Bridging the Faculty-Staff Divide

Ashby Butnor, PhDFaculty Coordinator, Learning Communities and First Year Success

Philosophy Faculty

Heather Lindsay-Carpenter, MSAssistant Director for Student Outreach and Recruitment,

Learning Communities and First Year Success

What divide??

This one!

Presentation Overview

1. Faculty-Staff Differences2. Building Bridges: Essentials of Collaboration3. Lessons from our Office4. Group Discussion: Collaborative Successes

Exercise #1

1. Visit posters throughout room.2. React!

Does the quote resonate with you? Do you empathize? Feel enraged? Write your reaction on each poster.

3. Reflect, Pair up, & DiscussWhat does your initial response tell you about faculty-staff dynamics on campus?

Quote #1

“Why do I not interact more with administrative staff? Because I believe that 90% of their

functions are unnecessary.”

-- Tenure-track Faculty Member

Quote #2

“I’m not sure why faculty won’t engage more with my program. We’re all here for the same purpose– to serve and support the students.”

-- Program Coordinator (Professional Staff)

Quote #3

“Our office has both faculty and student services staff. This has generally been a good synergy with mutual respect but staff do notice when faculty aren’t present or aren’t contributing in

the same way that they do.”

-- “Staffulty” (Faculty/Staff Hybrid)

Faculty & Staff Differences

What is the nature of these differences?Why do these differences result in tension?

Should we bother collaborating?

What is the nature of these differences?

Differences in:BackgroundType of workAutonomy & organizational structureExpectations regarding collaborationView of the university & its role

Staff Background

• Varied backgrounds– With specific training in higher education

• Typically work standard 40-hour weeks within a hierarchical organizational structure (involves timesheets)

• Tend to work collaboratively• Engage in various trainings and workshops to stay

current in “best practices”• Want to best “serve students”

Faculty Background

• Highly specialized areas of research• Spend considerable time earning degrees• Highly protective of their autonomy & time• Spend most work time teaching & doing research,

some travel & committee work• Different forms of hierarchies within ranks• Many faculty have never interacted with student

services staff

Why do these differences result in tension?

Staff Perception of Faculty

Question for staff members:What are your perceptions of faculty on this

campus?

Staff Perception of Faculty

• Unavailability and/or unwillingness to collaborate on programs that will be useful to them & their students

• Communication/connection is difficult• Faculty jobs are “easier” because of flexibility in

schedule• Many are “elitist” • Don’t understand all of what their job entails

Faculty Perception of Staff

Question for faculty members:What are your perceptions of staff on this

campus?

Faculty Perception of Staff

• See many programs as bureaucratic and producing inefficiencies

• See staff wasting university resources that are diverted away from academic departments

• Are not aware of what staffers actually do• Do not believe that student service programs have a

connection to what they are doing

What is the role of the university?

Role of the University

Faculty– See the role of the university as promoting a

culture of learning for its own sake, which includes the creation and dissemination of knowledge

Staff– See the role of the university as supporting

students in their educational journey, including psycho-social development (connection, engagement, leadership, service, etc.)

“Faculty and administrators cannot work together, and at times work at odds with each

other. The plethora of units, divisions, and departments is staggering. I have given up on the idea of collaboration or people working

together in meaningful ways, even though it is important to me.”

-- Staff member at a research university

(Kezar 2005b)

“The problem is that we keep trying to force collaborative innovations into a structure and

culture that supports individual work.”

-- Provost at a large comprehensive university

(Kezar 2005b)

Is collaboration necessary?

Why bother?Can’t we all just do our own thing?

Bridging the Divide

And Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Envision the best possible bridge

Essentials of Collaboration

“The problem is that we keep trying to force collaborative innovations into a structure and

culture that supports individual work.”

If this is true, how can we move from a context of departmental/divisional silos to one of

meaningful collaboration across campus?

(Kezar 2005b)

Essentials of Collaboration

Defining Collaboration“In order to be considered collaboration, it is key

that the process entail an interactive process (relationship over time) and that groups develop

shared rules, norms, and structures…”

Focus on internal collaboration:Cross-divisional teams, interdisciplinary teaching/research,

student & academic affairs collaboration (Kezar 2005a)

Essentials of CollaborationPart 1: Building Commitment

• External Pressure• Values• Learning • Networks

Part 2: Solidifying Commitment• Priority from Senior Leadership• Mission• Networks

Part 3: Sustaining Commitment• Integrating Structures• Rewards and Incentives• Networks

(Kezar 2005a)

Exercise #2

Pair Discussions:Given these Collaboration Essentials, what needs to be done to enhance collaborative efforts– on campus generally or within your

program specifically?

Collaboration EssentialsBuilding Commitment: External Pressure, Values, Learning, Networks Solidifying Commitment: Priority from Senior Leadership, Mission, NetworksSustaining Commitment: Integrating Structures, Rewards & Incentives, Networks

Lessons from our Program

• Integrated work spaces• Classroom visits by Academic Advisor and SAs• Use faculty bait (director, faculty coordinator, etc.)

• Faculty Welcome/Faculty Guide• Committees comprised of both faculty and staff • Incentives for partnerships (co-curricular mini-grants)

• Travel grants for faculty and staff• Awards, awards, awards• Respect (comes from knowledge, understanding, trust)

Collaborative Successes

What has worked for you?

BibliographyBanta, Trudy and George Kuh. 1998. “A Missing Link in Assessment:

Collaboration Between Academic and Student Affairs Professionals.” Change, 30:2, 40-48.

Ginsberg, Benjamin. 2011. The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why it Matters. Oxford University Press.

Kezar, Adrianna. 2005a. “Redesigning for Collaboration within Higher Education Institutions: An Exploration into the Developmental

Process.” Research in Higher Education, 46:7, 831-860.

Kezar, Adrianna. 2005b. “Moving from I to We: Reorganizing for Collaboration in Higher Education.” Change, 37:6, 50-57.

Bridging the Faculty-Staff Divide

Ashby Butnor, PhDFaculty Coordinator, Learning Communities and First Year Success

Philosophy Faculty

Heather Lindsay-Carpenter, MSAssistant Director for Student Outreach and Recruitment,

Learning Communities and First Year Success