Some Recommended Reading for Managing Changing Times in Higher Education

A theme that has been repeated again and again in my time as dean at Carlow University has been that we are living through a period of disruptive change in the world of higher education. In addition to the urgent challenges of seeking to grow enrollment and build financial health through innovative and new programs, recent conversations throughout campus have centered around the kinds of things that an institutional culture needs in order to manage and thrive during change. Here are a few of the resources we’ve been working with and that have helped advance our conversation about these things.

Our Iceberg is Melting

For starters, before my arrival at Carlow, our president introduced the university to Kotter’s change model through his popular book, Our Iceberg Is Melting. This has been useful as a foundation for understanding some of the dynamics of institutional change. We’ve been able to take stock of the eight dimensions of his change model and consider where we are at and where we have been. One interesting dynamic has been that we have developed strong sense of urgency from nearly everyone on campus. For the most part, people understand the challenges we are facing and the need to make changes. At the same time, the sustaining of a sense of urgency can have both a fatigue-inducing dimension as well as creating some discouragement when change is happening but results are not following as hoped.

XLR8

Related to this, one new dimension of our conversations about change this year has been around another aspect of Kotter’s work, based on his XLR8 book. This book builds on his change model but suggests that an institution’s hierarchical organizational structure may not be the best way to facilitate change, and may actually work against change. He proposes that, in addition to an organization’s hierarchical structure, in fact alongside of it, a network of agile teams involving key motivated and skilled individuals from throughout the institution can help drive the kinds of initiatives and activities that can generate lasting change. This is in contrast to the kind of changes that may be imposed from the top down through the hierarchical organizational structure. We are in the early stages of putting this kind of strategic plan management mechanism into place. At the moment, it is having the effect of energizing a number of us in terms of owning specific aspects of the strategic plan and also inviting other key people to engage with us in this specific area. I am excited to see the full implementation of this model in the weeks and months ahead.

Managing Transitions

A third dimension of our discussions have been about the need to manage not just change but transition. This conversation has drawn on the book Managing Transitions by William Bridges which reflects an understanding of how people respond to change and takes account of the need to manage the various phases of adjusting to new circumstances. Of particular interest to me was the idea of listening carefully to understand the concerns that people raise during period of transition. In particular, the concerns that are vocalized may not necessarily be the real concern. Thus, rather than responding to each concern that is verbalized by individuals, it is important to listen well to discern what the real question is; and then to find ways to acknowledge those concerns and to address those root concerns, to the extent possible.

All of us in higher education, whatever our role, have been dealing with disruptive change in recent years and perhaps for many years now. Looking at these changes at Carlow with the help of the resources above—and in the context of rich conversations about these dynamics facilitated by campus leaders—has helped me (and, I think, many of us) move to a point where we have reason to be quite hopeful about the opportunities that changed circumstances present us.

The Imaginal World of Early Christian Hymns

Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature I will present a paper in the Religious Experience in Antiquity section. My paper explores the ancient rhetorical concepts of deixis and mimesis as they relate to early Christian hymns. Specifically, I will look at how these concepts can shed some light on Philippians 2:6-11, considered by many to be an early hymn quoted by Paul in his letter.

One really interesting aspect of this discussion is the distinction that some have made between what is “imaginal” and what is “fictional” in early Christian worship. By fictional we refer to something that is not real and that is simply made-up. By imaginal we refer to something that, even though it is unseen, one understands it to be real. However, it is seen only in the mind of the worshipper. A concrete example of this is the depiction in Rev 4-5 of angels and others around the throne of God offering worship to God and to “the lamb” (i.e. the crucified and exalted Jesus). Someone reading Rev 4-5 will not actually see or be able to verify the reality of what is being described. However, the reader is invited to picture the scene as one that is actually occurring in the spiritual or heavenly realm. For one who accepts the portrayal in Rev 4-5 as in some sense real, it is not fictional but rather imaginal. One has to use one’s mental faculties to imagine the reality that is being portrayed.

