President's Blog
Over the past two weeks, I held the first of a series of quarterly meetings designed to enhance communication among the senior administration and College staff. I met first with the Administrative and Support Staff and a week later with Professional and Managerial Staff. As mentioned at both meetings, one hope is to do a better job of “closing the loop” in communicating about initiatives taken. From the feedback received after the first two meetings, we have decided to create a website dedicated to internal communication that will launch in early January 2009.
The website will include: a schedule of quarterly communications meetings, agendas, and actions taken following the meetings. I also plan to update the site with the agenda and minutes from the Constituent Assembly, which met for the first time last month. This campus-wide group is not a decision-making body, but rather a venue for vetting ideas and airing broad discussions of college initiatives and issues.
One particular suggestion that was made following the communications meetings was that we address the way in which we introduce new employees to the College. Currently, Institutional Advancement, Marketing and Communications, the Office of Human Resources and my office are working on a monthly campus electronic communiqué that will discuss college happenings; particularly new faces and the achievements of our faculty, staff and students. This initiative, too, will debut in the early winter and include all of those hired since September 2008.
It is particularly important that in this climate of economic instability we communicate effectively with one another. For that reason, I will meet with members of each College each unit by the end of the academic year. In that meeting, I will provide my view on the current state of affairs and update units on any recent occurrences, but I want these meetings to be more for you. Let’s see them as opportunities for candid discussion about ways in which we might enhance our operations and move forward together in achieving our vision.
My wife Jackie and I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and look forward to the last month of the semester!
Peter P. Mercer
