One Engineering Dean’s Reflections on Leadership
Linda M. Abriola
Dean of Engineering
Tufts University
Remarks presented at the ELATE Class of 2015 Graduation Ceremony
March 14, 2015
First off, I would like to say how honored I am to be presenting these remarks at your graduation. I am
proud to have played a small role in the establishment of this program and have been delighted to serve
as a Board member since its inception and to watch its growth. I only wish that I had had an opportunity
to participate in a program like this when I was beginning my administrative career, now some 18 years
ago (!). At that time, female role models were scarce, and formal leadership development opportunities
were virtually nonexistent. Fortunately, some of us defied the odds and persisted, learning by doing.
In planning my speech today, I originally thought I would talk a bit about the challenges facing all of us in
the academy, to highlight what I consider the important issues for you as you embark on your careers as
academic leaders – posing the value proposition for a STEM degree; dealing with dwindling research
support, changing demographics, and rising costs; onslaughts from MOOCS and new for-profit
educational models; etc. But I suspect that all of you know a great deal about these issues and, although
I can certainly speak to some of the challenges that will be facing you over the next decade, I fear that I
cannot offer any very original ideas to guide you toward the solutions.
So instead I have decided to offer some personal observations and advice about leadership. These
observations have not been informed by the formal study of leadership, but rather by observing other
academic leaders and through my experiences as dean.
My own path to academic leadership was far from direct or planned. I had never aspired to become a
dean, managing to avoid most administrative roles, as I moved through the tenure track. I assumed my
first leadership position (as a program director) primarily because I was elected to it by my colleagues,
and I felt it was an opportunity to help build our program. After some time, however, a change in
leadership above me led to frustration - frustration with my inability to influence decisions and
frustration that there were so many unrealized opportunities that could not be pursued. These
frustrations eventually led me to consider making a change. Opportunity came knocking in the form of
the deanship of a newly formed school of engineering. As I learned more about this role, the possibility
to make a real difference was a huge attraction, and I took the leap to the ‘dark side’, becoming a full
time academic administrator.
In my experience, leaders can be divided into two categories – those motivated primarily by position
and those motivated by the opportunity the position affords. Understanding the motivation of those
around you will help you to manage upwards and downwards and enhance your own job satisfaction. If
you are like me and fall into the latter category, values become a very important part of the effective
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leadership equation. --values matter-- I would argue that one should accept a leadership position only
if you are convinced that your personal values are congruent with both the stated mission of the
institution and the values actually held by the top institutional leaders. Perhaps this is too idealistic, but I
have been surprised by how often I have seen individuals assume leadership roles only to come to
realize that their values are not shared by their superiors. An absence of shared values is a recipe for
frustration and failure in leadership roles. Here what I mean by ‘values’ encompasses both those
attributes that are associated with personal integrity, as well as those that are associated with a vision
for the academic enterprise. Academic leadership is hard enough without having to deal with
dissonance of values at the top.
I was indeed fortunate to move to an institution where the university vision that was taking shape
resonated with my own world view. However, I distinctly remember one lunch with the Provost, my
boss, a couple of years after I was hired (by him) into my dean position. He remarked to me that he was
a bit astonished as to how well I had embraced the University’s mission. I, in my turn, was astonished
that he had hired me without realizing that the articulated mission was totally congruent with my
values. That was an eye-opening conversation for me. It had never occurred to me that one would take
an administrative position without buying into the mission of the institution, but I began to understand
then that academic leaders can be motivated in very different ways and still effect positive change for
their institutions.
