Leadership in 21st Century Higher
Education: Becoming a Diamond
University
John Stewart
 March 2011

21st Century Higher Education Realities—
“Iron laws of Demographics”
◦ ACT says 80% of all U.S. students are academically under-prepared
◦ Lumina says by 2020, Euro-Amer. Student pop. will drop by 6.6m,
Latino will grow by 5.5m, & African-American will grow by 2m.
◦ 45% of under-represented student population is Pell Grant eligible
(Lumina)
◦ Even high ACT/SAT students have family, finance, etc. challenges
◦ Most students work 35-40 hours a week
21st Century Higher Education Realities—
“Iron laws of Demographics”
◦ Many students have significant family responsibilities
◦ Media multitasking has cognitively shaped many away from critical
thinking & imagination (Stanford research)
◦ Many do not enjoy reading
◦ Most will have 3-5 different careers over their work life
◦ Conclusion: most students need intentionally intrusive, holistic
programming in order to succeed
 Holistic = including all opportunities for learning
 Intrusive = We care too much about you to leave you alone

We do operate in loco parentis
UD Positioned for Leadership

Outsiders—e.g., Moody’s & Dean of Student Life at
Ohio State—tell us UD is one of the few institutions
that “gets” these realities.
◦ UD Enrollment Management recruits for diversity, & assesses
holistically
◦ UD Cares team intervenes in student lives
◦ UD Academic Affairs & Student Life collaborate
◦ UD Academic Success Center programming is intrusive &
holistic
UD Positioned for Leadership

Our Reformed Christian commitments acknowledge
these demographic realities

Example Reformed Christian (RC) themes:
◦ Humans owe our lives to the Grace of God
◦ Vocation means being called by God to activities & professions
that empower us to serve others and glorify God
◦ Education must be available to all, expansively focused on all
God’s creation, appropriately humble, and involved in shaping
and ameliorating civil societies.
◦ *http://www.reformedtheology.org/SiteFiles/WhatIsRT.html
UD Positioned for Leadership

Partly in response to these realities, UD is becoming a
Learning Paradigm College*
Instruction vs. Learning paradigm
 Inputs
vs.
 Atomistic
vs.
 Requiring
vs.
 Surface
vs.
outcomes
holistic
modeling
deep learning
*John Tagg, The Learning Paradigm College, 2003
UD Positioned for Leadership

UD’s Mission affirms these realities

We are “A Private, Presbyterian, Professional University With a
focus and Foundation in the Liberal Arts”
◦ Mission: “By the year 2015 UD will be acknowledged as one of
the best small, private Christian colleges and universities.”
◦ “Best” = Top Tier in US News rankings? Most National Merit
Scholars? Phi Beta Kappa chapter? Not necessarily!
◦ Best = Most seamlessly working as administration, faculty, and
staff to most effectively implement Reformed Christian, learningfocused ways to serve the 21st century needs of our students
and families.
UD Positioned for Leadership
 Best
= Most seamlessly working as administration, faculty,
and staff to most effectively implement Reformed
Christian, Learning-focused ways to serve the 21st
century needs of our students and families.
◦ Diamond thinking extends the transformation to every part of
UD.
◦ As UD becomes fully transformed, outcome measures of
retention, graduation, character development, employee
satisfaction, alumni giving, etc. will continue to improve.
“Old” vs. “New” Diamond thinking
• “Old”
◦ In 1998, UD attracted many underprepared & first generation
students
◦ This population predictably created retention & graduation
problems
◦ Programs like TC Rise! and The Jeremiah Project offered a
promising, holistic approach
◦ “Diamond” initially was a label for holistic (4-sided),
intentionally-intrusive programming--academic, vocational,
community, stewardship—to improve retention.
“Old” vs. “New” Diamond thinking
• “New”
◦ Now, “Iron laws of demographics” tell us that even academically
prepared students need elements of holistic programming
◦ As a result, “Diamond thinking” now applies to everything we
do.
◦ There is no separate “Diamond Program”
A Diamond University
ACADEMICS
STEWARDSHIP
INTENTIONALLY
INTRUSIVE
VOCATION-ORIENTED:
LEARNING FOCUSED:
.
COMMUNITY
VOCATION
3 Metrics for “Diamond/Best”:

