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However, as I have matured somewhat in my career, I am more selective in the speaking engagements I accept. When asked to join you here this evening, it was without question that the audience was one of my favorites. The Phi Theta Kappa Chapters are one of the most, if not the most, important student organizations on our community college campuses.

And, the topic “Customs, Traditions and Celebrations: the Human Drive for Community” is one which I can personally relate, as I can assure you that if it were not for the professional organizations in my life, you would be inviting a different speaker here today, as I would not be a college president nor a college vice president. On many occasions, I have publicly acknowledged the importance of the workplace unions, professional associations and water-cooler communities to my professional success.

But before I move forward, let me pose a question to you, which I ask you to ponder as you listen to my remarks.

A very simple question: Why do you belong to Phi Theta Kappa? I suggest there are really only three reasons one joins an organization, an association or union or other such group. Those reasons are:

• What can the organization do for me?
• What can I do for the organization?
• Or, you join because of peer pressure.

Sometimes sharing personal experiences can help clarify some of these issues.

Let’s explore first the workplace unions:

1. How many of you are even aware of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamster scandal?
2. The striking miners in Pennsylvania?
3. The air traffic controller’s strike during the Reagan years?

I am told that you all had an opportunity to review part of a book, “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnum, and especially two of the chapters: “Connections in the Workplace” and “What Killed Civil Engagement: Summing Up.”

Let me share with you my own personal experiences with workplace unions. My first recollection -- and whether it was by personal recollection or hearing the story from my mother and father – that I do not recall.

It was during World War II and my father was in the service and my mother worked at one of the Defense plants in Jacksonville, Illinois, a town not far from where we lived. This was a plant called Nesco and my mother was doing what was referred to as piece work in which she got paid by the number of units of this particular product she could put together in a day.

And basically it was the owners of the companies or management, who would determine that you would make X number of dollars for producing X numbers of pieces. And, what I remember was my mother talking about how hard she had to work to reach her quota each day to make the money she needed to help support our family.

My next recollection of unions was when we moved to Peoria, Illinois and my father went to work on an assembly line at Caterpillar Tractor. This was now in the early 1950’s (I now know you are all doing the math to determine how old I am – it will fit) and I never really recalled my father talking about his workload, or in other words, how many pieces he had to complete in this assembly line. He seemed content in his job.

When I graduated from high school, I went to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois with an athletic scholarship. One of the opportunities the Athletic Department arranged for many of the athletes was summer employment at Caterpillar Tractor, the same company where my dad worked.

These were well paying jobs for college students and I accepted one on the Third Shift, which started at 11 o’clock at night and finished at 7:00 in the morning. My job was to burr the holes in transmission cases (describe the process.)

I was shown how to do this -- a very simple task --and was told my quota was ten cases a night.

These cases slid down a mechanical track and I completed all ten cases within the first two hours of my shift and then asked the Forman what I should do. He was absolutely irate and I received a lecture on the importance of not doing more than ten cases a night.

I was advised that I should do a case and then go to the bathroom, do another case and spend some time at the water cooler or the soda machine, or visit with someone else in the plant, but that it was important that I spread out my work and finish at the end of my eight-hour shift.

This seemed absolutely ridiculous to me and certainly a waste of my time. But, obviously I followed the rules of the game and waited to have an opportunity to talk with my father, whom I might add was the strongest union man I have ever met.

He explained to me that if I didn’t adhere to my work load that I could ruin it for all the workers at Caterpillar, that I didn’t realize how the union had negotiated the number of pieces on every line that would be done, and that management should not expect any more.

Our family always seemed short of money, but I was unable to convince my dad that if every worker in the plant would produce just 10% or 20% more, then the company would have a greater income, and thus they could pay the employees more.

It was futile because in his heart he believed that management would just get fat and the money would not come back to the employees. But, why did he feel that way? It was because he and my mom had worked in the times in which they could barely meet productivity demands, there was no health coverage and there were unsafe working conditions. It was the union that negotiated the changes in these working conditions. They would never go against their union. If my dad had a choice, would he have belonged to the union because of what he could give them, or what they could give him? It was obvious.

Now, let me jump a few more years ahead to when I was a 26-year-old Assistant Dean at Rutgers University, my first job in higher education administration. The Vice President of the University, who ended up being one of my most important mentors, advised me early in my career of the importance of professional organizations. He insisted I become a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the Eastern Dean’s Association and several others. I can share with you today that had it not been for those professional associations, there is absolutely no question in my mind that I would not be a college president, or maybe even a college vice president.

It was through those associations that I came in contact with some of the very best people in our profession, had an opportunity to dialogue and share experiences with them, and establish some of the finest networks any professional administrator could ever hope to develop. It was through those networks that I learned of the good positions which were available and received recommendations when necessary.

And today, almost every one of our professions has such organizations, which provide that type of support to its members. But, why did I join? In the beginning it was for the same reason my dad had joined his union. It was for what they could do for me.

But, permit me to expand a little more:

Belonging to professional associations, provide many opportunities, but the most powerful is the opportunity for mentoring and networking. Through the professional associations, you may have the opportunity to associate and learn from the icons of your field and if you actively participate in those associations, you will establish strong networks, which will assist you in your professional career.

That is very important in the early stages of your career because no one knows you nor do they know your capability. Let me step back a little and reflect upon the stages of a work career. You will see the importance of unions, professional associations and networking.