My second observation relates to the importance of academic culture. When one first assumes an
academic leadership role, particularly if one is coming from another institution as I was, the most
important thing one can do is to take time to understand the culture —Culture matters-- Even if you feel
that you have a mandate from above to move in a certain direction, it is unlikely that you, as an
outsider, can choose a successful strategy to achieve these changes without understanding the
environment in which you must operate. This means understanding the history of the institution, as
well as the values of its staff, faculty, students, and alumni. It is extremely important that you take the
time to learn and listen. Many of the mistakes I made in my first year as dean could have been avoided
if I had followed my own advice; however, I am a rather impatient person. I thought that my (good)
intentions and values would be obvious to everyone, and I assumed that I understood the culture from
conversations with the search committee and senior leadership during the interview process and from
interacting with my direct reports and peer deans upon my arrival. It’s pretty obvious to me now that it
was foolish for me to expect that my direct reports, who were still learning to trust me, would speak
out, if they saw me making a blunder. In that first year, I managed to alienate an entire department and
part of the undergraduate student body by moving too quickly before I understood the culture.
In the first instance, I did not approve a department’s choice for a new faculty hire. I had very good
reasons for my decision (not least of which was his voiced distain for the professional competence of a
collaborating female colleague), and I would not change it, if I were able to travel back in time. Although
my decision was a thoughtful one, I failed to appreciate how it would be viewed in the context of the
faculty culture. Unfortunately, my decision was interpreted as a sign that I disrespected the faculty in
the department – when it was actually quite the opposite! Fortunately, I had the good sense not to
force the department to hire another candidate, so the position went unfilled that year. But because I
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did not take the time to first understand the history and culture of the department, it took me more
than two years to ‘mend fences’ and establish a productive working relationship. So, in my haste to
move forward, I ended up delaying the very (positive) changes that I had sought to effect with my
decision.
As another example, I made a similar error in judgment when I chose to convert under-utilized student
project space to a research laboratory. To make the situation even more charged – the research
laboratory was part of my own start-up package! At that time the school had very few dedicated
laboratories for research. Since I knew that my mandate was to grow the research portfolio of the
school, and given that we had a disproportionate amount of teaching laboratories and project spaces, it
seemed logical to look there for opportunities to consolidate. I never expected, though, to begin the
process by deciding where to locate my own laboratory. The two choices presented to me upon my
arrival were to take away laboratory space from another faculty member (seemed like a poor way to
begin my deanship!) or to convert student project space. Here again, the fault was not necessarily with
my decision – I believe I chose the best alternative open to me at the time – but in my failure to
understand the culture. The student project space was used actively by only two courses, and I did
consult with and accommodate those course instructors. I was unaware, however, that the space was
sometimes used as ‘drop in’ space for students to work on their own personal projects outside of the
classroom. In fact this space was a very early version of what is coming to be known as ‘maker space’.
Thus, I erred in failing to consult with the students and those faculty members who were champions of
this space. As you can imagine, the student outcry was huge (big headline in the student daily paper). I
was blindsided because I did not understand the history of the project center and the value placed upon
hands-on activities by some of the faculty and students. If I had known more about the culture, I would
like to think that I would have devised a better plan or at least a better communication strategy.
Another thing I learned from this experience is that change can’t easily be managed if it is a ‘zero sum
game.’ In order to address the lack of suitable space, the larger solution for our school has been to lease
high quality space for research and to consolidate student spaces by developing more flexible and
upgraded teaching laboratories. Ironically, we are now seeking to raise funds to develop state-of-the-art
maker/incubator space.
If leadership is about developing, articulating, and realizing a (shared) vision, then shared values are a
key ingredient for success. However, the only way a leader can realize a vision is to do it through
people. So my next observation is that people matter. Ultimately, the people are the institution.
First, to achieve your objectives as an academic leader, it is critically important to assemble a strong
leadership team. Here, my experience suggests that it is better to move slowly and build gradually than
to make wholesale changes. As the academic unit grows and changes under your leadership, there will
be many opportunities to restructure this team. The individuals who work with you in leadership roles
should ultimately share your values and endorse the institutional vision. You will likely inherit a
leadership team. Initially, having representation from those with a history at the institution makes good
sense. So, spend the time to get to know these staff and faculty as individuals. Make your own
assessment of their strengths and shortcomings. Then you will be truly able to make informed decisions
about any changes to the composition of your team.
