February 20, 2012 College Assembly Update

As attendees gathered for the Assembly, they saw a background of blue skies on the front wall of the room. Members of the ten Action Teams along with the Technology, Diversity, Retention, and Facilities (Toledo and Youngstown campus) Committees have been meeting regularly to “dream” about the College’s future. Each group is creating action plans related to the five goals developed at the August 2011 Summit. Some of the actions will be able to be accomplished in the short term while others will require a longer time for implementation. This is an on-going process involving all constituencies in the Mercy College community which will advance the College as we move to 2020.

As part of the Table Chat section of the Assembly, Dr. Cady and Sister Barbara Davis, SC presented the background on the principles of Collaborative Culture. Attendees at the January 4, 2012 meeting for Action Teams individually reviewed the principles for healthy collaboration based on the work of Sandra Janoff & Marin Weisbord; Emily and David Axelrod; and Kathy Danemiller. Table groups identified those principles they believed to be most significant for Mercy College. Responses were posted on chart paper around the meeting room. Each person “voted” on the principles most important to him/her. Some principles were identified more than once. Raw data was tabulated and then refined by three members of the Implementation Team. Each attendee at today’s Assembly received a copy of their work which included a one sentence descriptor of the seven groupings. 

Responses from today’s discussion will be compiled and all will be invited to continue in “conversation” as we refine the principles of a collaborative culture for Mercy College. There will opportunities for on-going feedback and further discussion at upcoming assemblies and other venues. 

Though the agenda for the Assembly was indeed full, the collective responses from each of the fifteen table groups provided wisdom and insight for each of the areas addresses: reports from leadership; progress reports from each of the ten Strategic Planning Action Teams, Diversity, Facilities [Toledo and Youngstown], Retention and Technology; and the principles of Collaborative Culture. 

Listen as Heather Hoppe, Director of Institutional Research and Registrar, provides a summary of today’s Assembly.

Photo Slideshow from the meeting.