Celebrating What's Right with Lane.

I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I'm on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

I think you will hear a lot today that will make you feel proud because today we are going to celebrate what's right with Lane.

Good Morning and Welcome.

It is great to see all of you. I want to first express my appreciation to all of the faculty and staff who were working at the college this summer. We know the work it takes to wind up last year's activities -budget etc. especially with the newness of Banner, to keep things going and, simultaneously prepare for a new year, to pack and unpack your offices.  So thank you. Welcome back to all of you who were not around this summer. And a special welcome to all of you who are with us for the first time. We are so glad you said "yes" to Lane.

I love this time of the year. To be honest, as I finished last year I had my doubts if I could work my way out of the drudgery of dealing with budgets and legislatures, which I must say is particularly joyless work, and if I really would be looking forward to a new year, this my third year as a president. But miraculous things happen when you can get a little time away. The most important thing you gain is perspective. Perspective about yourself, perspective about your work and perspective about the relationship of self to work. When we can put the negative behind us and focus on what's ahead in a positive way great things happen. I hope the same is true for all of you.  So, I can honestly say that I am reenergized and renewed and so glad that I have the privilege of serving this great college as president.  
As educators we are blessed with being able to have a fresh start, a new beginning every fall. Another chance to get it right! Get it right as an organization, get it right with students and get it right with each other. 

Before I look ahead I want to take a minute or two to welcome a few people and celebrate some of the good things that happened last year and to recognize some folks that made an important contribution. 

I would like to introduce some members of the board:
Kathleen Shelley, Larry Romine, Jay Bozievich, Paul Holman, Dennis Shine, Mike Rose. Roger Hall could not be here today but I want to express my sincere thanks for his leadership as chair last year and to all the board members for their dedicated service to the college. They have continued to challenge, support and encourage the work that we are doing.  I am very grateful for the gifts they bring to us on behalf of the community.  I am especially grateful to Mike, now in his 34th year of service to the college, 29 as a faculty member and now in his fifth year on the board, for being willing to take on the challenging role of chairing the board.

It is also a privilege to work with an outstanding, activist, executive team: Marie, Cheryl, Donna, Sonya, Craig, Dennis, Jane and Tracy and Steve.

Last year was a year of high and lows. Not as many lows as the year before but some lows. Too often, I think we are so focused on what is not working that we forget that there is much that is right with Lane and it is worth celebrating. In my job I get to go out and meet people from all over the community. I must have met with literally hundreds of people last year from all segments of the community. In our conversations they tell me over and over again what a wonderful place Lane is.  They talk about it as a gem, an essential resource, a treasure, a place of hope, a place where dreams begin and come true. I am not making this up! Too often, internally, we get caught up in what is not working. And yes, there is plenty of that to go around. But if we stay in that place we can lose sight of all the wonderful things that go on every single day. We need to be reminded by people in the community and by each other that what we are doing here really counts, and that we can be proud of what we do. So I want to look back for a moment and highlight some of the excellent things that were advanced last year. I believe everyone is to be commended for continuing to serve students in an exemplary way. In highlighting a few projects we don't want to forget the importance of the daily routine work that makes such an impact, but it is also important to recognize what progress we are making on some projects that have been initiated to support learning.

CORE Project - Creating our respectful environment. This project is taking one of our core values each year and providing focused effort to make the value come alive. For example, the signs that adorn the entrances to the college that ask people to remember one thing -when you enter our learning community remember one thing. Treat each other with respect, kindness and compassion. Simplemente trate a los demas con respeto, carino y compassion. This applies to our students and guests. It also applies to each one of us.
The Art on the Walls was an off shoot of the CORE project where students and staff developed an installation for the lobby of the Center for Meeting and Learning and students developed art pieces after reading the diversity plan.

The Reading Together project under Ellen Cantor's able leadership is taking us in many new directions. The purpose is to build community through having a shared reading experience. The two books selected are Montana 1948 and Privilege, Power and Difference.  Many faculty are incorporating the books into their classes. For example, Patrick Torelle, Theater, has written a play based on Montana 1948. Bonnie Simoa, Dance,  and students are choreographing dance pieces.  There will be forums and discussion groups. As important, is that we are building a community where all of us can be learners as we share our perspectives on these books. You will hear more about this at the close of the morning's session.

