I doubt the new strategic plan from the VCCS is on your summer reading list, but here’s why it should be: We all need to see the big picture. I read reports and plans like this as part of my job in the grants office. When we are considering grant opportunities, we make sure our funding requests align with the bigger goals of the college, or in this case, with the aspirational goals of the entire Virginia Community College System. By understanding our common purpose, we work more effectively as teams — as a system of 23 community colleges, down to our small departmental teams right here at Virginia Western. This knowledge will empower each of us to contribute more ideas and make important decisions, no matter our role. General Stanley McChrystal calls this “shared consciousness,” which he explains in “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World.” I don’t have much interest in reading about military missions, but I did find this book helpful. In fact, leadership author and systems thinker Meg Wheatley has said the U.S. Army is one of the only true learning organizations she has ever known. (“It’s better to learn than be… Continue Reading 5 big takeaways from the new VCCS strategic plan (and why reading it is important)Read More
One of the best pieces of creative advice I’ve ever read was this: “The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”— David Ogilvy, the “father of advertising” And so, not only do I lean into my humor on the regular, but I make sure to follow that advice in formal brainstorming sessions without fear. I pay attention to my first reactions — my wisecracks. There’s usually an insight wrapped in the joke. For example: When a core team of Virginia Western faculty and staff gathered as part of our G3 design thinking sessions in 2019, I presented an idea that made most of us laugh out loud: What if we created Hogwarts houses? Now, I didn’t mean we should literally violate Warner Bros. trademarks. The Harry Potter analogy helped me communicate the power of student cohorts — about creating distinct “houses,” perhaps with their own colors or symbols. A framework to help students build peer relationships within smaller groups, creating a sense of belonging. Just think about how powerful those houses have been in our popular culture. (I’m Ravenclaw, if you’re curious.) My half-baked Hogwarts idea didn’t get any traction with our G3 project, but… Continue Reading Now hiring: Fralin Futures Success Coach (and cohort wizard)Read More
Every two years, the Aspen Institute awards a $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence — what President Barack Obama described as “basically the Oscars for great community colleges.” The 2021 winners were announced earlier this month. And lo and behold, Amarillo College — which I have spotlighted before — was recognized with a runner-up “Rising Star” award. The first-place winner is another Texas institution, in the same city where I was born: San Antonio College (SAC), which serves predominantly part-time, low-income, and Hispanic students. When I read more about why SAC has been so successful, I noticed the same theme that also animates Amarillo College, and that is: Care. Photo by John Trainor CC BY 2.0 Consider “CARE” our most important four-letter word — and inextricable from a relationship-rich culture, which I’ve obsessed about on this blog. Both award-winning colleges “love students to success,” as Amarillo puts it. Care should drive the design of Big Initiatives, as well as our small, individual interactions. No matter our role, we have an opportunity to strengthen our caring culture every day. The Aspen profile of San Antonio College reads: A culture of caring has become a hallmark of excellent community colleges.… Continue Reading Community college excellence comes down to this 4-letter wordRead More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Why Try An LOI? May 10, 2024
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023
- Time to Innovate October 4, 2023
- How to tackle grant season? August 14, 2023