LEADING CHANGE: GOVERNANCE, LEARNING, TEACHING, ENGAGEMENT

GOVERNANCE AND PRESIDENT’S OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

2015 CICAN CONFERENCE

Margo Baptista, BAdm, MA Leadership University Secretary

Grant MacEwan University May 24, 2015

• How the Network got its start? 1

• Challenges and Opportunities 2 • Benefits of Leading Change • To you, personally and professionally • To your institution • To your profession

3

Today’s Overview: The Little Network That Could…

A Few of our Favourite Words…

Hired to fill in for a maternity leave for the Executive Secretary to the President and Board

Circa 1986 in Alberta

I had arrived on the “Governance Island”.

Who do you call about…? (In the days before email, Skype and Facetime)

• Records Management • Meeting Minutes • Organizational Structures • Graduation Ceremonies • Retreat Planning • Job Description • Overtime • Orient New Board Member • Board Honoraria • Help!! My President and Board

EA were fired (Keyano, 1987)

Wendie Cameron, Lethbridge Marg McKelvey, SAIT

Paulette Shoemaker, Olds

Circa 1988 in Alberta

• Spring 1988: Alberta Boards of Governors Workshop – Attendees: Board members from Alberta’s colleges and

technical institutes – Role of Executive Assistants: Organize the workshop.

Make travel arrangements and be available if needed • Inaugural meeting of Alberta college/institute

professional board staff – Held over lunch with guest speaker: Paul Robison,

University Secretary, University of Alberta

1989, moved to Edmonton

• Executive Assistant to the President and Board • GMCC was 3x the size of Keyano College • 1992: Organized Provincial Board Workshop

– Included session for colleagues – Subsequently, organized workshops in 1995, 2002, 2006

• 1993: ACCC Conference in Edmonton – Started reaching out to colleagues nationally

• 1995: Advanced Education Council of British Columbia (AECBC) Survey – Role, Working Conditions, Relevancy of Job Description,

Professional Development, Balancing Career and Home

1994-1995, it started with a phone call… • Wendy Wait: Advanced Education Council of BC, Vancouver

– Now Manager, HR and Administration at Whitecaps Football Club, Vancouver • Cathy Check: Assiniboine Community College, Brandon

– Now (TBC) • Pat Maertz: British Columbia Institute of Technology, Vancouver

– Retired from BCIT. Now a watercolor artist living in Abbotsford • Glenys Lafrance, Lucy Wall and Miki Souci: Cambrian College, Sudbury

– Became VP Finance at Cambrian – Completed Ph.D. in Higher Education in 2009. Thesis entitled “Stakeholders’ Views of

Ontario College Boards’ Decision-making Roles” – Now (TBC)

• Marilyn Halsall: Canadore College, North Bay – Transitioned into Human Resources at Canadore. Now retired. Involved with the

International Association of Administrative Professionals, North Bay Chapter • Margo March: Grant MacEwan Community College, Edmonton

– Now Margo Baptista, University Secretary, Grant MacEwan University • Jennifer Tribula: Red River Community College, Winnipeg

– Now the EA to the Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba

ACCC 1995: Victoria – Inaugural Meeting

• 27 attendees including 7 by teleconference – 15 BC, 3 AB, 2 SK, 2 MB, 3 ON, 2 NFLD

• Opportunity to Network • Needs Assessment of the Role • Professional Development Inventory • Formation of the Network (adopted from AGB)

– Mission statement, terms of reference, administrative structure, goals, communication strategies

• Review of AGB Task Force Report • Planning for ACCC 1996, Toronto including Inaugural

National Governors’ Forum for Board members

And the rest is history…

Board Visibility on Campus

Board/Community Consultation

Board Communications

Board Advocacy, Political Partnering,

Government Relations

Consultation with Internal Constituents

Role in Presidential Search

Board Orientation

Transition: Working with a New President

Presidential Evaluation

Board Development

Board Composition & Structure

Retreat Planning

Meeting Processes and Formats

Ethics Guidelines for Boards

Use of Technology to Facilitate our Work

Board Secretary on the Hot Seat

Codes of Conduct, Conflict of Interest

Board Portals

Professional Board Staff’s Contributions to Governance

Challenges and Opportunities We Face

Self-Care, Stress Management and Setting Priorities

Evolution of the Role

LEADING CHANGE: Defining moments… • May 25, 1996: National Governors’ Forum created. Presentation.

– Meeting Processes and Formats (Margo) – Ethics Guidelines for Community College Boards (Glenys)

• May 28, 2006: List Serve created • June 6, 2010: 15th Anniversary; 1st ACCC Concurrent Session Presentation

– PD Planning, Flexibility and Creativity Under Fire • June 5, 2011: PBSN/PNPA

– Professional Board Staff Network/Professional Network of Presidents’ Assistants

• May, 2014: Website launched, Board of Directors elected, By-laws established.