Mainstreaming innovation - This year we were able to put recurring funds in the budget to allow us to mainstream some of the innovative projects that we have been working on over the last few years. This was an important first step in providing an ongoing piece of infrastructure for innovation.
The Experimental classroom. In Building 19 is almost ready to go. We have had a group of faculty and staff think about the experimental classroom, a place where faculty can do some R&D in the use of technology in the classroom.
The student component of Banner is up. Yes, it presents new things for us to learn l improve services to students in the long run. Staff have done a great job of making this work.
ABSE/ESL state accreditation gave us many commendations for the work faculty and staff are doing.  The Center for Learning Advancement which is meant to provide a seamless continuum for students who need a bit more preparation for college level classes is coming together.

Our Marketing and Public relations unit, small though it is, is being very creative with the resources available. Our series of student success stories reminds us of what happens when we get it right. New college brochures, college information printed in Spanish have been completed and now we are really thinking about how our website can be used to present the college in a positive light.

The Foundation staff have been very active in helping us connect with the community and "friend-raise."  This is having a very positive impact on our community relationships and will, in time, result in increased resources.

Plant improvements. You will notice that we have started to re-invest in the plant. This year we began some concrete replacement that presented safety hazards. We installed the irrigation pipes on the front of the campus so that we can look forward to a more attractive environment.

We received a number of recommendations from the Response Team. 
The racial incidents last year caused me profound sadness and I know that was shared by you. How could anyone think that it was okay to do that? But the way the community came together and listened to the pain of our colleagues and resolved to do better and the resulting recommendations of the response Team when implemented will change the college for the better.

And finally, we finished the fourth floor. And if you haven't had a chance to go over there, I would encourage you to do so. What a difference a 2.4 million dollars makes!

These are just a few of the many projects of which we can be proud.  Of course, if it were not for the work that all of you do to make Lane the place it is, there would be little to celebrate, little to be proud of, and little to look forward to.

Speaking of celebrations, I would like to start this morning with a bit of a celebration by honoring some of our outstanding staff who made a difference for all of us over the last few years with their dedication to improving our learning environment. I am speaking, of course, about the people who worked closely with the bond project.  

The Bond Project is coming to a close.  The remodel of the 4th floor of the Center building is last major architectural Bond project and that project will be finished in time for students by the start of Fall Term.  Now it's time to acknowledge and thank everyone who contributed to the success of the Bond Project.

The past four and a half years have seen the largest expansion of the main campus since the college started.  Over 245,000 square feet of construction has been completed and 86% of that total (211,000 sq. ft.) was new space. 

Off-Campus projects included:
Seven new Community Learning centers at high schools throughout our district
A new college center at Cottage Grove and a big addition to the Florence center

Main Campus projects included:
Six new buildings: a new Child Care center, the new Student Services building, the Welding Technology building
Five major remodels: Math-Science building, Center for Meeting and Learning, Performing Arts, Campus Services and the 4th floor of the Center building.
A new Bus Station

Main campus construction affected everyone on campus in different ways:  some staff had to move their offices, some classrooms and labs took up temporary quarters in other buildings, the entire Math Department moved from one building to another, and Computer Information Technology finally got a home of their own.

Numerous staff members served on the Project User Groups that guided the architects in planning buildings.  Even those whose space was not touched by the Bond Project had to endure the sounds of rock removal and typical construction noise, the smell of diesel fuel and other odors as well as having their normal routes for walking from one place on campus to another disturbed or detoured.  Dirt was everywhere.  It was common for students and staff to ask where is this class, lab or office today and how can I get there?

The great majority of you were patient, helpful, and understanding.  Special kudos goes everyone in the Science Department for not going berserk after months and months of the high decibel noise of rock removal outside their doors.

Special thanks also go to the members of the Project User Groups who worked so diligently and conscientiously to make the new spaces functional and user-friendly within very tight budgets.  Both the architects and engineers said they had never worked so closely with other user groups as they had with you.  Lots of good ideas came out of these meetings.

It takes a lot of planning to figure out how to spend 42.8 million dollars wisely.  Which projects would be done and what would their budgets be?  How would the architects and engineers be selected?  In what sequence would the projects be constructed?  What should the budget for furnishings and equipment be?  Paul Colvin was the chief planner and the Bond Project essentially followed his overall plans.  Paul's contribution was invaluable.

Incidentally, those 42.8 million dollars grew into over 62 million dollars because of smart investments and a soaring stock market.  This growth allowed the Bond to do more than was originally thought possible.

