A collaborative enhancement of the learning environment

Communication, clarity of decision-making processes, and understanding of how our individual work contributes to the success of the College are historical strengths of Carleton. Yet several factors currently strain our ability to communicate effectively and make decisions efficiently and appropriately. Some arise from what appears to be a lack of common understanding about what it means to be a consultative institution and how consultation relates to decision-making. Some are related to a lack of clear articulation of the importance of process, communication, and trust. Additional problems appear to be related to inadequate sharing of information across the campus as deliberations give shape to new policies and plans. The increasing complexity and rate of change in our work and personal lives surely has reduced informal communication and interaction. Decision-making in an environment of insufficient communication consumes inordinate amounts of energy, detracts from our ability to carry on our work effectively, and diminishes our sense of common purpose. Our ability to grow stronger during the early years of the twenty-first century will depend on clear, thoughtful, and efficient decision-making processes.

The quality of the relationships among employees of the College has a significant impact on our students. The Purpose of the College describes a liberal arts education at Carleton and concludes, "Education, although a profoundly individual experience, prepares one to live fruitfully in society and contribute to its work. The liberal arts at Carleton aim to liberate as fully as possible the whole potential of each student and open the way toward a generous and interesting life." It is within the context of ommunity that the Carleton educational experience comes alive. Carleton is a comparatively safe experimental arena within which students should have the opportunity to learn how to "live fruitfully in society" and express their intelligence and knowledge in generous ways. To put it rather bluntly, Carleton should be a place where we model communication and thoughtful decision-making.

Recommendation 1: Review decision-making processes and improve communication

An inherent tension exists in all organizations between the ability to make timely decisions and the strengthening of shared purpose gained from inclusiveness in decision-making processes. In no small measure, Carleton's success as an institution has been built on a shared mission by dedicated, loyal employees and a strong sense of what it means to contribute to the work of Carleton. As we move into the twenty-first century, this sense of community is being placed in jeopardy by the complications of managing a diverse and complex organization. Individuals, departments, and employee groups at Carleton have expressed concern about the committee structure, committee relationships to one another, and the route issues and concerns take through committees and administrative offices toward resolution. Clarity is needed about the informative and consultative steps in our decision-making process. We recommend that the College Council, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, initiate a review of our shared governance system and the intersections of our administration with the governance system.

Recommendation 2: Develop initiatives to enhance our sense of common purpose

Carleton distinguishes itself from many of its peer institutions by its personal interactions among students, faculty, and staff, its egalitarian educational climate, and its participatory learning environment both in and outside the classroom. As a residential college in a small Midwestern town, we have created an intentional community of individuals, who have come from different parts of the country and the world, dedicated to learning and working together. While the campus itself is somewhat removed from the larger world, Carleton is an active member of the Northfield community, and students, faculty, and staff bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and values which enrich the educational and residential life on campus. However, those same diverse origins, backgrounds, and expectations, combined with societal trends away from a
strong sense of community and toward greater mobility and individuality, create powerful centrifugal forces which can undermine our own sense of community and a clear understanding of shared purpose.

The personal and professional lives of faculty and staff have changed markedly over the past few decades. The most notable examples that affect people's attitudes toward and relationships to the College are the shift to two-career and single-parent families and the significant growth in the number of employees living outside the Northfield area. Two-career and single-parent families are a societal fact of life and employers and employees must work to find an equilibrium between the demands of the job and the demands of these new family structures. Faculty and staff who live outside Northfield often settle in the Twin Cities, where they believe personal, professional, social, religious, or family needs can be better met. Specifically, the diverse, urban nature of the Twin Cities helps us attract both faculty and staff of color and employees whose partners seek positions that are not available in Northfield.

Although shifting career patterns within families and the desire of some employees to live in the Twin Cities may be of benefit to individuals, they do have an impact on the College. Carleton functions best when members of the community are present together on campus and interact with each other regularly. It is natural that these changes have created some tension between time and energies spent on campus and commitments to family, local community, and personal interests. Just as individuals occasionally reassess the balance between their own changing personal and professional interests and expectations, the College should review the impact on the institution of centrifugal forces on students, faculty, and staff. We should clarify how an intentional learning community incorporates the importance of professional lives for both spouses and the richness of the off-campus world in the Twin Cities and beyond, while reinforcing our sense of common purpose on campus. The College should review on-campus expectations for employees, and explore ways for all employees to participate in the on-campus community life.

Because job requirements vary so widely among employee groups, discussions of this issue should begin between individual groups and appropriate administrators and administrative offices: the Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC), the Faculty Personnel Committee (FPC) and the Dean of the College for faculty, Staff at Carleton (SAC) for biweekly staff, and the Exempt Staff Forum for exempt staff. The Human Resources Office should coordinate the SAC and Forum discussions.

The College should support existing opportunities and develop initiatives which could incorporate diverse backgrounds, values, and experiences into the shared campus life. We received several suggestions as to how we could accomplish this, including adding an explicit statement about the value of community in the College's Statement of Purpose, encouraging a dialogue about the different needs and common goals of employees and students, and developing further procedures to help offices and departments work more closely together. Other suggestions included: establishing a common meeting hour as part of the weekly schedule, making a renewed commitment to common activities such as convocation, conducting a survey assessing employee morale and soliciting suggestions for improvement, increasing faculty and staff contact with the Trustees, holding an annual all-campus retreat on campus issues and common concerns, and encouraging continued involvement in the civic life of Northfield.