• December 2014: New name ratified: GPOP (Governance and President’s Office Professionals)

• May 24, 2015: 20th Anniversary

LEADING CHANGE: Teaching and Learning in Ukraine

Preparation • Language Training: How to say

“Good day”, etc. • Cultural Training Seminar on

Ukraine • Instructional Skills Workshop:

How to Teach • Research Topics to be Presented • Prepare Materials for Handbook • Teach for 3 Days • Grub Med Dinner

Topics • Managing the CEO’s Time • Moral and Professional Ethics • Customer Service • Managing Stress • PowerPoint • Professional Development

Strategies – Education – Networks

LEADING CHANGE: Educational Journey inc Research

Undergraduate Degree • 13 years of Evenings and Weekends • Athabasca University (18 courses)

– PLAR – Prior Learning and Assessment (6 credits) – Bachelor of Administration with Great Distinction (2006)

• Keyano College (2 courses) • NAIT (3 courses) • Grant MacEwan College (6 courses)

Research • 2006, Transforming Organizations: From Hierarchical to Participatory

Organizations. A research paper for the Canadian Community Colleges Professional Board Staff Network. Participatory Organizing in Action.

– Purpose and Structure of PBSN – Planning for the Future

LEADING CHANGE: Educational Journey inc Research

Graduate Degree • 2 Years full-time while working full-time: 2007-2009 inc 2 residencies • Royal Roads University

– Master of Arts in Leadership (2009)

Research • Thesis: Helping the Grant MacEwan College Board of Governors Acquire and

Transfer Knowledge About Presidential Search • Paper: Reflective Learning Journals: A Self-Directed Learning Project • Presented research at the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education

(2013). • Professional journal publication pending (2016). Canadian Journal for Higher

Education (CJHE).

http://roam.macewan.ca/

LEADING CHANGE: Presentations (A Few of our Favourite Words)

LEADING CHANGE: Building Networks

• Personal, Professional, Community, Professional Associations, Advisory Committees, Colleagues, etc.

• Wealth of Experience and Knowledge to Share • Advice and Counsel • Share Ideas, Concerns, Information, Resources,

Aspirations and Ideals • Skill Development • Career Advancement • Advancement of the Profession

Current Networks… • AGB Board Professionals

– Presentations at Annual Workshop. Ning network. • Council of Western Canadian University Board Secretaries

(COWCUBS) – Presentations. Co-hosted 2014 Conference.

• Canadian University Boards Association (CUBA) – University Secretaries, Board Chairs and Vice Chairs – Presentations. Assisted with organizing 2012 Conference.

Organizing 2015 PD Day. • Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE)

– Presented research. Established Affinity Group on Post-secondary Governance (Practitioners and Researchers). Board Member (2014-16). Organizing 2015 Conference. Canadian Journal of Higher Education publication pending 2016.

The “Governance Island” Yes… it is a lonely place at

times But… there is always a helping hand available

LEADING CHANGE: GOVERNANCE AND

PRESIDENT’S OFFICE PROFESSIONALS

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

Seminar on Creating Online Communities and Social Networks That Last

• Dr. Tharon Howard, Clemson University, South Carolina

• http://www.clemson.edu/caah/matrf/about/meet-the-staff/t-howard.html

• Online learning programs – Issues and Challenges for Users, Faculty,

Institutions: retention, economics – Why and How to design for success

Characteristics of Success

• Remuneration – the time invested by the user has been rewarding

emotionally, socially and/or professionally

• Influence – there are different kinds of users who have

different needs and whose voices are heard – visitors, novices, regulars, leaders, elders

Characteristics of Success • Belonging

– there are common goals and values – a shared perspective from where the role fits in the

institution – a sense of understanding and support from colleagues

• Significance – membership is by invitation only to practicing

professionals – it is meaningful – the information shared can help to inform decisions

about best practices

So How is this Relevant to GPOP?

• GPOP is both a social network and an online community

• It has lasted for 20 years because…. – It grew (and grows) organically – There is a sense of the value of receiving as well as giving – It is a “safe space”. There is a sense of trust among

colleagues – In addition to online communication, there is an annual

F2F opportunity to build trust within the group and to learn

– There is an ever evolving continuum of members (visitors, novices, regulars, leaders, elders)

WHERE TO FROM HERE? • What do you want to accomplish over the next year, two years

and beyond? – Personal and Professional Goal Setting

• What type of Professional Development do you get now? What do you need? What does your Board need you to receive?

• What are you willing to commit (time, energy and finances) to accomplish your goals?

• What can you contribute to the GPOP network? – Listserve? Blog? Create an inventory of knowledge? Make a

presentation – in your institution, to GPOP? Mentor a GPOP colleague?

• What can you contribute to your profession?

• Work at Something that Inspires and Fulfills You • Create Your Own Destiny By Developing a

Passion for Learning in All Aspects of Your Life

• “Life is a New Dance Everyday: Embrace It” (Baptista, 2009 Royal Roads University)

CONVERSATION