Bridging the Faculty-Staff Divide Ashby Butnor, PhD Faculty Coordinator, Learning Communities and First Year Success Philosophy Faculty Heather Lindsay-Carpenter, MS Assistant Director for Student Outreach and Recruitment, Learning Communities and First Year Success

What divide??

This one!

Presentation Overview 1.Faculty-Staff Differences 2.Building Bridges: Essentials of Collaboration 3.Lessons from our Office 4.Group Discussion: Collaborative Successes

Exercise #1 1.Visit posters throughout room. 2.React! Does the quote resonate with you? Do you empathize? Feel enraged? Write your reaction on each poster. 3.Reflect, Pair up, & Discuss What does your initial response tell you about faculty-staff dynamics on campus?

Quote #1 “Why do I not interact more with administrative staff? Because I believe that 90% of their functions are unnecessary.” -- Tenure-track Faculty Member

Quote #2 “I’m not sure why faculty won’t engage more with my program. We’re all here for the same purpose– to serve and support the students.” -- Program Coordinator (Professional Staff)

Quote #3 “Our office has both faculty and student services staff. This has generally been a good synergy with mutual respect but staff do notice when faculty aren’t present or aren’t contributing in the same way that they do.” -- “Staffulty” (Faculty/Staff Hybrid)

Faculty & Staff Differences What is the nature of these differences? Why do these differences result in tension? Should we bother collaborating?

What is the nature of these differences? Differences in: Background Type of work Autonomy & organizational structure Expectations regarding collaboration View of the university & its role

Staff Background Varied backgrounds – With specific training in higher education Typically work standard 40-hour weeks within a hierarchical organizational structure (involves timesheets) Tend to work collaboratively Engage in various trainings and workshops to stay current in “best practices” Want to best “serve students”

Faculty Background Highly specialized areas of research Spend considerable time earning degrees Highly protective of their autonomy & time Spend most work time teaching & doing research, some travel & committee work Different forms of hierarchies within ranks Many faculty have never interacted with student services staff

Why do these differences result in tension?

Staff Perception of Faculty Question for staff members: What are your perceptions of faculty on this campus?

Staff Perception of Faculty Unavailability and/or unwillingness to collaborate on programs that will be useful to them & their students Communication/connection is difficult Faculty jobs are “easier” because of flexibility in schedule Many are “elitist” Don’t understand all of what their job entails

Faculty Perception of Staff Question for faculty members : What are your perceptions of staff on this campus?

Faculty Perception of Staff See many programs as bureaucratic and producing inefficiencies See staff wasting university resources that are diverted away from academic departments Are not aware of what staffers actually do Do not believe that student service programs have a connection to what they are doing

What is the role of the university?

Role of the University Faculty – See the role of the university as promoting a culture of learning for its own sake, which includes the creation and dissemination of knowledge Staff – See the role of the university as supporting students in their educational journey, including psycho-social development (connection, engagement, leadership, service, etc.)

“Faculty and administrators cannot work together, and at times work at odds with each other. The plethora of units, divisions, and departments is staggering. I have given up on the idea of collaboration or people working together in meaningful ways, even though it is important to me.” -- Staff member at a research university (Kezar 2005b)

“The problem is that we keep trying to force collaborative innovations into a structure and culture that supports individual work.” -- Provost at a large comprehensive university (Kezar 2005b)

Is collaboration necessary? Why bother? Can’t we all just do our own thing?

Bridging the Divide

And Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Envision the best possible bridge

Essentials of Collaboration “The problem is that we keep trying to force collaborative innovations into a structure and culture that supports individual work.” If this is true, how can we move from a context of departmental/divisional silos to one of meaningful collaboration across campus? (Kezar 2005b)

Essentials of Collaboration Defining Collaboration “In order to be considered collaboration, it is key that the process entail an interactive process (relationship over time) and that groups develop shared rules, norms, and structures…” Focus on internal collaboration: Cross-divisional teams, interdisciplinary teaching/research, student & academic affairs collaboration (Kezar 2005a)

Essentials of Collaboration Part 1: Building Commitment External Pressure Values Learning Networks Part 2: Solidifying Commitment Priority from Senior Leadership Mission Networks Part 3: Sustaining Commitment Integrating Structures Rewards and Incentives Networks (Kezar 2005a)

Exercise #2 Pair Discussions: Given these Collaboration Essentials, what needs to be done to enhance collaborative efforts– on campus generally or within your program specifically? Collaboration Essentials Building Commitment: External Pressure, Values, Learning, Networks Solidifying Commitment: Priority from Senior Leadership, Mission, Networks Sustaining Commitment: Integrating Structures, Rewards & Incentives, Networks

Lessons from our Program Integrated work spaces Classroom visits by Academic Advisor and SAs Use faculty bait (director, faculty coordinator, etc.) Faculty Welcome/Faculty Guide Committees comprised of both faculty and staff Incentives for partnerships (co-curricular mini-grants) Travel grants for faculty and staff Awards, awards, awards Respect (comes from knowledge, understanding, trust)

Collaborative Successes What has worked for you?

Bibliography Banta, Trudy and George Kuh “A Missing Link in Assessment: Collaboration Between Academic and Student Affairs Professionals.” Change, 30:2, Ginsberg, Benjamin The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All- Administrative University and Why it Matters. Oxford University Press. Kezar, Adrianna. 2005a. “Redesigning for Collaboration within Higher Education Institutions: An Exploration into the Developmental Process.” Research in Higher Education, 46:7, Kezar, Adrianna. 2005b. “Moving from I to We: Reorganizing for Collaboration in Higher Education.” Change, 37:6,

Bridging the Faculty-Staff Divide Ashby Butnor, PhD Faculty Coordinator, Learning Communities and First Year Success Philosophy Faculty Heather Lindsay-Carpenter, MS Assistant Director for Student Outreach and Recruitment, Learning Communities and First Year Success