Much of the reason for the success of the Bond Project is due to the people in Facilities Maintenance and Planning.  Before construction began on the main campus Mike Ruiz, the Director of FM&P knew and planned for his people to play a major role in the Bond Project.  His department would have to continue to perform the essential maintenance jobs that it always does while also providing people to perform critical roles relating to Bond Projects.  There were new procedures for doing things and new roles for some personnel.  Mike has been totally cooperative and positive in supporting the Bond Project.

While everyone in FM&P assisted the Bond to one degree or another, the efforts and attitude of some of them was outstanding.  The work of each of them went above and beyond their typical job descriptions.  They not only saved the college money but they also made things work more smoothly.

The college takes great pleasure in awarding Certificates of Appreciation and Recognition to those people.  

Paul Colvin
for the excellent organization, project sequencing and financial planning of the Bond Project

Mike Ruiz
for the flexible, cooperative and positive attitude along with encouraging FM&P personnel to work on Bond Projects

Lynn Atkins
for the outstanding management of several Bond projects, construction leadership and expertise in building others

Todd Smith
for the outstanding management of several Bond projects and construction expertise in remodeling the Center building, 4th floor

Susanne Tatar
for flexibility, diligence, positive attitude, and creative assistance in many different parts of the Bond Project

Mike Hopkinson
for positive, cheerful attitude, flexibility and leadership in the furnishing of rooms touched by the Bond Project

Judy Ann Fuller
for the high level of professionalism displayed in keeping FM&P running smoothly after the Bond Project completely disrupted its normal operation

Tom Oroyan
for architectural expertise in designing and rendering some of the Bond Projects

Danny Avalos
for providing the Bond Project with leadership, advice and expertise in all electrical aspects of the Bond Project

Ron Case
for providing the Bond Project with electrical expertise

Max Schumacher
for leading the electrical team on the Center building 4th floor remodel

Rob Atkins
for construction expertise and cooperative attitude

Steve Kayl
for leadership and expertise in building all of the Bond Project casework

Al Mauldin
for expertise and assistance in building the Bond Project casework

Terry Starr
for enthusiasm, expertise, and diligence in painting several Bond projects

Frank Drengacz
for providing the Bond Project with leadership and expertise in landscaping

Virginia Brady
for assistance in resolving all of the problems connected with providing telephone service for the Bond Project

Stanley Kerr
for assistance in moving and assembling furniture and installing accessories in classrooms and offices 

And we cannot forget Bob Mention. Bob's leadership and steady hand throughout the project made all the difference.
I want to make particular mention of the work that was done on the Fourth floor. It was accomplished totally by our own staff and what a great job they have done. These folks have done us proud!
 At this time I also want to recognize the classified employees of the month and year.  Insert

So, I want to continue the celebration of what is right with Lane. This is the time when we should be looking forward with positive anticipation to the future, safe in the knowledge that we have the resources to do what our community expects.  It's a time to be optimistic, hopeful (and I am hopeful) but how do we do that without denying the realities we are facing?  I don't want to be naïve about the fact that we still have challenges. Nor do I want to dwell too long on what is not working, at least for today!

I think it's a "both.and"  We must look forward to the future and we must deal with the realities of today and tomorrow that have the potential of interfering with what we want to create.  Celebrating what's right with Lane is as Patti LaBelle says -a New Attitude! We could focus on what's wrong but by focusing on what we want more of transformation will happen more quickly. Yes, as we change more things that need attention are highlighted but focusing on what's right instead of bringing us down, buoys us up.

So, in the next few minutes I will try to do the following:
Speak briefly about the revenue situation as it stands right now.
Talk about our preferred future and the strategic directions that have been developed by a planning committee
And finally, how we might develop the collective energy to move us forward.

I will start with budget and I hope you will see that it is out of place in what I have called celebrating what's right with Lane. But you probably will see that as cowboy wisdom tells us, "It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep."
I know, I know, I have a nerve saying this with my accent!

I said last year that I believed we had a three year problem regarding finances.  I have not moved from that but I want to emphasize that we have been able to close the gap dramatically. Let me say that again, we have closed the gap! The decisions that we made the last two years have positioned us to be more financially stable. For this current year, 2003-04, we based our budget on the Governor's revised budget which was a significant decrease from the last biennium. As far as the legislature was concerned they did try to increase the amount for community colleges beyond the Governor's budget.  After pulling some of the money back for various reasons it leaves us with some funds beyond that which we budgeted. However, the attempt to place a measure on the ballot to overturn the income tax surcharge will wipe out those funds if successful. The new funding formula may have some impact also.

