Negotiating the Politics of our Advocacy Roles Laura Harrison lauramh@stanford.edu Stanford University 3.15.11

1. Negotiating the Politics of our Advocacy RolesLaura Harrisonlauramh@stanford.eduStanford University3.15.11

2. What do you think of when you hear the word, politics?

3. Why do students need politically savvy advocates? 1) We have entered the era of the multiversity. • Kerr, C. (1963). The Uses of the University. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 2) Students comprise one of many stakeholder groups. • Washburn, J. (2005). University Inc.: The corporate corruption of higher education. New York, NY: Basic Books. 3) Universities are political systems with real power structures. • A. J., Kezar, Carducci, R., & Contreras-McGavin, M. (2006). Rethinking the "L" word in higher education: The revolution in research on leadership. ASHE Higher Education Report 31(6). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

4. Theoretical Frameworks for Negotiating Power • Meyerson • Key concept: Tempered Radicals • “Tempered radicals are people who operate on a fault line. They are organizational insiders who contribute and succeed in their jobs. At the same time, they are treated as outsiders because they represent ideals or agendas that are somehow at odds with the dominant culture” (p. 5). • Badaracco • Key Concepts: Right vs. Right Decisions; Dirty Hands • Beyond inspirational ethics • Becoming an insider

5. My research • First study • Harrison, L.M. (2010). Consequences and Strategies Student Affairs Professionals Engage in Their Advocacy Roles. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice 47(2), 197-214. • Participatory • 6 participants; 5 universities in 1 state • Primary findings: Serious consequences, “in the system” and “out of the system” strategies employed, learned advocacy by the “seat of the pants” • Second study • NASPA grant funded • Grounded theory • 22 participants; 12 universities in 8 states

6. Core Category: Advocacy as the Practice of Power

7. For your assigned case… • 1. Could you see this situation happening at your school? Why or why not? • 2. What issues would be raised if this situation happened at your school? • 3. Does your assigned case constitute a legitimate advocacy project? What criteria do you use to make this determination? • 4. Are the issues raised in your case “mountains you would die on?” What factors would weigh into your decision? • 5. What is one strategy you think you would use to approach a resolution to the issues raised in your case? • Bonus Question: What do you think you could have done ahead of time to pre-empt and/or prepare yourself for the issues raised in your case?

8. Working Theory of Advocacy 1)The effective student affairs professional must be able to advocate for students: a. in the context of the multiversity b. using political acumen. 2)Successful advocacy rests on student affairs’ ability to tell our story in a way that is compelling within the context of: a. the institution’s frame b. the broader world of higher education.

9. The broader world of higher education • Increased scrutiny of higher education • Declining by Degrees, 2005 • Academically Adrift, 2011 • Calls for greater accountability • Government Accountability Office investigation, 2010 (NY Times, 11/10/10) • Concern that higher education has lost its way • Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line, 2003 • Excellence Without a Soul, 2006

10. Excellence Without a Soul • They [faculty] were, in other words, genuine educational professionals. They left Harvard, or were forced to leave, because they did not fit into the new, retail-store university in which orders are taken, defects are pampered over to get the merchandise out the door, and the customers are sent home happy by “student services professionals” (p. 257).

11. Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line • The feeding of this flock [students] has become big business. The University of Cincinnati has hired a master chef to create gourmet menus…Georgia Tech in Atlanta has a greengrocer in a residence hall…Babson College has added a fresh juice bar at the campus center, which already had vegan and sushi station and a full-time person preparing specialty coffees. “It’s not about pampering,” insists Carol Hacker, student affairs dean at Babson, all the while maintaining a straight face. “It’s about community building” (p.23-24).

12. Strategies and Opportunities • Branding • Framing • Quantifying and Qualifying • Backward design • Telling our story

13. May’s Story Well, it wasn’t an institution inclined toward things like women’s centers or feminist-type programming or what-not. But they did care about image and when they had the high profile sexual harassment cases, it was time to capitalize on all those relationships I built the people on campus who cared about this stuff and get focused. It was good to do a study and come up with a list of recommendations. When I presented them to the Provost, he was like, “Well, I guess we have to do this now.” He was almost exasperated like “Damn, I have to do this, too, on top of everything else that’s going on!” But we got a women’s center and it’s been one of the bright spots of everything that’s been going on at XU.

14. Jan’s Story So one of my RA’s…let’s call him, “Michael.” He just struggled academically and it didn’t make sense. He worked really hard, but was always right in the middle of the curve. He was the kind of kid who fell through the cracks because he neither excelled nor raised flags. Anyway, he wanted to do better in school, but couldn’t seem to get there, even though he was definitely smart and hard working. He was a real serious student, first in his family to go to college, not the kind of student who was here to mess around. And he was definitely smart, but his grades weren’t reflecting that. So this just stumped me for awhile until I started doing some of my paperwork in the lounge where I could watch him study with the other students. I started to notice he was just moving all over the place and I thought, “I wonder if he’s ever been tested for ADHD.” People in my family have this, so I know the signs. Michael and I had the kind of relationship where I could ask him something like this without him taking offense, so I did and he said he had not been tested. He wasn’t thrilled about going to the counseling center, but he agreed to go if I went with him. So I took him over there and he got some help and he made the Dean’s list last semester. He is not the same kid he was last year…he’s much more confident, thinking about grad school now when last year, the last thing in this world he would be thinking about was more school.

15. References Arum, R. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Badaracco, J. (1997). Defining moments: When managers must choose between right and right. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Badaracco, J. (2002). Leading quietly: An unorthodox guide to doing the right thing. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Harrison, L.M. (2010). Consequences and Strategies Student Affairs Professionals Engage in Their Advocacy Roles. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice 47(2), 197-214. Hersh, R. & Merrow, J. (2005). Declining by degrees: Higher education at risk. New York, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Kerr, C. (1963). The Uses of the University. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Kezar, A., Carducci, R., & Contreras-McGavin, M. (2006). Rethinking the "L" word in higher education: The revolution in research on leadership. ASHE Higher Education Report 31(6). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Kirp, D. (2003). Shakespeare, Einstein, and the bottom line: The marketing of higher education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Lewin, T. (2010, November 10). Scrutiny takes toll on for-profit college company. The New York Times. Lewis, H. (2006). Excellence without a soul: Does liberal education have a future? New York: Public Affairs. Meyerson, D. (2003). Tempered radicals: How everyday leaders inspire change at work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Washburn, J. (2005). University Inc.: The corporate corruption of higher education. New York, NY: Basic Books. .