Who You Calling A Jesse?

The Ontario Premier made his speech the other day that gave a big nod to the need for a stronger education system (no mention of the money to do it btw) but along with nod came some silly goals that demonstrate a clear misunderstanding with the state of higher education in Ontario. The globecampus.ca blog outlines some issues but I think it misses the point, we need revolution in education not just more bums in seats.

Here’s my view of the world (simplified/generalize for effect):

• Universities are tooled to create more academics, other outcomes besides professional accreditation are unintentional.
• The government has given money to build buildings over the last 10 years – not lecture halls but buildings – and no money to maintain the buildings.
• Budget cuts have peeled away operating budget of departments over 10 years but the pressure to deliver more has seen staff being hired without the flexibility or ability to look at how things fit within the larger organization.
• Staff are better educated than in the past and in many cases more skilled than the academics yet are seen as second class citizens within the organization.
• Most academics want to teach, do research, and focus on their vocation – they do not want to recruit, do marketing or communications, manage staff outside of their research group, or be a department chair, associate dean, or dean.
• Research funds rarely contribute to the well being of the institution or teaching. Heck they likely don’t pay for the power consumption of the toys they buy.
• Academic time and process rewards mediocracy and we all know mediocre products are crap (I say this while looking at my UW degree).
• Students are paying way too much in tuition and have earned the right to view higher education as a service not an earned place that expects, requires, and rewards hard work (not with a job but with that little warm feeling you get, currently most students think only about jobs).
• Like all of the publicly funded jobs, the leaders are gone or in the process of being chased out. As we head out of the recession a new exodus of the employable from public service will most certainly occur.

To tackle these things takes breaking out of the mediocre and into some pretty crazy thinking. We need to take risks, experiment, and challenge the establishment that is almost dysfunctional outside a few pockets of brilliance. What the Ontario government is offering is more of the same—rhetoric, promises, and likely funds earmarked and the established system not a revolution.

Of course that isn’t for the government to dictate. We need to figure this out and we need the leaders within higher education that are willing to do so. I see glimpses of it but I fear we won’t really go for it as there is little appetite or motivation to break out of the crisis management culture and throw away status quo. However, if I was king of higher education this is what I would try:

• Remove administrative or managerial positions that are just appointments of academics—make them apply against other professionals
• Create a product management office, force them on the world with a mandate to train people to think about their products and projects.
• Put post-docs in the classroom, formalize a new class of research focused academics which they are associated with and require them to ship a new product or service every 2-3 years
• Create a hybrid of distance education and intense campus education along with co-op
• Move staff from the silos of departments to special team pools that can charge out for services and rotate throughout campus (modern take on secretarial pools)—that way you can rally on time sensitive pushes and build expertise along with campus wide perspective
• Service Level Agreements
• More programs and services to students that are not related directly to academics but tied more to the local community (build more VeloCities).

Could be all crazy ideas but I would like to try at least one or two of them ;) We need to think differently about higher education and how we function institutionally. If we continue down the cut backs, hand outs, and status quo we will surely self destruct within a generation.

Disclaimer: I would say this openly on campus and I am pretty sure it may offend some but these are thoughts being thrown out there. We need to start thinking and trying things.

This week I have been spending some family time in Traverse City, Michigan. This is the second time we have been here in the last eight months and this time I have been paying a lot more attention to the local media, tv, news, etc.

You need a drug, surgery, or better—a place to put your retired parents

What I can’t believe is the amount of talk and advertisements about health treatment, post-treatment stuff, and drugs. Every second commercial is trying to sell you a treatment… it’s nuts. I could be just looking for it but honestly US folks, I don’t get how you can be against the government doing something about the big business that is doing everything it can that you are all requiring treatment all the time.

Driving across the border: “Do you have a pocket knife?”

Honestly, how theatrical is all of US border security now (its not just for planes)? They are asking about things like pocket knives when someone could buy a 50 caliber sniper rifle at a gun shop down the road. Knives? Well there are plenty of those for $10 as well. I am not sure if the questions bug me or the aggression and fear that comes across when crossing the border. It makes no sense to me that these folks at the border are a ‘first line’ of defense—there is no way you catch the real criminals by puffing up at the border, the ones smuggling large amounts of stuff aren’t just driving across… are they?

I took the above photo at a Gander Mountain outfitters. It was in the middle of a sea of guns… even pink hand guns. I am not a big supporter of gun control (I think you do need to require training, register, and don’t sell guns to criminals) but why in the world would anyone need a 50 caliber sniper rifle? Just in case the deer goes behind a tree and you want to fast track the venison sausage making process?

Prices in Canada are close to prices in Michigan

This is probably my biggest surprise and something I didn’t notice last time i was here. Baby formula is $19 a tub, the same formula is $20 in Waterloo. Diapers are no contest, half the price here but a decent steak is $13-14 a pound—pretty close to the Bauer butcher in Waterloo. Besides cars, trucks, entertainment, gas, and clothes the prices of a lot of goods are similar.

It has been a good trip but I will rethink when we will come back. It is still easier to get here than Northern Ontario (thank you 400) and I can still fish, snowboard, etc. The infrastructure is better geared towards tourists, hotels are nicer and far less expensive, with condos that have kitchens that save loads of $$ on meals for kids.

Next week it is back to work time, but now I will enjoy the rest of the week ;)

At the end of 2009 it is worth a look back at a decade that just happens to be the first 10 years since I was a full-time student. I entered the naughties in a job based out of Thesselon Ontario working for the Community Development Corporation trying to get small business on the web and into our crazy new web site (which was updated only recently to a much better site). Now I am part of a small team of folks trying to get students at the University of Waterloo connected to people that will help build something awesome at VeloCity.

I would have never guessed the decade would close the way it has and I have to say I feel extremely lucky. While all the madness of the world was going on I met my wife, bought a house, experienced a part-time grad program, I have kids, and lots of other fun stuff.

What have I learned?

• I knew nothing in my 20s
  
  • …and spent way too much time worrying about things
  • …and I let that worry guide too many decisions
• experience is important, embrace every experience good or bad but don’t let experience limit you
• always take calculated risks and be ready for Plan B (because you are wrong about plan A most of the time)
• how not to take things personally instead of just saying that I don’t

I hope that the next 10 years are just as fun as the last 10. Just like in 1999 when I thought I would be old in 2009, I think I will really be old in 2019… hopefully wiser ;)