The good news is that regardless of what happens with the ballot measure we will be able to operate the college this year based on the budget decisions we made last spring. I don't envision having to make changes during this year like we did last year. However, the funds tied to the tax measure- about $1 million - will impact us the following year. 

With respect to 2004-05, I can't give you a projection at this point. We are still finalizing the close out of last year and waiting for the auditor's final numbers. However, I can tell you this. I'll say it again! We have closed the gap.  We will not be facing a deficit of $7 million or $6 million as we have the last two years. Instead we will be in the million dollar range.  That is still a large amount of money but is manageable in the scheme of things.

There are still many unknowns that face us. We must continue to increase the funds budgeted for major maintenance and equipment for example; there is the potential that if the income surcharge is overturned that the legislature will come back and take money to keep K-12 whole. But overall I am optimistic that we are on track and that the worst is behind us. As you well know this has not come without a great deal of pain. I for one am looking forward to a year where we do not have to experience the anxiety around huge budget cuts but can focus on what really matters. So I hope you will all join me in taking a breath! Let's assume we have hit bottom and now we can start pushing back up to the surface. We are on the right track and as Gloria Gainer so aptly says.we will survive. In fact, we will do better than just survive.
  
Yes, we must take the necessary steps to take our fate in our own hands and not expect the state to solve the problem.  We need to deal with what is within our control. And to a certain extent roll with the punches.  Yet, while we are doing that we need to work together to secure adequate funding for public education.  What was once the pride of this country, Oregon's education system, continues to be decimated as we speak.  And we must be vocal in saying that this is not acceptable.  This is just not acceptable.  Oregon deserves better, Lane County deserves better, our students deserve better and yes, we deserve better.  We all need to look beyond our own special interests or agendas and focus on what is at stake here. We can tussle internally about this or that and while we do that we are ignoring the larger threat from the outside. For example a recent report called the Cost Crisis in Higher Education lays the blame squarely on, guess what? Higher Education. We must stay vigilant if we truly believe in a strong public education system. Let's use our energy well to take on the right issues. 

I think we are now well positioned to move forward on a number of initiatives.
We can't rest on this good work -while we can take a breath on the budget side- this journey of transforming the college is ongoing and we all need to be vigilant that we are moving forward.  As Ghandi says, "The future depends on what we do in the present."  Wherever we go we have to take the first step and not wait for the conditions to be perfect and we have done that but only so tentatively. I am not willing to wait and live a conditional life. You know the kind of thing we say to ourselves: If only the state gave us more money; if only our budget wasn't cut; if only I had a better boss; if only the students were better, or on a personal level, if only the kids were gone; once I get a new house, a new car, a new spouse or partner! We know that the conditions limit us in deep ways - while we are waiting for these things to happen, life is happening - what is the saying?  Life is what happens while we are making our plans. We somehow think that if we can control the climate of our existence, when the temperature is exactly right, when we are completely comfortable that we will have that sense of freedom, then and only then will I take that first step. And of course the conditions are never exactly right. That time never comes. We must move forward even though the conditions are not perfect.  It reminds me of Dante's words in the Commedia;

In the middle of the road of my life
I woke in a dark wood
Where the true way was wholly lost.

It has become increasingly clear to me over the last two years that there probably is not one true way. If we know where we are going, many ways can take us there. This gives us the freedom to innovate and create along the way. More importantly, I think Dante tells us that it is essential that we cultivate a relationship with the unknown. That ambiguity is a key competence.  
We have to be willing to let go of our certainty. We will never have all the information about what is coming at us next and you know, that can also be a good thing because if we planned for every single contingency we would be immobilized.  I am reminded of this poem by  Rilke -

You mustn't be frightened
If a sadness
Rises in front of you
Larger than any you have ever seen;
If an anxiety
Like light and cloud-shadows
Moves over your hands and over
Everything you do.
You must realize that something is 
Happening to you,
That life has not forgotten you,
That it holds you in its hand
And will not let you fall.

That makes me feel a whole lot better if I could just let go enough to believe it! But I believe that if we are careful and thoughtful about how we generate and spend our resources we will not fall any further. 
So, we need to keep moving, albeit in a measured way so that we don't kill ourselves in the process.

Last year I asked you to imagine with me a whole list of things we would like to see for this state and for the college.  We talked about Lane's preferred future. Since then, a group of classified, faculty, students and managers have come together to craft strategic directions for the college. At this point they focus on eight areas: 

1. Foster student success by providing exemplary and innovative teaching and learning experiences and support services that optimize learning opportunities.
 
