A few weeks ago, I invited the College to continue to send in questions, anonymously, through the portal established for the fall Message to the College Community. Several of the initial questions are variants of the following:
How can we not just talk about respect but also act respectfully toward each other?
Since last spring, the topic of respect has been a focal point for often-heated discussions (and actions) on and off college campuses across the country. In just the past month, employees and students have reached out asking how the College can build a culture that demonstrates respect for their political beliefs, their religions, their voices in decision-making and governance, their lived personal experiences, their professional abilities, their perceptions of safety and security, and more.
Concern about the level of respect demonstrated within the hallways of higher education is not new. In the earliest universities, students showed their dissatisfaction with faculty and administrators by rioting and destroying classrooms and offices; in the early 1900s, President Woodrow Wilson observed that dealing with the politics of Washington would be nothing compared with navigating the politics of Princeton.
Yet, respect is essential to effective institutional shared governance. MCC’s next strategic plan sets forth a goal calling on the College to “foster a culture that promotes … mutual respect that is shared among students, faculty, staff, and administrators ... to enhance student learning and related outcomes and institutional improvement.” In other words, mutual respect—valuing what each individual, each stakeholder group brings to our shared work as a College community—will make us better. When I first read that goal, it sounded familiar; eventually, I recalled this line from a speech by First Lady Michelle Obama:
“We learned about gratitude and humility - that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean... and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect.”
Her 2012 Democratic National Convention Speech grounds respect in gratitude and humility, in understanding that everyone’s contribution is necessary for success.
Showing respect for this contribution, however, doesn’t mean ignoring differences. Rather, respect is demonstrated by how we work together productively through difference to find common ground. As Princeton alum, former NY Knick, and US Senator Bill Bradley once wrote, “Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it. No destructive lies. No ridiculous fears. No debilitating anger.”
As a community, we move beyond talking about respect to acting respectfully by showing gratitude for the contributions of all, demonstrating humility about our own accomplishments, disagreeing honestly and fairly, discussing differences candidly and openly, and—most importantly—by working together for our common goal: the success of our students. This is the mission that links us, and achieving it relies on the extraordinary dedication and talents of everyone at MCC.
Thank you for the questions and I welcome your thoughts on the
blog.
[Do you have a question or a topic that you would like President Kress to address in an upcoming Wednesday Message? Ask your question or suggest a topic anonymously<
https://monroe.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_emIUemOgeBJKg3X>.]