Page 29 - Chair Academy Conference

Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - Roundtable/Concurrent Session 2 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm

THE CORNERSTONE EXPERIENCE: FOSTERING SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION
AND GOALS CLARIFICATION AMONG FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

Location: St. Moritz

Presented by: Denis Wright, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Edison State College, Fort Myers, FL,
Eileen DeLuca, Dean, College and Career Readiness, Edison State College, Fort Myers, FL

The path to degree completion can involve a series of detours and course corrections for college students. This
session will introduce the Cornerstone Experience, a frst-year experience course and program, aimed at
engendering critical thinking skills and success strategies to increase retention and success of FTIC students.
The course provides an opportunity for students to examine their motivation for attending college, analyze their
learning styles, personality traits, and aptitudes. These self-discovery activities are applied to choosing a major,
setting career goals, and ultimately “staying on path” toward degree completion.

The attendees will beneft by:
• Understanding how to lead a college-wide initiative focused on supporting frst-year student success.
• Obtaining strategies for guiding faculty and staff toward achievement of student retention and success.
• Examining a model for implementation of a frst-year experience course and program.
• Learning how to integrate critical thinking, goals clarifcation, and campus engagement into the frst-year
curriculum.
• Analyzing course and program effcacy through qualitative and quantitative assessments.

ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP AND SHARED GOVERNANCE: The Chair Academy’s 23rd Annual International Leadership Conference
WORKING TOGETHER TO MANAGE CHANGE

Location: Bern

Presented by: James C. Mabry, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ

Resolving institutional challenges in a rapidly changing educational world requires both fexible expertise and
sustained courage. Blending the adaptive leadership model of Ronald Heifetz with the practice of shared
governance is a diffcult road to travel but can lead to greater engagement, common ownership, and more
sustainable solutions. Heifetz calls for an honest and open diagnosis of the challenges and a forthright discussion
of the need for change, while recognizing not everyone will listen or embrace change. This session will also
describe how system level and personal level analysis is necessary to solve today’s adaptive challenges.

The attendees will beneft by:
• An introduction to the adaptive leadership model
• A better understanding of leading in a shared governance environment
• Learning basic strategies of adaptive leadership
• Practicing the process of diagnosing challenges
• Understanding how refective practice is a necessary tool for personal and professional growth

27