Colleges, universities “equal but parallel”: Franklin
Colleges could become more active in defining their own future, Linda Franklin, President and CEO of CollegesOntario told OCASA board on Monday.
And she predicted that news later this week, from the Government of Ontario may include items that will affect colleges.
Colleges, universities “equal but parallel”: Franklin
Colleges could become more active in defining their own future, Linda Franklin, President and CEO of CollegesOntario told OCASA board on Monday.
And she predicted that news later this week, from the Government of Ontario may include items that will affect colleges.
In addressing the OCASA AGM, Franklin said that the past year or two has been unsettled. “We live in such interesting times,” she said. The evolvement of college diploma courses and melding with university degrees has yet to be completely resolved, but Franklin said it perhaps it was time for the colleges to “define their own future”. Perhaps colleges should not define themselves in their relationship with universities, but to realize the colleges and universities are parallel but equal systems, and that colleges should be integrated with universities but “not in their shadow.”
CAAT Pension Plan Annual Report available
The CAAT Pension Plan is a model worth emulating in any plans the government has for joint governance of pensions, Derek Dobson says.
Dobson, CEO and Plan Manager of the CAAT Pension Plan, told members at the annual meeting of the OCASA Pension Corporation that the jointly-sponsored defined benefit pension provides a blueprint for changes the government hinted at in the March budget.
The Ontario Budget, presented in March 2012, included a number of proposals that promote the model of joint governance for pension plans. The CAAT Pension Plan annual report provides details of the plan and how it can serve as a model and is now available on line.
In addressing the OCASA Pension Corporation on Monday, Dobson stressed the strength of Defined Benefits plan, and noted that in the CAAT Plan costs are shared by employees and employers equally. He said that Defined Contribution Plans – often cited as a method of tax relief for public pensions – are “not a panacea” and are less efficient and don’t necessarily provide adequate retirement income.
Dobson said that the annual report includes some changes facing the Pension Plan later this year. More details will follow in a subsequent news item. CAAT Pension Annual Report.
Sunjay Nath defines leaders, followers and the 80%
Any group of people can be divided into three parts: 10% who are the leaders, 10% who are the laggards, and the 80% who are the majority.
And the biggest error that most teachers and administrators make is to focus energies and attention on the 10% who are most in need of change – the bottom 10%.
That’s the message author and inspirational speaker Sunjay Nath delivered to attendees at the annual OCASA Professional Development Conference.
The real target, he said, should be to focus attention on the 10% who demonstrate the behaviour being sought rather than try to jar those at the other end of the spectrum into change.
“Action follows action,” he said, in his brief twist on Newton’s Laws of Motion. “Inaction follows inaction.” In other words, if a leader focus attention, energy and resources on those farthest from the desired activity it shows the majority the path to attention and they will emulate the least desirable action. Rewarding and inspiring the top 10%, on the other hand, motivates the majority to emulate that activity.
In a presentation that is half comedy routine (hearing Sunjay’s version of Cinderella is worth the price of admission) Sunjay was guest speaker to kick off the three-day OCASA PD Conference, held this year at the Blue Mountain Conference Centre in Collingwood.
He gave an example of his principle that of a teacher who targets non-performers (the 10% who sit near the door at the back left hand corner or the room) and tries to inspire performance from them. But instead, he says, others will learn that avoidance is an ideal way to gain attention. Instead, leaders should focus on the top performers, encouraging many others to emulate that performance. He said the same applies to other areas of leadership.
One of his observations: high performing organizations tend to stress values over rules. The rules, he said, tend to extend energy and resources into prevent activity, and simply don’t work as well as instilling values and encouraging use of values in decision-making.
He cautioned that defining the 10% at each end of the spectrum “as bad or good” is not productive. Whether these are top or bottom depends on what you are measuring. If you are building a basketball team, he said, then those who are very short would not likely be top performers. If on the other hand sought a team of those who could “walk under a chair without hitting their heads” then very short people would be the performers.
Sunjay also gave examples from his personal life – “to be a good leader of others you must first learn to lead yourself.” He said the principle applies to personal improvement.
Sunjay Nath is an internationally know inspirational speaker and writer. He began his speaking career at the age of 19 – before he was old enough to rent a car! He has since traveled extensively and addressed hundreds of thousands of people about leadership throughout North America since 1995.
Watch for Conference photos on Flickr
Photos from the conference will be available through Flickr. Watch this space for links and more information.
Watch for blogs from the 2012 OCASA PD Conference June 25-27
During the annual OCASA PD Conference next week, regular blog entries will be posted in this space. This will include information from workshops and other notes of interest. Stay tuned.