From Excitement to Despair and Back Again: Towards a New Model of Communications and Development Linda G. Ross [rossl@educ.queensu.ca] and Rena Upitis [upitisr@educ.queensu.ca] Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada Prepared for the Second International Conference on Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices, Herstmonceux Castle, UK, August 16-20, 1998

Rena’s vision of the new learning community encompasses a caring and nourishing environment. She values the collective wisdom of students, faculty and staff. The Dean’s office door has been opened wide.[Linda: Journal, August 1996]

I think it was Socrates who said "live as if everything you do will eventually be known." I try to keep this as one of the mantras that sings in my head. That means that every penny I spend will eventually be known, every course decision – every whatever. It’s an accountability to the faculty as a whole, but to myself as well, and to the overall enterprise. The point is that if everything were laid out on the table, it would look sensible.[Rena in an interview with Beverley Bailey, Brandon University, June 1997]

This paper describes the evolution of a Communications and Development position at the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University. The co-authors are the Communications and Development Director, Linda G. Ross, and the Dean of the Faculty, Rena Upitis.

At Queen’s, as in other Canadian Universities, communications and development are separate functions with reporting mechanisms through University Departments of Advancement or Development (Hall, 1993). However, Rena wanted to combine communications and development as an integral part of the Faculty, and embody these functions in a combined position. Linda’s position is therefore unique at Queen’s. While challenging at first, her role within the University has now been "accepted" due to the coauthors’ approach to relationship building, aided by a record of successful fundraising projects. In her second year, Linda became a member of an information-exchange group that allows her access to the fundraising information available to the University’s development officers.

This self-study addresses three interrelated questions:
(1) what conditions were present to make the evolution of the position possible?
(2) what were some successes and false starts? and
(3) what was learned over a two-year period?

Conditions Present

By many measures, the Faculty of Education is changing at a pace unparalleled by other academic units at Queen’s University and elsewhere, and it is in this context that the position was developed. The academy is a challenging context. Collegiality and academic freedom, the role of committees, the existence of the Senate, and the emphasis on consensus, underscore the University as a system with the professoriate in control (Sheehan, 1997). In this context, Rena wanted to raise the profile of the Faculty of Education at Queen’s and beyond. She also needed to attract additional resources and funding, and therefore sought an individual with experience developing partnerships and finding new resources.

Linda joined the Faculty in May of 1996. She had both the academic qualifications requested (MEd) and the experience that the Faculty required. A major challenge would be to work comfortably within the context of the academy while introducing the Faculty to new projects.

One of Rena’s early goals was to democratize the information sharing and decision-making processes at the Faculty and allow all voices to speak and be heard. This was achieved in part through a listserv called EDNEWS (Upitis & Russell, 1998). When Linda and Rena began communicating electronically, EDNEWS had been operational for about one year. Their electronic communication over the first three months provided a chance for Linda to get to know the Faculty – the context and the culture, before formally becoming part of it. E-mail also gave Rena and Linda the opportunity to test out ideas privately and publicly. Finally, e-mail provided the means to communicate at convenient times accommodating Linda’s work-at-a distance schedule prior to joining the Faculty and Rena’s enormous teaching, research and administrative demands. Rena and Linda felt these e-mail contacts helped build a trusting relationship. Both responded quickly to messages, and both were accepting of controversial statements and candid opinion.

A considerable volume of literature discusses women and leadership (Astin & Leland, 1991; Colwill, 1993; Gill, 1997; Sharp, 1996) including concepts such as collective effort and shared power (Astin & Leland, 1991) and sharing responsibility with followers (Gill, 1997). Such models are particularly apt in considering effective leadership within the academy with its emphasis on autonomy and collegiality. Rena’s approach fits and extends these models. She believes all people have the potential to grow and when she offers a challenge she provides the collegial support required to make it happen. For example, in Linda’s first two weeks, one task was to work with Faculty members and the Director of a school in Cali, Colombia to outline the framework for a new program of professional development involving this South American school and the Faculty of Education. It was a nerve-wracking experience for Linda, but with Rena’s support, a great "kick start" into a brand new world.

