Plan for Succession PLAN FOR SUCCESSION FOR THE MIDWEST CONSORTIUM FOR LATINO RESEARCH By Belinda Silva Cook Running Head: PLAN FOR LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION FOR THE MIDWEST CONSORTIUM FOR LATINO RESEARCH Submitted to MCLR Board of Directors May 19,1995
I. The Organization A. Purpose Plan For Leadership Succession For The Midwest Consortium For Latino Research The Midwest Consortium for Latino Research (MCLR) is a community of scholars which provide a nurturing environment for intellectual and emotional support. THE MCLR supports Latino/a research and Latino scholarship in the Midwest. The MCLR validates scholarship from a Latino/a perspective using class, gender, and race analysis. This community of scholars and institutions promote the interactions and parallels of alternative perspectives. Scholars involved in MCLR are committed to producing and promoting research which will lead to the improvement of Latino communities. B. Structure MCLR's membership consists of the following nine Midwest institutions of higher learning: 1) DePaul University; 2) The University of Illinois at Chicago; 3) Indiana University-Bloomington 4) The University of Iowa 5) The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor 6) Michigan State University 7) The University of Nebraska at Lincoln 8) The University of Wisconsin at Madison 9) Wayne State University Within MCLR, these nine institutions function as "loosely coupled systems" as described by Weick (Weick 1975). Each institution has its own size, identity, purpose, and scholarly strengths. Each institution is also diverse in the composition and numbers of Latino students and faculty. While some are located in urban centers, others are more rural in location with differing student populations, e.g., rural vs. urban. MCLR is a vehicle with which these organizations unite to collaborate on research, programming, and grant opportunities.
C Main Projects 1. Listserv: This is an electronic bulletin board in which subscribers are invited to actively participate, dialogue and exchange research ideas and/or information of upcoming events. Information regarding conferences, job announcements, scholarship opportunities, grant opportunities, scholarly inquiries, and public policy is requested. During the last two years this listserv has come to be recognized as a national listserv that sets the standard for Latino focused networks. 2. Scholars Round tables: The 1994 Roundtable was a tremendous success. The focus was "A Partnership for a Midwest Academic Leadership Agenda." It drew 54 scholars from 8 states. The 1995 Roundtable will focus on Latinos and the Tenure Process. 3. Facility Questionnaire: The current questionnaire that has taken three years to complete will the first in the Midwest of this magnitude to focus on Latino faculty. The results will be shared with faculty and administrators to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Midwest Latino faculty. 4. Faculty Directory: The faculty directory will identify the academic credentials and research interests of Latino faculty. It was highly recommended by the participants of the 1994 Roundtable. D. Leadership (Past and Current) The leadership of MCLR has functioned as a system of "shared governance" in academia (Bensimon, et al 1989). The Director of MCLR reports to a Board of Directors that is composed of one representative from each member institution. The Board of Directors is governed by an Executive Committee that is composed of a Chair, and Vice Chair. In accordance with the agreement with Michigan Sate University, The Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute serves as an Ex-Officio (without a vote). The Director and Board of Directors both individually and collectively report to each respective administrator to which MCLR is responsible. By maintaining a shared governance as described by transactional theory, MCLR has increased institutional support during the last two years. II Outstanding Challenges t A. Response Time One of the major difficulties in operating a consortium that covers such a large geographic area is communication. The response time of communication between the Directors and Board of Directors is slow. E-mail has been helpful, however rapid communication continues to be a great challenge.
B. Ongoing Projects The primary ongoing project that is most challenging is the listserv because it requires daily attention. A high level of maturity and judgment are also essential for the proper maintenance of the listserv. It also requires a level of technical competency that is time consuming to learn. C New Projects The Scholars Roundtable is still a relatively new project. Preparations, planning, budgeting, fund raising, and organizing for the Roundtable are time consuming. A great amount of attention to detail is required. Additionally, interpersonal communication skills play a vital role to the communication between funders, faculty members, and administrators. D. Funding External fundraising is critical to the success of MCLR. During 1994, a strategy resembling the earlier years of the CIC was adopted for fundraising purposes. The NEH, NSF, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution were targeted. However, a changing political climate in the federal government is calling for the demise of the NEH. New strategies need to be researched in the pursuit of external funding. E. Portable Director/Agreement The process by which MCLR negotiates with insitutions for an administrative office, is a challenge. The duration of the present contract is for a three year period ending July 1997. Unlike the CIC which has been physically stationary since its inception, MCLR has been housed at two different locations (UIC & MSU) to date. This arrangement poses little employment security for the administrative staff. It may also serve as a hindrance in future searches. Continuity and security are important to would-be applicants. HI. Objective: Smooth Transition Of Directorship The primary objective of this plan for succession is a smooth transition of the directorship. Now more than ever, continuity needs to be maintained. The momentum of the major projects and an uncertain future for federal funding in higher education dictate that a smooth transition take place. The improved level of institutional support from administrators at member institutions must not be jeopardized. Additionally, the increased visibility MCLR has achieved within the last two years must not slow down. Finally, the increased level of interest and participation from the faculty must be encouraged as we work to enhance their development. We have a responsibility to address the needs and challenges of the Latino faculty at all of our member institutions.
