Leadership Exchange

Dear Colleagues:

Ispent the summer trying to catch up on my reading, and several arti- cles on innovation caught my attention. I was particularly interested in these articles given that innovation is one of NASPA’s four guiding principles. Writing in the May 2011 The Harvard Business Review, Geoff Tuff suggested ways to measure the success (heat level) of an innovation with management tools that identify opportunities in finance, process, product offering, and delivery.

His article, titled “How Hot is Your Next Innovation?”, made me wonder whether the student affairs profession could be more thoughtful and intentional about being innovative. Do we measure the success of our innovations? Do we have a systematic way of listening to a creative idea and taking action? Do we articulate, welcome, and award innovation in our divisions? Do we introduce concepts associated with innovation to our students? Do we make time for creative thought on our respective campuses?

From my vantage point, it is becoming more apparent our association and profession must sharpen the focus on innovation and recognize how taking action on a novel concept can lead to great success. Many innovative college and university programs have been created through student affairs and have emanated from our association. Yet our current climate seems to demand more innovation from our leaders, especially in the context of change, global outreach, and budget and space constraints. One of the nine innovation principles of the highly successful company Google is “creativity loves constraints.” Creativity abounds, and sometimes it thrives best, in settings where limitations require us to think “out of the box.” What area in higher education is better suited to find innovative solutions than student affairs?

Advancing;Strategic;Plan;Goals

As we move forward with NASPA’s strategic plan, Advancing Leadership Shaping Change, innovation is critical in advancing the four goals designed to reach our vision: NASPA is the leading voice for student affairs worldwide. I envision our leaders pushing for different ways to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in the organization and to gain greater leverage with our peers in higher education. I see our leaders placing increased emphasis on problem solving, creativity, and risk taking. I expect our leaders to have the courage to transform our profession for the better and to deliberately question the status quo. Our membership would benefit by asking for innovative ways of delivering programs, conducting research, and optimizing the creative minds that surround us.

On our campuses, innovation must play a role in teaching and programming. Students must be prepared to face opportunities and challenges with an open mind, new ideas, a willingness to embrace change, and a thirst to solve problems. Students should become comfortable with the notion of innovation before they graduate. Our students must learn to ask the right questions and explore the answers by seeking a diverse set of possible responses, with a bias against such statements as “because we have always done it this way.” We must enable these creative opportunities through cocurricular activities and student leadership roles.

Are you ready to consider being more innovative in your thinking and student affairs activities? Greater attention to innovation is critical to bring worthwhile ideas to practice, prepare students to feel confident in their creative endeavors, create exceptional student experiences, generate more revenue, and make a difference in our students’ lives. In looking for the competitive edge for student affairs, we might begin to see that innovation is both necessary and timely.

Publisher NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Executive Editor Gwendolyn Jordan Dungy

Managing Editor Nancy E. Grund

Contributing Editors Melissa Dahne Kaaryn Keller Kevin Kruger

Designer Sese-Paul Design

Advertising Manager Fred Comparato

Editorial Board James E. Scott Academy James Conneely, Chair Linda Clement Kathleen Collins Patrick Day Berenecea Johnson Eanes Shannon Ellis Kenneth Elmore Bill Flanagan Barbara Jones Harry Le Grande Brian Haynes Deneece Huftalin Kent Kelso Todd olson Karen Pennington Daniel Pugh Larry Roper Wm. Gregory Sawyer Mike Segawa Renee Barnett Terry Charlotte Tullos Lori Varlotta Sue Weitz

Leadership;Exchange;is published four times a year for senior student affairs officers in higher education. Letters to the editor are welcome. For subscription information and advertising opportunities, please contact the NASPA office.

Leadership;Exchange NASPA 111 K Street, NE, 10th Floor Washington, DC 20002 Fax 202.898.5737 E-mail le@naspa.org

Sincerely,

Copyright © 2011 by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Inc. Printed and bound in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher.

NASPA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, gender identity, gender expression, affectional or sexual orientation, or disability in any of its policies, programs, and services.