Successes and False Starts

On Linda’s first day, several faculty dropped by to welcome her and to offer their "wish list." The day ended with a two-hour meeting with Rena. In preparation for this meeting, Rena had created a colour-coded file system of activities for Linda, representing five categories ranging from "top priority" to "make a contact now, but file for later." Rena noted wrily that there was probably "two and a half years of work in the files."

I am completed overwhelmed. I can’t believe the number of coloured files here. And what about the faculty? I’m not sure they have any idea what they’re really asking me to do. None of their requests are in Rena’s files. I now have a row of red files, all marketed urgent. I think that I might be the only one who knows that it will take quite a while to convert even one of those red files (urgent) to pink (ongoing). [Linda: Journal, May 1996]

As time went on many of the contents in Rena’s coloured files changed. Often, what originally seemed like a good investment of time, such as finding large sums of money for technology upgrades, would prove to be an unwise use of time. Also, Linda’s personal interests and experiences influenced "colour changes."

Over the first 18 months, all of the activities in the Communications and Development portfolio were new to the Faculty. An active Advisory Council composed of senior members of the business and education communities was struck and the help of the Council has been valuable. However, the day-to-day project design, implementation and management has been Linda’s responsibility, with Rena’s guidance and hands-on support. As the position evolved, Rena authorized funds for support for secretarial assistance, graphic design, computer graphics, and photography.

A description of each activity is beyond the scope of this paper. In general, however, Communications activities included promotion (e.g. articles, TV, and radio interviews by faculty), presentation materials (e.g. package to recruit corporate sponsorship for the Teachers’ Overseas Recruiting Fair), and marketing materials (e.g. Annual Report, and one-page descriptions of activities and events).

Development activities include projects that identify and target a niche market, develop a service, and run that service on a cost-recovery basis. For example, a tutoring service was developed where teacher candidates tutor university students and others in the community. Development activities also include projects that connect the Faculty with the Department of Advancement at Queen’s in fundraising (e.g. graduating class gift program) and cultivation (e.g. Alumni Newsletter and Homecoming events). Connections with the University’s Department of Advancement were both expedient and vital in terms of maximizing resources.

Successes were defined as those projects (1) that "break even" or show tangible or intangible gains, (2) that require a limited amount of Rena’s time and Linda’s ongoing time, (3) where no individual becomes disenfranchised, (4) where mechanisms are established that allow the project to continue, (5) and where mostly "good feelings" surround the project. False starts were defined as projects that held promise but for a variety of reasons worked less well or did not work at all. Some of the reasons included (1) inadequate support, (2) political issues, (3) unclear expectations and roles, and (4) poor choices of partners.

With respect to Communications, the Faculty’s media relations project resulted in more than 50 media responses (print based and electronic) to activities and events in the first year. Previous to this, media attention of any type was rare. Such an outcome is considered to be highly successful because Linda’s time is most often the only resource engaged in the project and many tangible benefits accrue from the media exposure. This differs from other Communications projects such as marketing materials or Annual Reports where more people and funds are involved.

With respect to Development, three projects in particular, a class gift project, the tutoring service, and a program concentration for teaching in business and industry were examples of successful projects. Thank Q, "the graduating class gift program", operated in both 1997 and 1998, bringing an additional $75,000 to the Faculty over the three years. High return for reasonably limited development time made this a successful project. While Linda’s investment in Thank Q was considerable it was not excessive, as much of the work was carried out by the Faculty of Education students and Department of Advancement staff. A limited amount of Rena’s time went into this project as well. The development time devoted to the second year (Thank Q ‘98) was considerably less due to the mechanisms and relationships established in the first year. The third year will require even fewer resources and time.

For TutorInk, Linda’s development time was considerable. Many others were also involved. Several factors contributed to the protracted development time. Linda was learning her way around when the project began, negotiations in some instances were difficult, and the project coordinator changed during the development phase. However, this new service is now thriving as a cost-recovery program.

A third example of a successful project is the development of a concentration for teaching in business and industry. Linda worked with a small team at the Faculty in outlining the program structure, and recruited an individual with a professional background in both business and education. At the time of writing, the Faculty is anticipating receiving funding for a proposal Linda and colleagues wrote to support this new area. Linda has invested considerable time in this project, however, Rena’s time has been limited and the long-term result will be niche market area, a core program concentration, and institutionalized funding.