As you begin your professional career the common feeling most of us have is, “If I can just get my foot in the door, if I can just get an interview, I know I can sell these people that I will be good for their company.” How many of you have felt that way in your life or feel that way now? You feel this way because you know you are competing against many and you have no track record for one to judge your talents.

In the middle of your career, after you have had some successes, networks are very important for you because you have enough experience to get in the door and now you have others who may be experts in the field writing recommendations or assisting others to understand how talented you really are.

And in the later part of your career, if you have reached the success that we all dream of, you don’t even have to apply for jobs. They come looking for you -- through networks -- through professional search firms -- that is when you have arrived. And that can be true whether you are a college faculty member, an administrator, an attorney, an accountant, or an executive in any business or industry.

Thus, let’s reflect back on the title of this talk: “Now I am on my way. Do I need others?”

I would suggest we always need others.

Now are you still pondering why you joined Phi Theta Kappa? Did you join Phi Theta Kappa for what you could do for the organization or for what it could do for you?

Let me share something else I experienced at Rutgers University. I, once again, came across what was something like a union. It was the faculty of Rutgers University. But, as a member of the faculty, you had to have academic rank, which I did not as an administrator; and, thus I was unable to attend faculty meetings.

At faculty meetings, they passed regulations on student behavior, on discipline, on academic standing and many other matters affecting students.

And, think of it, here I was as one of the administrators responsible for the out-of-classroom growth of our students, but unable to participate in meetings which set the rules, regulations and standards for our students.

As you think about the associations you would like to have in your workplace, I can assure you that nothing would bother you more than to be excluded from organizations because of your position.

I might add that has been changed at Rutgers University and at most universities around the country.

But, lets go further. In those professional associations, unlike the unions of the workplace, they can only thrive and be effective if the membership contribute, be an active partner and give of themselves. Isn’t that true of Phi Theta Kappa? Your organization cannot exist unless you develop scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship -- the four hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa.

Now, let’s move away from the organized professional associations or organizations to the workplace. What informal communities exist in the workplace that one has the opportunity to participate? Are such associations important to your professional or personal life?

Let me share with you one of the stories shared with me by a Vice President of a major corporation in Rochester. This gentleman retired at the early age of 58, and when queried by me as to how he was adapting to retirement, he related the following:

He indicated that what he missed the most was the daily conversations he had, not about business, but just in general with his fellow colleagues. Primarily he indicated that what he missed most was the opportunity to associate and converse with women. He said he has his country club, his own family, etc., but there was little opportunity to have discourse with women.

At first I found this amusing, but then realized that there was a big hole in this man’s life. He had used what we call the water-cooler conversation opportunity with both men and women in his company, but as he moved into retirement, he found that the only associations he now had was with men.

I tested this comment on a woman executive who had retired and she related almost the same story. She indicated she had just shared with her husband that what she missed most in retirement, was not the travel to interesting places, but the workplace discussions with both men and women.

I would suggest that our society has become a great society because we have shared and enjoyed the dependence upon each other, and when you remove one of those ingredients, we miss it. And I am suggesting that the evolution which has taken place in the workplace from the strong unions which so many belonged, to the professional associations that people elect to belong, to the water-cooler associations where people convene, is because of a need.

As I have been sharing these vignettes with you, I hope you have been thinking about why you belong to Phi Theta Kappa.

Let me add one last vignette. One of our Student Association officers was in to see me this week to discuss a project she had in mind. She is going to graduate this year and I asked her “What’s next?” She said she is going to transfer, and then with tears in her eyes, said to me “I don’t want to leave this place. I love MCC so much I want to stay here.” And of course, I asked her why and she said “Because I have so many friends and so many people I can talk with and associate with, and I love what I am doing with the Student Association, the meetings I have with my teachers and all the friends I’ve made.”

She is an excellent student, but what makes her an excellent student to a great part is she is very satisfied with her “work environment.” And I suggest that as you move on to your chosen field, for you to be the productive and important member of your workforce team, you will have to be a happy, satisfied employee.

And I know few people that can say that they enjoy that without the close, positive association of others in the workplace.

In closing, I share my own personal observation regarding the importance of the informal communities in our workplace.

At Monroe Community College our faculty, staff and students are probably tired of hearing me say how much I love going to work everyday. I truly enjoy the opportunity for the conversations and associations I have with our faculty, staff and students and our greater community. I love belonging to those informal communities.

And, now, let’s get back to you.

How many of you can honestly say you initially joined Phi Theta Kappa because you desired to contribute in one of the four hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa ---scholarship, leadership, service or fellowship? Or, how many of you joined because you thought membership in Phi Theta Kappa could benefit you?

By now I hope you agree with me that community is important, and if I haven’t convinced you, open up the comic section in your local newspaper and read Dilbert. Here is a guy who can’t even function in the funny papers without an odd cast of co-workers.

Author and leadership mentor Steven Covey wrote, “Without Involvement There is No Commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it -- no involvement, no commitment!”

So, the conclusion to my topic this evening “Do you really need others?” The answer is a definitive yes!

And, in one of the statements in our reading “Bowling Alone” it was reported that Americans at the beginning of the 21st Century (that’s you) are less likely than their parents were to join co-workers in formal associations. I encourage you to buck that trend.

And, as I close, Winston Churchill’s remarks seem very appropriate tonight: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Thank you.