UD achieves “Diamond” status to the degree that we
consistently & effectively
◦ 1. Take students & families individually as we find them (We’re “best” at
‘getting’ 21st c. demographic realities and being Learning- rather than
Instructional-focused)
◦ 2. Serve students & families with holistic, assessed, Learning-focused,
RC-informed programming (We’re “best” at providing quality support &
services to all students)
◦ 3. Build a seamless, interculturally-competent organization to
accomplish this programming (We’re “best” organized and informed as
an institution to accomplish (1) & (2))
Metric 1. Taking students as we find them

“Meeting students where we think they should be or where we
assume them to be is easy to do, which is probably why we all
default to that. As we work to be positively invasive in students’
lives to discover where they’re at, we discover strengths,
weaknesses, motivations, struggles, joys, and so much more. This is
much messier than dealing with students where we think they
should be. It takes more time. But it also forces collaboration to
be a natural reaction. We encounter things that are not our
expertise and must refer to the expertise of others to help serve
the student’s needs. Serving students’ needs and being intentionally
holistic in approach become just natural follow-throughs of
accomplishing meeting students where they are.” ( Lindsey Konken,
UD Student Life Director, 12/10)
Taking highly motivated students as we find
them: the Scholar-Leader Program
◦ SLP = 21st century Honors Program (holistic, learning-focused, &
inclusive)
◦ SLP is open to all who commit to its demanding standards
◦ Beyond just GPA, SLP students earn “honors” via motivation +
accomplishment across 7 areas.
 Scholar-leaders required to develop competencies in
communication (x2), servant leadership, critical thinking,
globalization.
 SLP courses & capstone project round out scholar-leader
challenges.
 SLP demands more than traditional honors programs.
Taking under-prepared students as we find
them: Bridge & TRIO programs
◦ Bridge program brings 100+ students to campus before fall term
to prepare them for success
 Students get enhanced orientation, study skills labs, individual
tutoring & peer mentoring, etc.
 2010 Outcomes include 82/% retention, 2.55 mean gpa, only
15% on probation, high praise from participants
 BRIDGE continues spring term 2011 for 94 students
◦ TRIO program serves 140 students who are1st gen., low income,
and/or have documented disabilities
 Study skills, intrusive advising, seminars /workshops, etc.
 1st sem. 4000+ ASC visits by TRIO students
 1st. Sem--7 earned 4.0 gpa; 66 >3.0 gpa, only 2 on probation
Metric 2. Serve students & families with
holistic, assessed, learning-focused, RCinformed programming
◦ Two umbrella concepts for students, faculty, & staff:
◦ #1:Personal Empowerment (Voices & Values), the abilities
to
◦ make decisions about personal/collective circumstances
◦ access information and resources for decision-making
◦ consider a range of options from which to choose (not
just yes/no, either/or.)
◦ inform others’ perceptions though exchange, education
and engagement.
◦ overcome stigma* *From TC Rise!
Outcome = Move from external to internal locus of
control
Metric 2. Serve students & families with
holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rcinformed programming
 #2: Servant Leadership for students, faculty, & staff:
 “The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence
the people are barely aware. . . . When his task is
accomplished. . . All the people say, ‘We ourselves have
achieved it!’” Lao Tzu
 In place of top-down hierarchy, the servant leader
emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical
use of power.
 Qualities of the servant leader: listening, empathy,
healing, awareness, persuasion, foresight, stewardship,
growth, building community.
 R. Greenleaf
 See Isaiah 42: 1-4; Mark 9: 34-37; Philippians 2: 4-16
Outcome = learning and successful application by students
and faculty-staff individuals & teams
Metric 2. Serve students & families with
holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rcinformed programming

Grounded in empowerment and servant leadership, Diamond
programming focuses on 4 “sides” of university life for
students, faculty, & staff:
 Academic
 Community
 Vocation
 Stewardship
Metric 2. Serve students & families with
holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rcinformed programming
◦ Academic programming to achieve Diamond quality:
Writing skills—ASC Writing Center
Math skills—ASC Math programming
Study skills—Bridge labs, TRIO labs
Critical thinking—Core Curriculum, SLP.
Resources necessary for academic success—New Student
Orientation, Bridge, TRIO, etc.
 Seven excellence challenges for all students who commit to
achieving them (SLP) etc.
 Staff professional development opportunities.





