Great Colleges To Work For

This was the first year that CSM participated in the Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For" competition, and we did not receive the designation.  I personally believe that we are on the upswing, given the emphasis on employee health, recognition, and overall needs.  A total of 275 four- and two-year colleges entered and 97 were recognized.  We did very well in "job satisfaction/support," "professional development," and "facilities," but were much lower in "shared governance" and "communication."  Overall, 63% of our employees were positively inclined about the college and 10% were negative.  Among the administrators, it was 75% vs 7%; for the professional staff it was 62% vs 10%.  Our lowest scores were among the faculty = 61% vs 12%.

 

While I am disappointed, we actually hit the overall average for the 275 colleges and were higher in the administrator and faculty categories.

 

I won't get discouraged, and will continue to strive to make CSM a good place to work, as we ensure that our employees are treated fairly, we try to enhance our compensation packages, and try to get more individuals involved in decision-making processes.  The Quality Improvement Council now involves over 30 employees in determining budget enhancements-- up from just the number on PC.  The All-College Convocation will assist in morale-building and pushing out communication, and I will continue to host my Coffee with the Presidents to ensure that our employees have an opportunity to meet with me and share their ideas.

 

Brad

India

Yesterday was a special day for us as we met with high level officials of the Indian government.  Most prominent were Prabhat Chaturvedi (Secretary-- Ministry of Labor and Employment), Siddharth Dev Verman (Joint Secretary-- Ministry of Labor and Employment), and R. K. Chugh (Deputy Director General-- Training).  They were in the U.S. on a fact-finding mission. 

 

Many of their problems are not much different from what we encounter in this country.  These include not enough qualified teachers, too few getting the education that will benefit their nation, and financial pressures.  During the ninety minutes we were together we swapped stories, successes and challenges, and learned more about each other's cultures.  A good friend of the college, Dr. Sudha Haley of the U.S. Department of Labor, set up this meeting at the Prince Frederick Campus.  Who knows, maybe CSM's  fourth campus could be in "Southern" India.

 

Brad

 

 

 

Sudha K. Haley, Ph.D.

Senior Policy Advisor

for Africa and South & Central Asia

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of International Labor Affairs

Code Green

June has begun, and for the next two months, we try Code Green again.  For those of you not familiar with the college, during Code Green weeks, we close most of the college offices at 1:30 p.m. on Friday afternoons.  Employees who take off for Code Green must make up the time and they do so by taking shorter lunches and coming in earlier or leaving later during the week.  Certain areas of the college are not affected by Code Green, including our Children's Learning Center, our Kids College, and Public Safety.  This year, we allowed employees to opt out of Code Green.  The six employees are assigned to work in open buildings during Friday afternoons.  This year we are making a greater effort to close entire buildings.  My goal is to realize at least a $10,000 savings in energy costs this year.

 

Brad

Commencement 2010

Commencements are always very special and this one did not disappoint.  Sitting on stage is definitely the best way to observe the event as you can see the excitement and joy of everyone in the audience.  This one started out well, with a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem.  Then it was my turn.  For some reason, I was nervous, but composed myself as I walked to the podium-- a long walk, even though it probably measured three steps.  I had struggled with an idea for my remarks.  Should I mention the ten students who had died during this happy/joyful event?  Would it taint the rest of the evening?  Yet, something in me felt strongly that I had to do it, especially if I could make it a teachable moment.  I wanted to make sure that our students understood how precious a gift we all have.  I had rehearsed my remarks several times without a hitch, so I was surprised when a flood of sadness washed over me as I told the audience about these departed students.  It was all that I could do not to show it (but I think I did). 

 

The high point of the event is obviously the awarding of the diplomas.  That went without a hitch until a half dozen covers slid off the table and at the feet of a nursing student.  As I bent down to pick them up, I heard her exclaim, with a high degree of frustration, "Sure, this would happen when I am up on stage!"  I was thinking, "Hey, I am the one who looks stupid here," but grimly picked up the rest of the covers. 

 

After the ceremony, I stopped in at the reception and was so pleased when a mother thanked me for my remarks.  It seems that her daughter had been in a serious car accident and "through the grace of God" she was present to collect her degree. 

 

Summer is now officially here!

 

 

On Being Neutral

Well, the political campaigns will soon kick into high gear.  This is a time when most presidents get a bit nervous.  It's not only about which candidate will be most supportive, it is also trying one's best not to be seen as supporting one candidate over another.  This can be a slippery slope.

 

Case in point was today, when Gov. Ehrlich asked to visit our Center for Trades and Energy Training.  He wanted to tour the facility and host a round-table of workforce development instructors.  We were able to comply and it was a very productive meeting. 

