Changing the World
Today I’d like to share a story with you of someone who is a contemporary of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and who broke ground and cracked class ceilings in her own way. Also born in 1933, S. G. P. was born in Oklahoma and spent her high school years on the family farm outside of Guthrie,…
Read MoreAnswers and Questions
Many of you know that one of my leadership lessons over the years has been learning to ask the right questions. Or should I say working to learn to ask the right questions since it is an on-going practice. And learning to ask good questions, let alone the ‘right’ ones is challenging. Years ago, when…
Read MoreTouchstones and Wayfinding
There’s a scene in the movie “Terms of Endearment” when Patsy says to her best friend who is dying of cancer, “You’re my touchstone, Emma.” It’s an interesting moment because to the outward world, Patsy is the one who looks like she has it all and has it all together. Emma on the other hand…
Read MoreChoice vs. Control
At various points in my life, I’ve had a, well-deserved, reputation for being a bit klutzy. In my first three months in a new job at McMurry University, I slid down a short flight of cement stairs on my shins in front of my new boss. Then I came back from a waterskiing trip with the…
Read MoreSprained Ankles and Complicated Semesters
Ruts, Routines, and August
Several years ago I wrote a paean to fall on campus. I waxed poetic about the energy of the fall semester and the start of our new year. I wrote about empty campuses suddenly filled with students, parking lots that had been deserted now filled with cars, and sidewalks bustling with students – some new and…
Read MoreSix Summer Savories
August is such an interesting month, isn’t it? Here in central Texas it’s bakey-hot. Regularly breaking the 100º mark and still 80-something at midnight. And yet it’s the beginning of Fall for those of us in higher education or with school-age children. And of course, this is a particularly *interesting* August. For all I don’t like…
Read MorePlus Ça Change
If I met someone new while I was still working on campus, when they learned my title was either Dean of Students or VPSA, a response I often got was “Oh, you’re the one who’s in charge of the students.” My reply? “No, I’m not.” It often seemed to leave them feeling a bit perplexed. If I…
Read MoreChange and Loss
I don’t know who said it, but one of my all time favorite quotes about change is: “The only person who really likes change is a baby with a wet diaper.” After all, even someone who embraces change has something they want left alone. One of the most important lessons I ever learned about change…
Read MoreThe Practice of Gratitude
One of my top five Strengths is Learner which probably doesn’t surprise anyone who knows me well. I get fascinated by a variety of topics and fall down rabbit holes learning about them. After I read Margaret J. Wheatley’s book, Leadership and the New Science, I spent the summer reading books about physics. (Notice I…
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