Tuesday, January 3rd. The 2006 Winter Institute for Learning Assistance Professionals opened on a beautiful, sunny day in Austin, Texas with a welcome by Alan Constant, co-director of the Institute.  Sixty-seven learning assistance professionals, from 24 states and representing 39 institutions of higher education, participated.

Frank Christ, associate director of the Institute, spoke about the rich 25-year history of the Winter Institutes. Mr. Christ discussed the early years under Martha Maxwell's leadership at Berkeley, the transitional period of the 1980's, and the 12 years he directed the Institutes at the University of Arizona and Paradise Valley Community College.  He spoke about the need for learning assistance professionals to lead rather than follow.  Finally, Mr. Christ recognized Alan Constant and Rachel Zierzow as co-directors of the Winter Institute and The University of Texas at Austin as the home of the Winter Institute since 2005.   

Mr. Christ's talk was followed by the keynote workshop.  Bijoy Goswami, cofounder and CEO of Aviri, Inc., engaged the audience with his "Five D's of Personal Success."  Mr. Goswami's passion for personal and organizational transformation led him to the development of the MRE framework.  The framework categorizes people into one of three core types-Maven, Relater, or Evangelist-and shows how these types affect our perceptions of the world.  A synthesis of elements from Eastern philosophy, the social sciences, and management theory, Mr. Goswami argued the MRE framework is a powerful,
practical tool for understanding yourself and others and for building better teams.  He provided a five-step process-Dream, Discover, Deepen, find Dance partners, and Do it again-to lead a more fulfilling life.  During the ensuing discussion, Winter Institute participants engaged in a lively discussion related to core energy typology. Day one of the Institute ended with Mr. Goswami signing copies of his book, The Human Fabric: Unleashing the Power of Core Energy in Everyone, mentor
meetings, and a reception in the Foothills Room overlooking Town Lake on the 17th floor of the Hyatt hotel.

---

Wednesday, January 4th . Mentor groups met for breakfast to discuss the day's program and to consider presentations in view of each participant's institutional and professional needs.
The day's first presentation, "Understanding Your Core Purpose: Developing Your Mission, Vision, and Values," was offered by Darcy Barrick, Lisa Kiewra, and Rachel Zierzow, from The University of Texas at Austin Learning Center.  The presenters discussed the process of long-term strategic planning to provide direction for future growth and better service to
students.  They reviewed the ways staff members at the UT Learning Center worked together to revise the agency's mission statement and to articulate their values and a new vision.  Attendees at this workshop had opportunities to discuss ideas for their agency or program core purposes through a reflection activity in their mentor groups and participated in the "back to
the future" activity designed to create word pictures of vision statements.
Saundra McGuire, Director of Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University, presented "Making the Learning Center the Nucleus of a Learner-Centered Institution."  Dr. McGuire spoke about the ways her center has formed strong collaborations with the Faculty Development Center, Student Government, and many other groups so that the center is now viewed by many as the "go to" folks in transforming the institution from teacher-centered to learner-centered.  Dr. McGuire discussed this continuing process, and what it takes to be highly valued by the institution as a catalyst for change, both at the individual and institutional level.
The group broke for lunch (including a quick side trip to Barton Springs pool!) and returned for two afternoon sessions.  Alan Constant and Patrick Murray, Director of Activities at the Student Success Center at South Texas College, discussed leadership theory during their talk, "Transformational Leadership: Appreciative Inquiry."  During the workshop, participants
learned about the history of organizational psychology and management, then turned to a discussion of appreciative inquiry, a way of shifting thinking away from the deficit model of leading change to a more positive and creative philosophy.  In their groups, participants examined assumptions and reframed questions, and then shared their insights during whole group
processing.
During the final session of the day, Frank Christ discussed a systematic approach that allows managers to focus on achievable goals and to attain results with readily available resources in his talk, "Learning Center Management: Management by Objective (MBO)."  Mr. Christ highlighted the ways MBO improves performance by aligning organizational goals and task objectives throughout the system.  He described the five steps of MBO:  1) ownership, 2) goal setting, 3) monitoring the process, 4) evaluating the process, and 5) revising the process, and discussed how the steps were implemented by the Learning Assistance Support System at CSU Long Beach.

For Austinites and the University of Texas community, the day ended on a glorious note-the Longhorns won the NCAA national football championship by defeating USC in the Rose Bowl.  The University Tower was bathed in burnt orange light throughout the night.

---

Thursday, January 5th. After all the excitement of the previous day, it was somehow fitting that the Institute would convene on Thursday at the UT Learning Center.  Alan Constant, Director of the UT Learning Center, led off the day with a brief
history of the Center, including a slideshow from the 1970s to the present. Andrew Delohery, Learning Center Director of Quinnipiac University, followed with his presentation, "Creating Learning Center-Faculty Collaborations." Mr. Delohery explained that although Learning Center professionals are usually quite good at identifying opportunities to support students, we often miss out on developing a working relationship with faculty, which can offer a facet of rich experience for everyone, especially enriching the student experience in and out of the classroom. Participants took an active role in the presentation by asking many questions about developing opportunities for faculty participation in the Learning Center agenda.
After the morning presentations, Institute participants toured the UT campus, visited local museums, ate lunch, and many shopped for souvenirs at the University Co-op, the local bookstore.  The Institute reconvened back at the Hyatt to hear Jan Norton, Director of the Center for Academic Resources at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, present "Leadership

hrough Evaluation."  As the emphasis on assessment, evaluation, and research increases in higher education, Ms. Norton argued learning assistance centers are being required to demonstrate the impact of their services.  Such evaluation requires managers to set clear goals before collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative information.  Ms. Norton also
discussed the connection between goals and evaluation before engaging participants in planning for data collection and analysis.
The final session of the day, "Leadership Summit: Personal Stories and Insights from Leaders in the Field," was moderated by Rachel Zierzow, co-director of the Winter Institute.  Ms. Zierzow asked Dr. Russ Hodges, Past-President of CRLA, Dr. Sandie Crawford, Vice President of NCLCA, Dr. Saundra McGuire, NCLCA's 2004 Learning Center of the Year Award recipient, and Todd Phillips, President of the Midwest Regional Association for Developmental Education, about their educational and professional backgrounds, essential leadership skills, mentor relationships, words of wisdom or advice for aspiring directors, and personal visions for the future of learning assistance. Panelists also responded to several questions from the audience.

---

Friday, January 6th. The day began, as usual, with mentor group breakfast meetings; meetings were followed by "Visioning: Next Steps," the capstone event of each Winter Institute since 1991. Ed Fernandez, Director of Tutorial Services at the UT Learning Center, facilitated the session.  At this session, participants individually reflected on their experiences at the Institute with the goal of listing specific actions that they will initiate when they return to their campuses. Participants shared their notes, discussed their findings, and listed their most important "next steps" on wall charts to be shared
with the larger group.  A compilation of all the "next steps" listed on the charts will be emailed to Institute participants. 
At the concluding brunch, mentors presented certificates of completion to their group members.  Rachel Zierzow, co-director of the Winter Institute, presented certificates of appreciation to the mentors, presenters, and Institute staff.  Alan Constant presented a special certificate and tribute to Ms. Zierzow for her leadership role during this year's Winter Institute.

[ Home | Disclaimer | Acknowledgements | Contacts | Welcome ]
[ What's New | About Learning Support Centers | Calendar ]
[ Resources | About LSCHE | SEARCH ]

---