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Because I began my deanship in a newly formed school, I did not inherit a very large leadership team.
Indeed, there was almost no infrastructure in place to support the school as an independent entity.
Obviously, this rather unusual situation presented both daunting challenges and amazing opportunities.
Of course, I was unable to ‘hit the ground running’, since I would need to build the infrastructure to
support my goals from the ground up. Early on, one of the best decisions I made was to retain both
associate deans in their positions, gradually clarifying and expanding their roles. I believe that the fact
that these well-respected individuals ‘bought into’ the new vision I articulated for the school and
decided to serve in my administration was immensely helpful to me in enlisting the larger support of the
community. I also benefitted greatly from their knowledge of the place, its people and history, in those
first years of change. Today my leadership team numbers more than twenty individuals and spans many
functions that did not formerly exist. As the school continues to grow, the infrastructure is still a work in
progress. Many members of the leadership team are new to the school in the past ten years, but I pride
myself on having moved the school into the future without leaving the important values of the past
behind.
Although the public’s perception is at odds with this view, you and I know academia, rather than being
an ‘ivory tower’, can be a surprisingly ‘cut-throat’ environment. Junior faculty members are hired based
primarily upon their credentials (pedigree) and promise and then expected to deliver on that promise.
At the very best institutions, there is often a ‘sink or swim’ mentality, in which some (or many) are
expected to fail. It is not surprising, then, that those who manage to stay afloat are not necessarily
those inclined, at later stages in their careers, to be collaborative and supportive of their colleagues. I
believe that this type of competitive environment particularly undermines the success of faculty from
underrepresented groups, who may have less access to role models and mentor networks to support
them through the process, and may be less comfortable with the aggressive posture that seems to be
required of them to succeed. Furthermore, I believe that this competitive culture is extraordinarily
wasteful. When we hire junior faculty, we (and they) are making a huge investment – of both time
(theirs and ours) and resources. Thus, I argue that we should be extremely selective in our hiring and
then be sure to provide the resources and environment that our hires need to grow and succeed.
Also, I think that hiring it is not just about pedigree and talent. It is also about passion, personality, and
values. Yes, values again! Remember that, with every new hire, you have the opportunity to
strengthen the cadre of individuals who hold values congruent with the (and your) institutional vision.
You are assembling the team that will guide the future of the institution. For example, because my
institution values interdisciplinary research and because I believe that the most exciting new discoveries
will occur at the intersections of fields, I look for a genuine collaborative spirit in our hires. I look for
people who have a respect for other disciplines and who enjoy working with others. Similarly, because
we value close student-faculty interaction in the undergraduate educational experience, I look for those
that do not view teaching and research as a dichotomy, but rather see them as mutually reinforcing.
It is not only about hiring and choosing well, but also about nurturing and supporting the talent that you
have. To do their best work, people need to feel appreciated. The vast majority of faculty and staff who
seek employment at an academic institution do so because they are passionate about education. Some
individuals lose this passion over time, if they feel that their contributions have not been recognized or
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they feel too disconnected from the administration or the educational enterprise. If you don’t want to
lose your best employees (staff and faculty), then make sure they are recognized for their contributions
and feel well-compensated for their efforts. Help them find ways to develop their skills and career
paths. Offer them opportunities for leadership and to share in decision making. The common practice
at some institutions, which encourages individuals to get outside offers of employment to justify a salary
increase, seems to me to be extremely foolish. It ultimately leads to an unhealthy climate of resentment
and mistrust.