2. Build organizational capacity to support student success

3. Optimize resource allocation through sound, exemplary, and innovative fiscal management.

4. Create a diverse and inclusive learning community.

5.  Promote professional growth and provide development opportunities for staff.
Create, enhance, and maintain inviting and welcoming facilities that are safe, accessible, functional, well-equipped, aesthetically appealing, and environmentally sound.

7.  Accountability - demonstrate substantive change.

8.  Position Lane as a vital community partner for creating a learning workforce in a knowledge-based economy.

As the committee completes its work there may be changes as we want to really focus but a draft will be available to the entire college community for comment over the course of the next few weeks and once finalized by the board will guide our work and our resource allocations for 2004-05 and beyond.
In the meantime we have four strategic directions to guide our work this year. On the way out you will receive a card to remind you of these goals that will inform the division/department unit planning you will be doing this year.

We will continue to have the conversation about what being learning-centered means at Lane.  A group of faculty, managers and classified attended a Greater Expectations Institute in June which focused on developing a culture of engagement and inclusion. Based on that experience and the work we all did at the spring conference we have developed the next iteration of learning-centered principles The Greater Expectations group will propose these to the college community for further conversation on Thursday afternoon.

The Accreditation self study work is proceeding. We will be working hard to meet the commission's standards - that is job one.  We must demonstrate that we are meeting the standards to satisfy the evaluators that will be with us around this time next year. But we want to do more. We want to use this process to go beyond the standards where we can and improve our organization. I will be sharing more about this after the break.

Another major focus for this year is Governance.  The board has made a decision to govern by policy. They have directed me to develop a system for college governance that is effective and they plan to hold me, as president, accountable for the system and the decisions that we make. As you might imagine I have a bit of investment in assuring that we do this work well! I think one thing we can all agree on is that our current system, is not working well. I had the unenviable task of charting our current governance system. It took up four large pieces of chart pack paper end-to-end. With lots of circles floating in the ether, disconnected to most everything else in the system. As I looked at it I thought no wonder we have a hard time understanding how things get done. I have convened a group that includes students, classified staff, faculty, union leaders, and managers to develop a new system of governance. Again, there will be structured opportunities for college wide feedback before a new system is finalized.  Our hope is that we can streamline councils and committees and that we are clear and explicit about the roles of all parties - students, faculty, classified staff, managers, the president, unions and the board and that it is clear where issues go for deliberation.  Our governance system has been tripping us up for a long time because we have not had a shared understanding of what it means. This was on my work plan two years ago but was sidetracked by the budget issues. We need to address this and I am confident that we can. The committee has had two meetings so far and we are having rich discussions. They are not easy but they must be had if we are to develop a system that will work for the college. Obviously we need to design a system that taps into the collective wisdom of everyone and facilitates participation. We are working on setting up a website so that our work will be available to all as we go along.

The last initiative I want to mention is staff health and wellness. During the budget process we were able to create a wellness program.  A committee has been formed and Wendy Simmons has been hired to take the lead on the creation of the program. Please look for information about this and get involved.  It will take each of us looking out for our own health and wellness to make the difference. 
Similarly, we are looking at setting up a staff health clinic. We started talking about this last year and thought we could take this year to study the idea and make plans. However, early in the summer we heard that our insurance premiums were going to be increased substantially. 42% to be exact. It was clear to us that we needed to take immediate action to see what we could do to mitigate these increases. None of us can afford this. The idea is that we will build on the infrastructure of the student health clinic and have a convenient clinic on campus for staff. 4J has one and about 40% of the staff uses it. Of course, it will not be mandatory but we hope that choosing it as an option will decrease all of our costs.

I don't need to tell you that we have much important work to do. It is easy to become exhausted and the international situation does not help.How do we accomplish it, given everything we are facing? In the midst of all the human suffering how do we find ways to stay energized and enthusiastic, focused on the difference we are making?

