Lessons for Leadership: Reflections of an American Council on Education Fellow

Department Chair Leadership:Building a Culture of InnovationJoshua PowersSpecial Assistant to the Provost for Academic Initiatives

U.S. Higher Education:A Tale of Conformity

Harvard - 1636In defense of the liberal arts - 1828Land-Grant Movement: The Peoples College - 1862in an industry where excellence is unclearU.S. Higher Education:A Tale of Conformity continuedRise of research mission Johns Hopkins 1876The rise of faculty professionalism - 1915Carnegie Foundation & birth of the academic calendar, credit hour, and a modicum of scientific management - 1910

U.S. Higher Education:A Tale of Conformity continued

Massification of higher education begins - 1946

Sputnik & start of higher educations golden age - 1957

Economic development as new mission mid-1980s

Whats Next?

Carnegie Classifications - 1973Americans Best Colleges - 198311 Traditional & Emergent Paradigms in Higher EducationTraditionalCredit hour = measure of seat timeAcademic calendar = semesters or quartersCollege = 4 yearsStudents = 18-21We are good because we say we are.College as ivory tower

EmergentCredit hour = measure of student workload or learningAcademic calendar = learning blocks or JITCollege = 3 yearsStudents = 18-80We pray at the feet of U.S. News & World Report.College as community embedded, econ dev engine11 Traditional & Emergent Paradigms in Higher Education continuedTraditionalFaculty = Tenured/Tenure TrackFaculty hiring, an independent sport.Professor Sage, lecturer of content.If we build it, it stays and will never die.Learning always best in face-to-face environment.EmergentFaculty = ContractFaculty hiring, an interdisciplinary endeavor.Professor Guide, facilitator of learning.If we build/built it, we better justify its existence.Technology is enabling customized learning.Source: Innosight; Clayton Christensen presentation, 2011 ACE Annual Conference, Washington, DC . Disruptive Innovations: A driver of leadership failure and the source of new growth opportunitiesPerformanceTimePerformance that customerscan utilize or absorbPace ofTechnological ProgressSustaining innovationsDisruptive innovationsIncumbents nearly always win Entrants nearly always winMost demanding customersLeast demanding customersDisruptive Innovation & Regional State University SchizophreniaThe intent and effect of sustaining innovation is to drive prices up. Disrupting innovation drives prices down.Replication, rather than disruption, characterized higher education in the past. The future might be different with the advent of customized, cost-effective learning.

Institutional aspiration confusion for places like ISUMy God, graduate education barely made it into the mission statement and when will we have a Dean for Research!Well, we arent Purdue or IU, but we arent USI either.

What is looming...

Source: Clayton Christensen presentation, 2011 ACE Annual Conference, Washington, DC . Who is Leading in the Race Toward Customized LearningFor-profits and some others are working in overdrive to develop customized learning tools.Currently seen as bottom-feeders. But, consider the students they serve and what they are likely learning.Resources

WGU Indiana triples enrollment in first six months

DeVry plans nursing school for central IndianaThe nation's sixth largest graduate school is relocating from Illinois to Indiana.University of Phoenix launches PhoenixMobile App for iPhone and iPod touch

The European higher education reform process is having an impact way beyond its borders.

Indiana States emerging competitive spaceSo, What Can Department Chairs Do About It?Recognize and align interests above and below.What faculty value (the IAM principle)IndependenceAttentionMatteringWhat the dean values (the RGM principle)ResourcesGrowthMatteringWhat senior administration values (the CEM principle)CooperationEfficienciesMattering8 Things Department Chairs Can Do to Stimulate InnovationAsk the elephant in the room question: Why do we do it this way?Be a big picture facilitator & create unit opportunities for big picture thinking; what do outsiders need vs. forcing conformity to how we do it?Help others to reframe their needs, issues, and goal achievement impediments.Leverage opportunities for revenue generation.8 Things Department Chairs Can Do to Stimulate InnovationDont be paralyzed by what you cant control and what $#@& rolls downhill. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.Check your ego; allow the dean and your faculty to take the credit.Empower innovators; sensitively isolate resistors.Celebrate success.

Closing Thought:Pride in Being Who We Are and What We can BeTo be a model for a new American University, measured not by who we exclude, but rather by who we include; pursuing research and discovery that benefits the public good; assuming major responsibility for the economic, social, and cultural vitality and health and well-being of the community.

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