A passage like the hymn in Phil 2:6-11 is similar in that it invites the reader to picture the realities it describes not as though they are made-up, but as though they are real. The first half of the hymn describes the earthly life of Jesus including his death on the cross. That description, though poetic, is clearly intended to communicate the author’s understanding of Jesus’s life and death. The second half describes his exaltation and reception of the divine name, including the worship of all creatures. This second part of the hymn is where the concept of the imaginal world is useful. This picture of Jesus as the exalted lord of all is not a reality that is visible in any way in the human world. But the hymn paints this portrait of reality that the reader is invited to accept not as fiction but as real. It is a glimpse into the imaginal world of early Christian belief.

While this heavenly worship can only be imagined, nevertheless there is also a concrete link between the imaginal world and the real world. The description of heavenly worship certainly mirrors to some extent that of the worship of the early Christians through the confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” If, according to Phil 2:6-11, every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will eventually bow in acknowledgement of Jesus, and every tongue will eventually confess his lordship, the early Christians were already participating in that reality. In fact, as they recited this hymn (if it was a hymn that they recited), then they would actually be confessing that “Jesus Christ is Lord” even as they were describing an imaginal scene of heavenly worship. In their experience of worship they were participants in this unseen reality. This appears to be one way that early Christian hymns bridged the conceptual space between the earthly and the divine.

It is this connection between the real and imaginal worlds that the concepts of deixis and mimesis can help to tease out. I’m looking forward to some good discussion around this topic next weekend and I'll post some further thoughts soon.

Aspects of the Liberal Arts in a Day at Carlow

Sometimes the disparate events in a day fit together and tell a compelling story. Upon reflection, three things today wove together in a really interesting way to remind me of what a unique privilege it is to work at a place like Carlow University.

First, the first Tuesday of the month at Carlow University the noon hour is designated as the Common Hour—a time for faculty and staff to gather to reflect on a significant topic, idea, or aspect of our mission and values. Today Mary Burke spoke about her work with the Project to End HumanTrafficking. The statistics and realities of these crimes against vulnerable individuals are startling for those of us who don’t encounter this information on a regular basis. But the work that is being done on a variety of fronts is inspiring and the idea that a Carlow education is one that prepares students to take on these kinds of social justice issues was a powerful reminder to me of the importance of our kind education.

Second, today the Office of Mercy Heritage partnered with the Carlow Art Gallery to bring in renowned poet Sam Hazo to read from his book on Pittsburgh along with the themed exhibit “Kane/Qualters: My Pittsburgh.” His reflections and readings were wide ranging from the humorous to the philosophical including reflections about what makes a university education so significant. He ended with his reflections on how we as a nation deal with national tragedies. He read his poem “September 11, 2001” as well as taking us to the day when John F. Kennedy was assassinated and describing how that day unfolded for him and many others. Though I had a full plate of meetings and obligations today, sitting and listening to Sam’s stories and poetry was time well spent.

Third, on the way home today I started into A Practical Education: Why Liberal Arts Majors Make Great Employees, a book recommend by one of our history faculty. In this book Randall Stross tells the stories of numerous humanities majors from Stanford who have gone on to demonstrate the value of the liberal arts as preparing them for all kinds of career opportunities. This book is timely in that we at Carlow are seeking to find new ways to express to students, parents, and employers the value that a liberal arts education adds and the ways in which it prepares students to be creative, engaged, problem solvers and leaders who are able to adapt to change and to be lifelong learners who can face new challenges with skill and confidence. Stross’s book looks to have some good insights to add to our current conversation within the humanities faculty in particular.

From addressing societal issues, to using artistic talent to reflect on one’s place and time, to thinking deeply about the value of the liberal arts as preparation for a good and successful life, this was a day that reminded me of the great environment that I have the privilege to be part of each day.