I must admit I have changed the time on my alarm clock so I don't wake up to the news at the top of the hour. Waking up to another suicide bomber or car bomb or person killed in Iraq. I have decided it is not the best way to start the day. We can't ignore what is going on around us. It impacts us one way or another. Yet, if we despair about that how do we provide a hopeful learning environment?
For many of our students, indeed, for many of us, coming to Lane is the respite from all the intractable problems "out there." Can we make this a place that does not ignore what is going on but provides a safe haven to focus on learning, a place where we can be sure that the work we will do here will contribute to lessening the kind of trouble going on in the world. Live up to the belief that education can mitigate hate and destruction. Can we model here a peaceful, respectful environment where there is a spirit of freedom, a spirit of inclusion, a spirit of inquiry, a spirit of spontaneity, a spirit of possibility? 
Spirit of freedom where you choose whether or not and how to engage. 
Spirit of inclusion that includes diverse stakeholders in the conversations thus expanding connectivity and the rich variability of perspectives
Spirit of inquiry that produces a container for joint exploration and discovery. Instead of "knowing the answers" seeking to understand what is going on and constructing meaningful outcomes. 
Spirit of spontaneity that encourages cooperation among people who previously stood on opposite side of the issues. This changes the relational dynamic from one of defensiveness to one of collaboration.
Spirit of possibility where we can figure out optimal solutions together. Working toward the potentiality of what could be creates energy for collective movement toward agreement. As we begin to connect in relationship we can discover unifying goals that transcend the potential for conflicting goals of each constituency.

In the midst of every day routines that spin us like tops we need to stop and remember why we got into this enterprise in the first place.  We need to remember the beauty of the students and the good fortune we have to work with them every day.  One thing that helps is to remember our vocation.
What got us into education in the first place?  The word vocation from the Latin vocatus - to be called and vox - to have a voice helps us understand. At some point we felt this desire whether it was to be a teacher, an electrician, a support person, a manager (actually for managers it is usually about do I want to work for a dumb turkey or do I want to be one! Think about that for a minute! Only kidding!) We had a desire. That word comes from the Latin "de sire" - of the stars, keeping star in sight, following our star. To keep that horizon as beckoning as possible, we must remember why we chose what we are doing as frequently as possible.  We need what Blake calls a "firm persuasion" in our work- to feel that what we do is right for ourselves and good for the world at exactly the same time. (Whyte)
All of us need to exchange a long glance with our calling. -and remember that in education it is not so much a career goal as a life goal.

We must also put ourselves in the role of learner on a daily basis. I spent some time learning this summer. I went to a cooking school with my daughter. I have always thought of myself as a pretty good cook and I was sure I knew how to cut an onion! But when I was asked to step up to the table and cut the onion, it became clear pretty quickly that I didn't know squat. My knife skills did not meet the standard. And as the chef told me to do this, then that, I found myself tensing up, felt like a fool and an abject failure. And I thought if I feel like this when ordinarily I am a fairly confident person and my whole future did not depend on whether my knife skills were good, what is it like for our students whose learning experiences here can affect their whole lives. 

One of the great challenges of educating is that it is something grander than the mechanistic context that many accountability measures push us to. We must keep our own excitement about what we do in the midst of all the stuff that is going on.  We must stay on the edge of exploration ourselves.
That leads me to set high and loving expectation for myself and all of us who serve students. Building a field of expectations for ourselves and each other challenges us to do what is best for students. When you think of the teacher as learner (and by teacher, I mean all of us,) it is important to never lose the innocence, the passion. To not cover over with experience but to see the world anew or through students' eyes every single day. Indeed, we should celebrate that our calling brought us to education and to Lane.  Where else can we meet with people as guides and mentors and share with them the exploration of learning and in so doing really earn the title of educator.
If education is about anything it is about creating a joyful ability to live at the frontier of our own learning (Whyte), where everyone is different, and where we can speak uniquely to each student. 

Another way to move the college forward is to recognize that good ideas come from everyone in the organization. As an organization it is easy to get caught up in the hierarchy and give greater value to the ideas of one group of people over another.  That is not in keeping with the values of community colleges. You have probably heard this story of Cesar Chavez. When he was trying to organize the farm workers in California, he became very despondent about how to get the workers out of the camps to talk to them. He called a meeting to discuss this and several ideas were batted around. After a while a very old lady at the back who was not recognized as a leader said, What if we set up a shrine or alter just outside the gates of the camp and when they come to pray we can talk to them? At first, people did not know whether to take this idea seriously because it came from an unexpected place. But as the idea was discussed everyone realized that it was the way through the problem. 
For me, this story illustrates that good ideas can come from anywhere/anyone in the organization. And that we need to pay attention and not ignore an idea because we think the person doesn't know enough. So I ask all of us to be open to the best ideas whether they come from a student, the community, custodian, support staff, faculty or manager. None of us has the corner on good ideas. MLK quote bears repeating.
He said, "Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.  You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love."  
When a person knows that - the classroom is different, the office is different, and the college is different.