 

Does this mean that we support Gov. Ehrlich?  No, we would extend this opportunity to any gubernatorial candidate.  So, if Gov. O'Malley wishes to visit a campus, we would follow our rules and allow him to do it. 

 

Just like with legislative sessions, I am so happy when elections are over!

 

Brad

Comments

It is always great to get responses to my posts!  I received two about my last one...

 

To Michael, no the money is starting to flow from the Federal government to community college programs and we will be applying for most of them.  I was mainly talking about the state's inability to fund community colleges as much as they would like.

 

To Amy, I am sorry to hear about your situation. Because it is a personnel matter, I cannot comment on it.  I hope that things work out for you in the future.

 

Brad Gottfried

Promotions

Beginning tomorrow, we roll out what has turned into a long and arduous process-- a new promotion system for non-faculty.  It was modeled on the faculty's system and allows individuals to be promoted up to two times with a title change and pay raise after each.

 

We hired a consultant to help design the process, but she did not really understand us well enough to accomplish her task without a lot of help.  Therefore, what I had hoped would take a few months turned into over a year. 

 

Because I have championed this idea from the start, I will participate in each of the three informational sessions.  These sessions are to disseminate information and to gather feedback to ensure that the system will work.

 

I hope that this new approach, which recognizes good service outside of the merit system, will be embraced by our employees.  I am still smarting that a number of employees did not like the Code Green system which was designed to provide employees with a nice summer perk and save the college money at the same time.

 

Brad

I'm back!

It's amazing what a vacation can do to help clear one's mind.  This was anything but a restful one-- seeing many sites and taking in a new place.  One thing I've learned is that life goes on at a college when a president is off campus for awhile.  That's good, for a I believe that the best leaders empower others and don't have to be in the middle of everything.

It is good to be back...I am ready to jump back into the budget discussions, construction projects, and all areas that are helping to move CSM forward.

Brad

Oh vacation!

Frequent trips to Annapolis, evening and weekend meetings have taken a toll, so I am really looking forward to a vacation.  I hope to come back refreshed and ready to go.

Weather concerns

The continuing storms are causing grave concerns among members of President's Council and I am sure, among our faculty.  We have already lost four 8:30 a.m. classes that meet on Monday and Wednesdays, and the rest of the classes on these days on two occasions.

 

Making up the time is an issue.  We could extend the semester, eliminate the spring break (which I hate to do as many faculty and students already have travel plans/commitments), or some permutation.  One solution could be to rely on the WebCT shells that were created for each course.

 

Then there is the issue of the costs associated with these storms-- overtime for our employees and the cost of our snow removal contractors.

 

I am counting the days until spring!

 

Brad

Foot in mouth!

Well, there I was coasting along as I was making my remarking to the faculty prior to the beginning of classes.  I approached the topic of our new Vision:  "Transforming Lives Through Service and Lifelong Learning," and told the audience how much I liked the term "transforming."  I know it is a verb, but for some reason, I referred to it as a different part of speech.  No sooner had the words left my mouth that there was an audible gasp from the audience-- probably from our English faculty.  Yikes!

Where is the bird?

A number of "eagle-eyed" employees have noticed that the eagle/hawk that graced the top of the Administration Building's cupola is missing.  Foul play is not involved.  It apparently decayed so much that it began descending toward the roof, so it was removed.  Don Posey is researching a replacement so that CSM can fly again.

Faculty

I saw a number of faculty in the BI Building as I was arriving this morning, which means that another semester is upon us. 

 

Sometimes with all of the worries about the budget, interactions with our elected officials and the general community, interactions with our Trustees, and the endless paperwork, I may take the work of our faculty for granted.  What a mistake.  They are a great group of dedicated employees and they are what CSM is all about.  It is their interactions with our students that gives CSM such a wonderful reputation.

 

I was so proud of Rich Siciliano last week for being such an integral part of AFACCT and for his 41 years at CSM.  This morning I ran into Tom Poe whose 40 years of teaching at CSM will be highlighted this semester.  Then I ran into George Spiegel, one of our newer faculty members from the Prince Frederick Campus, who enthusiastically described the upcoming visit of a 5th grade class to the campus.

 

We are truly blessed with a great group of faculty.  All, full and adjunct faculty, add so much to the vitality of this college.

Finances

These are tough times.  This morning's Washington Post indicates that Montgomery College will receive a $3.6 million cut from its County.  I've heard that several of the community colleges in Maryland have or will schedule employee furloughs, and only two out of 16 have had any pay increase (CSM was one of the two with a small increase).

 

As I mentioned during my welcome at the faculty's AFACCT meeting, college leaders should strive to shield employees and students from the impacts of these cuts.  So far, we are been able to do that.  It should be interesting to see what happens when the Legislature reconvenes next week.

 

Brad