Metric 2. Serve students & families with
holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rcinformed programming
◦ Community elements of becoming Diamond:
 Personal empowerment—grounded in Voices & Values
(vocation theme).
 Civility—Campus-wide Wendt programming, Residence Life,
Student Handbook values focus, civil discourse cocurriculum, ROTC integrity programming, etc.
 Teamwork—Interdepartmental staff collaboration, Nursing &
Business emphases, Wendt programming, intramural sports
 Service Learning—WVS I & II, Student Life office, etc.
 Servant Leadership—Wendt workshops & applications, SLP
leadership weekend, etc.
Metric 2. Serve students & families with
holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rcinformed programming
◦ Vocation identifies life calling and purpose—why
each of us was created—to enrich every UD
person’s understanding of “job” and “work.”
 Understanding work as calling implicates Reformed Christian
foundation.
 Students, faculty, & staff develop a vocational understanding for
 the several jobs they’ll have (a 21st c. demographic reality)
 Servant Leadership operationalizes vocation
 Programming includes practical elements—resume construction,
internships, interview skills, etc.
Metric 2. Serve students & families with
holistic, assessed, learning-focused, rcinformed programming
◦ Stewardship programming to achieve
Diamond status:
 Stewardship of God’s creation—environmental awareness
& actions E.g., Core
 Stewardship of self—Personal Empowerment +Wellness
 Physical, Emotional, Occupational, Social, Intellectual, Spiritual
 Stewardship of time— E.g., time management
 Stewardship of finances— E.g., TRIO workshops.
Metric 3. Build a seamless, inter-culturally
competent organization to accomplish this
programming
o
SEAMLESS/HOLISTIC:
Faculty contribute to Student Life, ASC, athletics, etc.
Staff teach, e.g., from Student Life, Finance, Library, etc.
ASC staff perform Student Life, etc. functions
Finance staff serve many stakeholders beyond bondholders,
bankers, & accountants
 Security staff implement mission, exploit teachable moments.
 Advancement staff serve needs of 21st century alumni, ETC
 Goal: No UD employee ever uses the excuse, “That isn’t part of
my job.”




Metric 3. Build a seamless, inter-culturally
competent organization to accomplish this
programming
◦ “Holistic” does not mean “being all things to
all people”
◦ “Holistic” means each UD employee
 Continuously gathers data for problem-solving from varied
sources—360-degree perspective
 Initiates collaboration whenever it serves students & families
 Responds positively to requests for collaboration
Metric 3. Build a seamless, inter-culturally
competent organization to accomplish this
programming


INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
Organizations with high intercultural competence provide
opportunities for all stakeholders to join in our shared cultural
identity by, e.g.,
◦ Clearly articulating our own cultural commitments
◦ Recruiting a diverse student body
◦ Employing and empowering a diverse workforce
◦ Providing opportunities for all to work with people different from themselves
◦ Intentionally drawing diverse groups together into communities of culturallydistinct individuals
◦ Welcoming diverse cultural practices, e.g., holidays, menus, priorities.
“Diamond” thinking clarifies that every unit
at UD has three “bottom lines” to assess:
◦ Outcomes with the constituents the unit directly serves (for
faculty = students; for staff = students & faculty or other staff)
◦ Outcomes with those who help serve constituents
(for faculty = colleagues; for staff = colleagues)
◦ Outcomes with those who make it possible to serve
constituents (for faculty & staff = adm. & trustees)
“Outcomes” points to ASSESSMENT
◦ The Diamond facilitator & Assessment Director partner with
each unit to gather data on each “bottom line” and feed
results back into the unit’s processes in order to improve
them.
Implications of the shift to “Diamond” as
UD’s excellence initiative
◦ There is no “Diamond Program”
◦ Diamond thinking & achievement are guided by a
“Facilitator of Bestness” who:
 Helps develop institution-wide understanding of what “best”
means (training & communication)
 Facilitates and coordinates interdepartmental programs that
support students & families, e.g., Bridge, Orientation, SLP, TRIO,
etc. (managing)
 Teams with UD Assessment Director to facilitate every unit’s
application of Diamond metrics to assess unit outcomes
(assessment)
A Diamond University
Academics
Stewardship
Writing
Of God’s Creation
Math
Of Self—Wellness
Study Skills
Of Time
Critical Thinking
Of Finances
7 SLP Tasks
Community
INTENTIONALLY INTRUSIVE
VOCATION-ORIENTED:
Humble sense of being called
Enthusiastic cultural engagement
Enhancing ethics & character
LEARNING FOCUSED:
Take students & families as we find
them.
Serve with programming informed
by faith, holistic, & assessed.
Seamless interculturally-competent
organization.
Vocation
Civility
Personal Calling
Personal Empowerment
Career Flexibility
Teamwork
Career Search Skills
Service Learning
OUTCOMES: Graduate #1, BBA

