The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) lists Adaptivity as one of the Ten Principles for Effectively Serving Adults. In their 2019 Forum and News, Scott Campbell, CAEL’s former Vice President for Higher Education states, “As we were helping colleges identify their capacities–what they’re good at, what their challenges were, where there were disconnects–we found that institutions that serve the adult learner well had a common characteristic: they were able to make changes in what they were doing for adult learners—they weren’t stuck in a mindset of “We do it this way because this is how we’ve always done it.” Many institutions are set up within a command-and-control framework in which the top stakeholders make a decision and it flows down through the organization, but we also know that, in higher education, change doesn’t necessarily happen this way. It often happens from the bottom up–or some combination in-between–and institutions that are thoughtful about the change process, that have a structure that is connected to and in support of their strategies, have a much better chance of succeeding.”
Take a minute to think about that quote in light of recent changes here at VA Western. If we step back and look at recent changes in the governance structure as forming a “structure that is connected to and in support of” our strategic plan, it helps pull things into focus. Our governance teams are now moving in tandem to devise and implement creative solutions that support College Access, Academic Success, Economic Success, and Diversity, moving us toward our goals.
It’s an exciting, and at times uncomfortable, time in the life of our college, but we can’t let “good” be “good enough”. In his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, Jim Collins says, “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.” If VA Western is to move beyond “good” and truly support student success for all learners, a structure that provides a conduit for us to adapt to changing needs and synergize efforts across “silos” is not optional, it’s necessary.
If you’d like to read the full Forum and News article referenced earlier, it’s available on our Get REAL/Strategic Plan SharePoint site, click here. There’s also a great article on Adaptive Change and the Adult Learner.