One obstacle in understanding the impact of this position is the issue of evaluation. Typically, evaluation of faculty and staff is carried out by rating an individual’s performance in relation to that of his or her peers. For Linda, no such process is possible as she has no peers at the Faculty or at the University.

I’m feeling quite excited but also quite stressed. I think it’s difficult to know how to evaluate my progress in this role as you have no one to compare me to. Sometimes I feel like I’m kind of out there on my own.[Linda: Monthly Report, September 1996]

As well, all of the projects are new, so there are no comparable projects to use as yardsticks for evaluation. However, yardsticks are now evolving as projects like the graduating class gift program occur for the second and third time. There is also the issue of legitimacy. The position contains no legitimate power and thus the ability to influence attitudes and enforce timelines occurs only through negotiation. Arguably, negotiation is a more long-lasting way of influencing than power or authority alone (Upitis, 1998). Actual authority has to be negotiated day-to-day. The effectiveness of individuals depends in part on their skill in negotiating authority and on whether others reinforce or undercut their efforts (Williams, 1996; Tannen, 1995). Project development depends upon influencing and managing people, time and results. It is exhilarating when it "works" and painful when it doesn’t.

bruised but smiling (just a bit crooked) banana signing off for 1997.[Linda Monthly Report, December 1997]

we won’t get it right every time. Sometimes we’ll make mistakes ... lose our peels.[Rena’s response]

What Did We Learn ?

Starting new projects at the Faculty takes time and commitment. For Linda, the opportunity to be challenged but supported was necessary.

This has been really tough at times but I don’t know where else it would have worked and I’m sure it would never be possible without Rena. I get exhausted but no one here works harder or tries harder than Rena. [Linda: Journal, October 1997]

For Rena, developing trust in Linda’s ability to persevere with good humour, energy and wisdom was paramount.

Sorry we went on a bit long today. It’s not easy to listen to people natter away about how they view the world and your role in it. BUT, we’re all learning. And I’m ever grateful to you for your willingness to challenge yourself and challenge us all. [Rena:E-mail, December 1997]

We’ve learned that success means thinking strategically, like setting a limit on the number of projects being developed and sticking to it! This is important both in terms of maximizing available time and resources as well as minimizing the sense of loss and frustration when projects are shelved (Williams, 1996).

We began this work in two parallel streams -- Communications and Development. We now believe that beginning with Communications and phasing in Development might have been a better way to establish such a combined portfolio. We have affirmed that developing projects based on new concepts and approaches requires "start up" individuals with strong interpersonal skills and generous spirits. We have learned that there must be an appropriate fit between expectations and experience. And, we agree absolutely that trust is a vital first ingredient and that the time invested in developing trust will net powerful and enduring rewards.

References

Astin, H. & Leland, C. (1991). Women of influence, women of vision: A cross-generational study of leaders and social change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Colwill, N. (1993). Women in management: Power and powerlessness. In B. Long & S. Kahn (Eds.), Women, Work and Coping, pp. 73-89. Montreal: McGill Queen’s.

Gill, Barbara A. (1997). Becoming A Leader: Strategies For Women In Educational Administration. Paper presented at the Canadian Association for the Study of Women in Education, St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Hall, M. (1993). The Dean’s Role in Fundraising. Baltimore: John Hopkins.

Sharp, R. (1996). Management in higher education: Some personal reflections on the dilemmas of high office in academia. Critical Perspectives on Cultural and Policy Studies in Education. 15(1) 77 - 88.

Sheehan, N. (1995). Decanal Leadership. Panel Discussion at Canadian Association of Deans of Education.

Tannen, D. (1995). The power of talk: Who gets heard and why. Harvard Business Review. 138-148.

Upitis, R. (1998). Authority of heart and teacher education reform. In A. Cole, R. Elijah, & J.G. Knowles (Eds.), The Heart of the Matter, pp. 455-488. San Fancisco: Caddo Gap.

Upitis, R. & Russell, T. (1998). Building a teacher education community. In M.L. Hamilton (Ed.) Reconceptualizing Teaching Practice, pp. 77-109. London: Falmer.

Williams, P. (1996). Getting a Project Done on Time. New York: Amacon.