In my view, change management is also about valuing people. Early on in my time as dean, it became
apparent that there were a significant number of tenured faculty members who feared (and would
resist) any move to place more emphasis on graduate (PhD) education and research. Yes, change is
always scary, but their fears were based in some very rational concerns. It was clear to me that many of
these faculty members were passionate about education and that they were contributing and could
continue to contribute to the institutional mission in very significant and lasting ways. The dilemma
then became how not to alienate these individuals, enabling them to feel valued and to continue to be
productive, as we sought to move the school forward and develop a different faculty model. To this
end, early on I worked with the department chairs to create a ‘work load’ policy that would clearly
articulate the values placed upon teaching, mentoring, research, and service and define expectations for
full time faculty members that were both flexible and fair. I also developed a curriculum task force to
unleash faculty energy. This task force still exists, and has, over the years, had a large positive impact on
enhancement of the undergraduate experience. Are all the faculty now happy with the new directions
of the institution? No, of course not. It certainly helps that we have been able to expand the faculty
size substantially, while maintaining the same undergraduate population (remember my caution about
zero sum games). This has enabled a reduction in teaching loads, so that we can maintain the quality of
our instruction. It has also helped that some of our most research active faculty are also our very best
teachers.
I also have a bit of advice about decision-making. All leaders are required to make tough decisions at
times. The most difficult problems typically rise to the top, so the easy ones may never make it to your
desk. Sometimes there are no good choices. Be prepared to accept the responsibility for all of your
decisions. If things work out, share credit, but never share the blame. One thing I have learned in my
time as dean is never to communicate in written or spoken words when I am emotionally upset or angry.
Sleep on it – it is always easier to express yourself constructively the next day. There are many times I
wish I could have recalled a hasty email! Remember that most of the time people will be reacting to
your position, not to you as a person, so try not to take things personally. If you have concerns about
the actions of an individual, be forthright in your critiques, but always share your concerns face to face.
There are always multiple sides to every issue, so make sure you get the personal perspectives from
each individual involved in any situation before making a decision. When a decision falls to you, never
take someone else’s word about a person’s motives or behavior, even if they are a trusted member of
your team. Everyone likes a decisive leader, but you must always be open to new information. It’s all
right to change your mind, to apologize, to admit mistakes. Academic administrative positions are very
complex. With so much happening around you, it is easy to be overwhelmed. So choose your battles,
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but always try to keep the momentum in the right direction, towards your larger goals. It is very difficult
to reverse direction once you have lost this forward progress.
Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of knowing oneself. There are always aspects of the job
that will not be tailored to your strengths. These positions encompass an enormous range of roles. You
will need skills in strategic planning, public speaking, and fundraising; you will be required to hire and
mentor faculty and staff, to deal with personnel issues, to meet with prospective parents and students,
and to interact with foreign dignitaries. Don’t fear this – you will be able to delegate at least some of
those roles at which you may not excel. For example, I enjoy faculty recruiting and appreciate the
importance of the tenure and promotion process, so have maintained those as part of my portfolio, but I
have delegated many of the undergraduate outreach activities to my undergraduate associate dean,
who is a warm and delightful extrovert with deep knowledge and passion for our undergraduates. You
should also look on these positions as an opportunity for personal growth. Naturally introverted, I am
still not entirely comfortable in large groups, but over time, I have developed some skill as a public
speaker. Fortunately, fundraising requires mostly one-on-one and small group interactions, and it is
easy to promote what you believe in. So I’ve managed.
Above all, have fun! Celebrate your successes. Take pride in what you have achieved. It is often said
that, at the end of one’s life, few people look back and say that they should have worked more. I do not
mean to disparage this advice, but I do think that those of us who are lucky enough to enjoy our work –
those of us who feel we have been able to make a difference and to have some lasting positive influence
– will also look back on our time spent at work with a good deal of satisfaction. This is the way I have
felt about my career in the academy and most particularly in academic administration. If given freedom
of action and control over resources, the opportunities for creativity and impact that these leadership
positions afford is tremendous.
I wish this sense of accomplishment, creativity, and joy for all of you as you embark on or continue in
your academic leadership roles. Congratulations on completing this wonderful program!!
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