Another way to deal with everything is to recommit to the vision and mission of community colleges. There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about. (Wheatley)
I recall being asked once if I planned to move on to work at a university. I was taken aback because the question implied that the community college was "lesser than" and that, of course, everyone was at a community college as a stepping stone and must aspire to move "up" to the university. Part of the question also revolved around the fact that the faculty probably came to community colleges because they couldn't get a job at the university. Balderdash! Codswallop! 
I think we who work at community colleges do so because of the fundamental belief in our mission. We are committed to these colleges built on principles of social justice and equity. We are committed to students who come to us from all classes, ethnic and racial groups, with different sexual orientations, religions, physical challenges. We work in these community colleges not because we always get the best and the brightest (although that frequently happens) but because we can make a difference in peoples' lives particularly when they come to us wounded or convinced of their ability to fail. If they get here, and we get a hold of them, they find they have a brain, develop an aspiration and say, "yes, I can be successful. I can complete a two-year degree, or transfer to the university or move to the next level of developmental math. It is affording this access to the dream of higher education and truly transforming lives that gets me out of bed in the morning. What about you? And we need to be clear that everyone can impact that student. You don't know if the response to a request for directions, the crisis intervention, the classroom experience, the provision of comfortable spaces and helpful support, what exactly will make that difference. But it is played out every single day at this college.
So, no, we are not a university. Nor do we want to be one when we grow up. People work here because they are committed to this vision and mission and this student population and if you are not, then you will not find the fulfillment you are seeking here. Community goes far beyond our face-to-face relationship with each other as human beings. In education especially, this community connects us with what the poet Rilke called the great things of the world and with the grace of great things. And I think that our college vision Transforming Lives through Learning and this great community college mission has the power to do that for us. So l ask all of you to recommit to this vision and mission and these students and know that if you do the rewards are tremendous.
Let's be dream catchers - where we capture students' dreams and help make them a reality as opposed to asking the question that Langston Hughes asked: What happens to a dream deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Another we can do is to work at the organizational level. Greenleaf says that organization kills spirit.  Isn't that a cheerful thought? We need to remember that institutions do play an important part.  Until the last century only the wealthy could access services we now take for granted- for example, health care and education, until we began to perfect great institutions - our colleges, schools, hospitals.  On the other hand they can be awful places that exploit, manipulate, dehumanize people they were created to serve. Organizations have lives of their own. No wonder that a defining characteristic of the postmodern world is alienation and cynical distrust of institutions.  The old industrial model depersonalizes people - treating them like numbers. Now that we are in the post-modern world we can tend to adopt the perspective of the post modern age - consumer capitalism - view everyone as a customer.  Students are treated as units of consumption. We become like a Kmart. (bankrupt in many ways??) This culture can creep into every area of the organization- including the classroom.  Potential of this outcome argues persuasively against viewing students as customers.  This calls us to shape institutional culture in the service of students and community.  And of course we are part of that. 
MLK "We are all tied to a single garment of destiny caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of all reality. There are things we can accomplish together that we cannot accomplish apart."  

We must also be aware that transformation takes time. Many of us are impatient to get things done, solve a few more problems immediately. And we can't wait around for ever but we need to do it using the least amount of energy. We need deep attention, well-laid and sharpened tools, care, patience, the imagination engaged in bringing disparate parts together in one whole.
All over Britain, but particularly in Scotland we have these wonderful dry stone walls - (dry stane in Scots) Michael Finkel describes on of the best wallers like this.
"I watched Allen work. He'd stand stock still for a moment and stare at this wall with a calculating look on his face. Then he would swiftly turn around and bend down and select a stone. He'd twist it and jiggle it and flip it over and back. Then he'd pick up his hammer, hold the stone to his thigh, and chip off pieces with a few sharp taps. One of the qualities that set Allen apart from other wallers is his feel for the hidden seams snaking through the rock. If he was setting the stone into a space between two others, the rock would literally click into place, wedged between its neighbors as tightly and neatly as if Allen were building Lego bricks. He'd nod, reach down and sweep up the chips he'd broken off, and pack them into the center of the wall. Then he'd study the next gap for a second or two, spin around and pick up another stone."

