future should be aspirational, inspirational and transgenerational.

During my first semester as President of Clinton Community College, the campus community – students, faculty and staff – engaged in an extended discussion of Clinton’s Core Ideology. I thought it would be appropriate to take this opportunity to share some ideas on one aspect of our Core Ideology, namely our Core Purpose. Through a process of discovery that Collins and Porras have named The Five Whys, we at Clinton have determined that our Core Purpose can be expressed in two parts: one that is associated with a private good and one that is associated with a public good.

The first part of our Core Purpose is to provide educational opportunities that result in personal transformation. In this case, the benefit comes to the individual student as a return on the investment of their time, toil and tuition. It is understood that students ought to be better off when they leave us than when they entered – but not just better by increments. The personal transformation that comes from higher education should be more than an incremental benefit, more than a new skill or a new collection of facts. It is a quantum leap forward, a new way of approaching life and the world around us. It may be associated with a new career, deeper insights into one’s own character or a broader view of the world in which we live.

The second part of our Core Purpose is to strengthen our community. In this case, the benefit comes not only to a single individual but to everyone in the community, even if they themselves are not enrolled at the College. This benefit is the return on investment made by the public in its community college. Some of this public good is the aggregate of the individual transformations that occur at Clinton: the community benefits from a technically skilled workforce, from a citizenry of critical thinkers, from better health care, from a healthier environment, and so on. But there is more. The community is also strengthened because the College itself is a community resource for culture, recreation and economic development.

Together with our Core Values, Clinton’s Core Purpose defines us; it identifies us. This shared understanding of our Core Ideology is the bedrock on which we will build our Envisioned Future. As long as we don’t tamper with these ideals or contradict them, we can be open to a whole host of exciting possibilities that will shape our future.

Welcome to the President's Blog

2010-02-17T11:34:00.001-05:00

Having now completed my first semester as President of Clinton Community College, I am pleased to launch this Blog site and share some of my reflections on topics that may be of interest to the on-campus community and the community at-large. While my blog topics are likely to vary widely over the coming weeks and months, I expect that they will all have one thing in common: a broad, philosophical perspective on higher education. I hope that the thoughts that I record here will stimulate others to engage in critical thinking of their own so that a lively exchange of ideas may take place and we all gain from the experience. So here we go!