Staff Advisory Team Meeting Notes September 23, 2009
Agenda for 9/23/09 meeting
• Presentation of proposal for administrative staff exchanges as an internationalization strategy by Kathy Sparaco
• Discuss plans to invite Jason Warburg to upcoming meeting and needs assessment summary about communication that we will provide to him.
• Discuss details of our Open House Program in preparation for approaching staff departments
• Touch base about our role in answering questions about the new staff benefits Discuss IT Trainings Discuss and plan Brown Bag Lunch Schedule
Meeting Notes:
1. Kathy Sparaco Presents... Presentation of proposal for administrative staff exchanges as an internationalization strategy by Kathy Sparaco
• Book Suggestion: The Six Secrets of Change
• Administrative Staff Exchanges as an Internationalization Strategy:
• Common types of internationalization happen with student exchange or faculty exchange. This would engage the third group on campus, the staff, in this endeavor. This would allow the staff as well to “walk the walk” in terms of being a truly global institution.
• What would this type of exchange look like? It could be a 1-3 week observation, a six month exchange where you learn a particular skill or project. Lastly it could be a longer term reciprocal exchange where staff members would switch. Benefits: personal development for staff, language development, exposure to other higher education models, awareness of our students situation (MIIS is a destination institute), a way to create new ideas and new approaches to our old problem. The institutional benefits are also substantial: the staff will be able to walk the talk, the staff has an international interest but little opportunity to act on it, stronger ties to other international schools etc..this could be a recruiting function, also a professional development opportunity. Could potentially partner with Middlebury Schools Abroad.
• This is an idea that has long legs, this may not be the moment to bring it up with the budgets etc, but this is something that perhaps we can look forward to.
• Financial questions: could there be cost-sharing (between staff/institution or institution to institution? Grant money?
• Next steps: Submit idea to Sr. Admin staff based on our proposal perhaps using existing models (LEAP model, Japanese program Fulbright also has an admin staff program, ERASMUS, Monash Univ.) We also need buy in at all levels. In mid-November there is International Education week. Create a working group to follow up with this.
2. Discuss plans to invite Jason Warburg to upcoming meeting and needs assessment summary about communication that we will provide to him.
Aim for a meeting for 2 weeks from now. Need to build a one page summary just about communication. Maybe couch some HR questions under the communication (policy manual for HR). Perhaps invite Amy M to this as well.
3. Discuss details of our Open House Program in preparation for approaching staff departments
Reach out to the departments and record their preferred months.
Rachel has approached HR.
April-Library
4. Touch base about our role in answering questions about the new staff benefits
Not too many questions at this point.
5. Discuss IT Trainings
Perhaps we will do this over brown bag lunch, or at least have multiple meetings in a week. We can also do the IT training next week at our regular scheduled time. Bring a list of EXCEL items for Trinidad to the next meeting.
6. Discuss and plan Brown Bag Lunch Schedule
First Friday of every Month-we provide drink and dessert. Please choose your month.
Off the Agenda:
HR Discussion
New Benefits Discussion
NEXT MEETING ITEMS (Wed 10AM):
Follow up on the Kathy Sparaco Proposal
Draft document for Warburg Meeting
Follow up on Department of the Month Calendar.