Good Monday to all...even my subject sounds a bit sad ka.
I asked my longtime friend, Dr. Kevin Quigley (the last President of Marlboro College, Vermont) to share his lessons on the closing of his college to two university councils the past week ka.
Sad with rich learning as follows:
1. Boards/University Councils must play a crucial role to
- monitor the development of their respective institutions from academic to financial and community dimensions, to ensure that they sustain healthily.
One side advice: Heedful not only to what's reported and heard!
- care for people within the institutions....students, faculty, support staff, etc.
One Board called for an urgent meeting on Saturday to announce the closure of its institution on Monday......horrible actions without caring hearts at all ka.
- think of the unthinkable like the closure of the college as one of the options instead of being far too hopeful to try/drag on.
Marlboro took 4 years to close its door.
2. Trust is the most important when choosing a partner for M&A or collaboration.
- Even after extensive assessment processes, legal documents included, stop the partnership when trust continues to die down.
His experiences also teach me and in fact our universities how we must be super-selective to collaborate and partnership must be based on trust with a sound purpose of enhancing both sides' development ka.
3. Creating safe options for our people, especially our students, to leave the institutions with pride.
Marlboro College merged with Emerson College by transferring their students and some faculty (offering a big retirement package to those who didn't function), establishing the Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson.
4. It was an exhausting and painful process administratively, physically, and emotionally for Kevin as he cared so much for his college students, faculty, and all in his community. Glad it was a success that had much fewer impacts to most.
I also think that people get scared to listen to the sharing about closing a college when we can draw many lessons to prepare even much better to survive and sustain ka.
Any comments mai ka?
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