Higher Education Observer

This is more personal than professional, but I have done quite a bit of research on this syndrome and its relationship to Autism.  There is a paper on this blog about the subject (check archives from Feb. or March 2010). The shooter in the horrific Newtown, CT, tragedy is being labeled as having Asperger's.  I have written elsewhere of how anyone who has poor social skills gets tagged with this moniker.  Asperger's folks are not violent; they might be odd, but not evil.  Whatever caused this shooting cannot be laid at the door of Asperger's.  It might have been a contributing factor in a remote way, but I would be more likely to think the young man had schizophrenia or some other brain or chemical disorder.  And he might have just been morally bankrupt, evil, psychological disturbed as opposed to physically or neurologically impaired. I would hate for there to be a backlash against the Asperger's community because of misunderstandings on this matter.  We need to pra

This is a paper I wrote for a doctoral class in leading change in organizations.  It might help someone faced with leading a QEP.   Abstract From 2010 to 2012, the author led the efforts at her institution to comply with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ requirement that the college submit a quality enhancement plan.   She encountered challenges in raising awareness, countering apathy from superiors, obtaining adequate funding, and writing a coherent document.   Using Kotter’s theory of leading change, Hill’s model of team leadership, and Scharmer’s Theory U, she analyzes her behavior as a leader.                                     Change Analysis:   Responding to an Accreditation Board On an evening in June 2010, I was checking out at a local grocery store when I saw the chair of the academic department in which I work.   She said, “Oh, did you get my email?” a question that often implies something negative, or unexpected, was in the email.   “No,” I answe

This is an executive summary/argument for using Action Research at a college. As Our institution moves from a two-year college to a full-service baccalaureate institution, faculty will be increasingly asked to consider their role in the creation of knowledge for their respective disciplines and instruction in that discipline.   As the Faculty Fellow for Publication and Communication, I approach the role as one of facilitating not just faculty development in instructional methods for the classroom, but also in professional development in the personal, service, and research aspects of their work. Concurrently, I am beginning my journey as a doctoral student in the Adult Education and Organizational Leadership at the University of Georgia.   The goal of the faculty in this program is to lead us to be scholar/practitioners using, among others, the action research methodology. In this memo, I would like to outline the characteristics of and processes used in action research

Note:  I am in two doctoral classes this semester.  One is on Leading Change and the other is about Action Research methodology.  This is a reflection on my understanding of Action Research. In reading Theory U for Dr. Watkins’ class, I came across a casual quotation in the book.   It is not a book about action research but one that is highly dependent upon it.   Scharmer quotes Kurt Lewin, “You cannot understand a system unless you change it.”   That quotation hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks.   That is action research in a nutshell, if you will.   It is a process of understanding a system, and the people and processes within that system, by trying to change it.   I am writing this essay the day after our SACS visiting team has given us our final report.   They were on our campus for three days.   As the chair of the Quality Enhancement Plan committee, I had a large responsibility in preparing for the visit.   Starting in June 2010, I led this effort.   It consumed