IV. Recommendations 5 A. Director Candidates for the position should be interviewed by a committee of at least three board members. The new director should not be hired "sight unseen." 1. Qualifications * Doctorate Degree * Knowledge of higher education institutions * Research experience * Grant writing experience * Effective communication skills * Long range planning skills * Networking abilities to facilitate international linkages * Reading, writing and speaking fluency English/Spanish 2. Duties * Cultivates networks of contacts with federal, professional, private, community, media, and higher education organizations. * Supervises administrative staff and oversees all projects. * Seeks grants and corporate gifts. * Represents MCLR at conferences and meetings * Monitors federal legislation, current affairs, student activity, and broader issues in higher education that affect Latinos and shares information with listserv subscribers/board members. 3. Relationship to the Board * Works with individual board members. * Works collectively with all board members. * Works closely with Chair and Vice-Chair of the board. * Recommend an increased role for the Director due to the multiple responsibilities of the board members. B. Timing of Search 1. Expeditious * Recommend some overlap time between new director and present director. * Hiring should be effective three weeks prior to the Roundtable. 2. Promotion From Within * A promotion from within the organization would be the most expeditious method of hiring a new director. 3. Timeliness * A new director should be hired before the present director leaves.
C. Potential Candidates 1. Lourdes Kuthy * Recommend Lourdes Kuthy be considered for the directors position. 2. Other candidates known to Board Members * Board members should identify individuals who are interested in the position who are willing to relocate to Michigan for two years. 3. Open Search * The pros and cons of a national search should be discussed by board members and a decision should be made quickly. * Search would be conducted within the guidelines of MSU. * Advertisement methods should be agreed upon. D. Staffing Considerations The present staffing structure of MCLR consists of a quarter-time graduate student and a part-time undergraduate student. Both individuals work on the listserv, and answer telephones. The graduate student works closely with the director on a day to day basis and is knowledgeable of all the office functions. * Recommend maintaining a similar staffing arrangement in the future. * Recommend Ph.D. students for the graduate part-time position as this could result in future leadership. E. Other Staffing Needs Staffing needs for the Chair of MCLR should be considered. V, Conclusion MCLR is an organization that has a niche in today's learning society. Since the majority of Midwest Latino faculty can be defined as being in the early-career years, between career entry and full membership in the academic ranks, MCLR can assume a much needed role to assist with achievement and confirmation (Schuster, & Wheeler 1990). Demands resulting from a growing Latino student population will increase the need for an organization like MCLR. However, these demands and "different" students will also create uncertainty for institutions of higher education. Ken Dryden states in Organizational Reality Reports From The Firing Line: "People and the organizations they create often act as if they are threatened by sources of uncertainty. Consequently, they often find it difficult to cope with stimuli that differ in salient ways from the stimuli they assume to be normal (Frost, Mitchell, & Nord 1986).
The director will need to manage successfully in an environment of increased competition for scarce resources. The director will also need exceptional interpersonal skills, established academic credentials, a positive role model, politically aware, and will need to become: * A strategic opportunist, * Globally aware, and * Capable of managing a highly decentralized organization. This assessment is reflective of much of the philosophy of Jay A. Conger's work The Brave New World of Leadership Training (Conger 1993). The Director will also need to concentrate on alleviating or assisting with the financial difficulties that insitutions of higher education are being challenged with. Given the current economic mood of the recently elected Congress and the Republican lead "Contract With America", higher education stands to lose large sums of federal funding. Although President Clinton recently vowed to veto cuts in education, his administration recommended cuts in resources for Migrant Education Programs, Bi-lingual Education, and Graduate School Research Grants. Additionally, proposed legislation curtailing the interest on student loans will result in multiple challenges for students of all races. These external conditions and the resulting resource stress will continue to plague administrators for an indefinite period of time. Without a doubt MCLR has a valid and sustainable purpose. The organization can be as isolated or visible as it's leaders choose. The potential exists for collaborative research, funding, faculty development, national visibility, and institutional support.
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