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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


Over the summer, each member of the President's staff will take over this Wednesday Message to share his or her response on change, learning, students and community colleges. They will reflect on how swirling changes in higher education impact their work, their office/division, and their focus on student success. This week's message comes from Alberta Lee, Assistant to the President for Human Resources and Organizational Development.

Today more than ever colleges need employees who have effective human management skills, value change, understand transition, and embrace transformation. Employees will need to develop new skills and develop competencies that align with lifting our college mission.  Our employees show up every day with a desire to serve MCC, our students, and our community. We want employees to think about how they interact with others and, when necessary, are willing to change in order to adapt to different situations.

Terry O’Banion states, “Many attempts at substantive change fail because administrators, faculty, and staff have had few opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge required for major change.”  The role of human resources is to engage employees in various ways to develop new skills and competencies.  Taking advantage of opportunities for development and engagement remain a priority but are sometimes missed or undervalued in our fast-paced environment.  This past year, our Support Staff Professional Development Committee sponsored several programs that addressed central and common themes of knowing the college, knowing yourself, and providing support to fellow colleagues.

In June, Dr. Dennis Boike was invited to our campus by our Faculty Senate Professional Development Committee.  A conversation in a small conference room between committee members evolved into a well-attended, thought-provoking program.  Leading with the question “Who are we?” was fitting because it encouraged meaningful dialogue around change.  Connecting “Who are we?” to Dr. Boike’s lecture on “Megatrends in the American Culture” created a platform for personal reflection.

O’Banion also states, “A massive in-house training program is required if the stakeholders are going to manage the change process.”  The new Employee Development Series (EDS) provides an opportunity for such training.  Feedback from participants indicated our employees are overwhelmed by the day-to-day challenges that come their way.  The series is designed to address these challenges and encourage participants to learn practical applications in the management of people, systems, and, ultimately, a changing environment. We aim to be flexible and adapt our organizational development strategies to ensure we stay connected to the evolving needs of our employees.  We look forward to future opportunities to engage employees.

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“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Ghandi

Alberta Lee
Human Resources
07/18/2012