Dear Colleagues,


As we enter this middle of the semester, I am writing with an update about faculty and staff development initiatives that are grounded in a point emphasized in Simon Sinek’s Leaders Eat Last – one of the most important jobs of a leader is to develop future leaders.  With this as a foundation, the Division of Academic Affairs is partnering with Academic Impressions to create a five-pronged leadership development framework.  The pillars of the framework include the following:

  • Vice Provosts Yvette Pearson and Janice Hawkins are working with Academic Impressions to develop the Academic Affairs Leadership Academy, which will engage 25 teaching and research faculty and administrative faculty in a yearlong training series designed to prepare them as future leaders.
  • Vice Provost Pearson will coordinate with Academic Impressions to develop and deliver ongoing leadership training to chairs and directors across the institution.  The first session will occur later this month.
  • An Academic Affairs Staff  Leadership Development training series is being developed by Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff Luanne Bowman.   In addition, we are developing a Classified Staff Development Fund which will mirror the Division’s Faculty Development Fund.  AVP Bowman and I are working with our Academic Affairs Staff Council to implement the development fund and training sessions.  Recognizing the critical importance of staff as academic and student success leaders, we are committed to supporting our classified staff.
  • An online training series will be developed for all faculty and staff interested in leadership development.  We are finalizing access to the materials.  Everyone at ODU will have access to leadership materials provided by Academic Impressions.
  • The Provost’s Cabinet is also engaging in leadership development.  Our initial leadership development session included leadership assessments, a focus on team dynamics, and a discussion about Kevin McClure’s The Caring University.  One of McClure’s points is that development is a key ingredient for what he characterizes as a “caring university.”

The training series is off to a fantastic start.  Consider the following three comments from participants in the Academic Affairs Leadership Academy kickoff:

  • This meeting helped me to understand my leadership role better and from different viewpoints. I got a chance to meet new people and exchange ideas. I am leaving here with positive solutions to help make my job easier.
  • The explanations of each topic were very clear with great examples. The activities were brilliantly designed to help us develop a deep understanding and appreciation of the knowledge we were gaining.
  • I enjoyed the opportunities to engage with colleagues as well as chances to do some self reflection on my own leadership approaches and needs for improvement.

Similar feedback was provided by participants in the Provost’s Cabinet Leadership Training session:

  • I appreciated the space and facilitated discussions to positively grow the leadership capacity and effectiveness of our team. 
  • A much more fun and engaging day than I'd expected! Thanks!
  • Academic Impressions provided our cabinet the guidance and framework we needed to have critical conversations about our future.  This experience most definitely strengthened our team.

Leadership skills don’t automatically exist.  They must be developed through intentional training and hard work.

Speaking of hard work, some of you have seen me carry my lunch box to and from Koch Hall.  A sturdy item built by Stanley, the lunch box carries my coffee thermos and work-related papers.  I carry it as a reminder of my family and undergraduate experience.  Growing up in a blue-collar family, with a dad who carried a similar lunch box to his job, I had the good fortune of working my college-year summers in the local bottle factory where my dad worked.  My dad and I each had our own Stanley lunch box that typically carried bologna sandwiches plastered with mustard and mayonnaise, stale potato chips from the local Market Basket, and coffee that looked, and sometimes tasted, like oil.

Carrying a similar lunch box to work today, four decades later, reminds me about the hard work that we are all doing.  Since the beginning of the semester, I have visited thirteen academic departments and hosted eight lunches with groups of faculty to discuss ongoing initiatives.  Frequently, colleagues will say something to me along the lines of, “you must be really busy” or “you must be working really hard.”  My immediate response is that we are all working hard!

Much of the discussion in my departmental visits center on the Forward-Focused Digital Transformation Initiative.  A dedicated website for the initiative has been created and is available through a secure login.  A link to frequently asked questions is included on the website.  Additional details will most certainly be provided.  At this time, I want to extend my appreciation to all of you for engaging in the necessary work and discussions related to our efforts to prepare our institution for the future.

Please know that your hard work is appreciated. 

 

Brian K. Payne, PhD

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA 23529