The right touch at the right time in the right place. The right word at the right time in the right place. Effort and will used only at pivotal moments.  How we long for that deftness and mastery.  Moments of speed and urgency but dependent on a felt perception of a larger pattern. The ability to close on something and then let it go. Whyte goes on to say the key seems to be to find a restful yet attentive presence in the midst of our work, to open up a spaciousness in the center of our responsibility. To find some source of energy other than our constant applications of effort and will. If we attempt to engage the will continually, it exhausts and prevents us from creating a pattern that endures. A well-built dry stone wall, free of cement, can settle, move, adapt to temperature, and function as a good wall for centuries. 
That is what I think we must do. First see the larger pattern (our vision, mission and strategic directions and with the least pressure possible create something that will endure.

Another thing that helps move us forward is to be hopeful.
Vaclev Havel said that, 
"Hope is a dimension of the soul.an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.it is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out."

Thomas Merton said, "Do not depend on the hope of results.you may have to face the fact that your work is apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite of what you expect. As you get used to this idea you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.you gradually struggle less and less for an idea and more and more for specific people. In the end, it is the reality of the personal relationship that saves everything.

Finally, what might help the most is for us to wage peace. I mean that not only in our larger world but in the community and within Lane. And that only happens if we start in our own hearts.
As someone said, "It's not differences that divide us but our judgments about each other that do." 

Wage Peace with your breath. 
Breathe in terrorists 
Breathe out sleeping children and fresh mown fields. 
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees. 
Breathe in the fallen and breathe out life long relationships intact. 
Wage peace with our listening
Imagine grief 
as the outbreak of beauty or gesture of fish. 
Swim for the other side. 
Wage peace. 
Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious. 
Have a cup of tea and rejoice. 
Act as if armistice has already arrived. 
Celebrate today.
Judith Hill

It's important for all of us to think of a kaleidoscope and turn the prism and look at things in a different way. I read a quote from a 6 year old Afghani child in a refugee camp. He said, "I don't know what peace is, but I love it.  I feel the same way in some respects but I think we have an advantage. We do have an inkling about what peace would look like. Instead of living in the controversy, and I am well aware that is a place that some people like to inhabit, could we do it differently? Back to that cowboy wisdom that says "When you give a personal lesson in meanness to a critter or a person either, don't be surprised if they learn their lesson real well."  Or, "When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it thrown right back at ya by somebody else."

Lane can be a model of healthy work and learning - a place where work is meaningful, relationships are imbued with respect and personal and professional growth is supported. We can have the conditions where we can all do our best work. That is not say that we agree on everything but if we could look at things from an appreciative viewpoint, what we want more of and focus on that, it provides a different worldview. It is more positive, less harsh, more inviting and engaging for us to step up and do the work.

Rilke
The great renewal of the world will perhaps consist in this, that man and maid, freed of all false feelings and reluctances, will seek each other not as opposites but as brother and sister, as neighbors, and will come together as human beings.
Now I am sure Rilke was thinking about something far larger than Lane Community College but I can't help thinking that the change we need to make first is right here at home, within our own hearts. If we can't get it right here when we have a common vision and mission that beckons us where can it be successful?

Clearly, there is much work to be done to achieve our preferred future.  We need to be sure that what we do now will take us down the right path.  I believe we are on the right track and we have the ability to make our future a reality. For now, as we face turbulent times we must keep that future firmly planted in our minds and make sure our actions are taking us there. Cowboy wisdom says, "Don't worry about bitin' off more than you can chew; you mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think."

If you think you have heard some of this before, you are right because the truth is that much of what I said last year still holds true.  It's not because I can't think of anything new to say.  It's because this transformation we are engaged in is not a one-year proposition.  It's a long-term agenda that requires focus, consistency and bears repetition. "If it don't seem like it's worth the effort, it probably ain't." But I do think it is worth the effort. To be part of a place that transforms lives. To be the person who greets with a smile that looks like hope, to be that one spark that inspires; to change one another with delight and pleasure. Each of us individually taking that first step knowing that the start of a better world is to believe it is possible. And it is possible to create the kind of Lane we want. Everything we need is here. 

We shape our self to fit the world
And by the world are shaped again.
The visible and the invisible,
Working together in common cause,
to produce the miraculous.

And so my last piece of cowboy wisdom is to "never miss a good chance to shut up." So, I have probably had many chances so I'll take this one and end by reminding you of the words of this song from the 80's...

I study nuclear science
I love my classes
I got a crazy teacher, he wears dark glasses
Things are going great, and they're only getting better
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.