It was nice to see a little rain this week – my car has been waiting for a light shower.
I mentioned before that the Vice Provost positions are posted. These are the ‘spots' previously held by Chris Greer (who continues to do a portion of his previous role) and Lisa Fischer. AS we failed the Vice Provost – Cooperative Extension position for the second time, I was reminded of something I heard from a former Vice Provost who said “never fail to make good use of a crisis”. As a result, the positions have been reconfigured and have responsibilities that are different from those positions held by Lisa and Chris. Given that Mark Bell is new and in a new position, I am relatively new, and these 2 positions were to be vacant, an opportunity presented itself to think about goals of UC ANR and then construct position descriptions to address those goals.
The goals, or performance criteria, represent a commitment to continuous improvement:
- Remain cost neutral
- Increase partnering between county-based UCCE and the RECs to leverage the assets of each unit and make the sum stronger than the individual pieces
- Enhance support for academics, particularly new academics
- Increase support for County Directors
- Develop positions that are attractive to recruitment and retention of strong applicants
It's too soon to measure success and nothing is ever perfect but the group of academics, staff, and senior leaders that worked on developing the positions thought outside the box and stayed true to the goals.
To address concerns about workload for one of the Vice Provost positions and address an additional goal to provide leadership opportunities without the requirement of a terminal degree or relocation while remaining committed to the foundation goals, above, 2 partial appointments for Assistant Vice Provosts are under recruitment. These positions are less defined and will be tailored to the appointed persons based on interests and strengths. It's a “build the plane as we fly it” approach but one that likely a good fit for those that like to build things. The flexibility is also, in part, a necessity given that a new Vice Provost will be on board during the appointment period. The Assistant Vice Provosts are key positions to help that Vice Provost get off to a strong start.
I'm a strong believer in looking for the silver lining of change. While perhaps a bit bumpy, it can be a very good thing if approached with a positive perspective. No doubt we are in the bumpy period, and will be for some period of time but the prospect of improving on the current state and bringing in new ideas whether it be to senior leadership, to the County Director Council which is now an expanded Research and Extension Council that includes both REC and County Directors, or the Strategic Initiatives that are recruiting for SI Leaders, is exciting. I'm anxious (in a positive way) to see what unfolds.
Tomorrow it is off to Riverside to meet with the CE Specialists. Later this week Academic Assembly Council meets. Thursday and Friday I'll be at the Kearney REC. Hard to believe we are nearing the end of October! I really need to get my ANR Competitive Grant reviews done – Program Council review is just around the corner.