First generation, lower-middle class
Business major from rural Iowa
◦ Academic: Mastery of Business content, ethics & integrity, strong
communication skills, applied competencies, manages via servant
leadership
◦ Stewardship: Sustainability focus, healthy lifestyle, financial health
◦ Community: Personally empowered, civil discourse, teamwork,
gives back to community
◦ Vocation: Pursues calling, skilled at job search, interviews for
vocation, career flexibility, never says, “That isn’t part of my
job.”
OUTCOMES: Graduate #2, BA

Upper middle-class English major from
educated, Plymouth, MN family
◦ Academic: Undergraduate mastery of composition & literature
content, strong writer, connects literature to ethics & character.
◦ Stewardship: Knows environmental literature, recycles, healthy
lifestyle, financial health
◦ Community: Personally empowered, civil discourse, teamwork,
servant leadership
◦ Vocation: Pursues calling, skilled at job search, invites others
into vocation, never says, “That isn’t part of my job.”
OUTCOMES: Employee #1

46 year old Security officer formerly of
Manchester, IA police
◦ Academic: Mastery of applicable laws, campus rules, security
procedures, first-aid, conflict management
◦ Stewardship: Husbands campus environment, wellness lifestyle,
financial health
◦ Community: Personally empowered, interculturally-competent,
team worker, civil discourse, exploits teachable moments with
students, community volunteer
◦ Vocation: Called to serve, encourages her children to plan
vocationally, never says, “That isn’t part of my job.”
OUTCOMES: Employee #2

Vice President for Student Affairs with
20+ years experience in Christian higher
education.
◦ Academic: Doctorate in Student Life content, firm grasp of UD
cultural identity, practical skills + common sense, professional
involvement, Learning-focused
◦ Stewardship: Sustainability focus, healthy lifestyle, financial health
◦ Community: Personally empowered, Servant leader,
interculturally-competent, collaborative
◦ Vocation: Pursues professional calling, invites subordinates &
students to discern calling, never says, “That isn’t part of my job.”

When you treat “Diamond” as a way of
thinking about everything you do,
◦ How do the Diamond metrics apply to your
program & how can they be measured?
 METRICS:
 Taking students & families as we find them
 Serving students & families with holistic, assessed,
learning-focused, RC-informed programming
 Building a seamless, interculturally-competent
organization to accomplish this holistic programming
◦ When you treat “Diamond” as a way of
thinking about everything you do,
◦ What do you and the unit you’re in need to
keep doing and do more of?
◦ What do you and the unit you’re in need to
do differently?
A Diamond University
Academics
Stewardship
Writing
Of God’s Creation
Math
Of Self—Wellness
Study Skills
Of Time
Critical Thinking
Of Finances
7 SLP Tasks
Community
INTENTIONALLY INTRUSIVE
VOCATION-ORIENTED:
Humble sense of being called
Enthusiastic cultural engagement
Enhancing ethics & character
LEARNING FOCUSED:
Take students & families as we find
them.
Serve with programming informed
by faith, holistic, & assessed.
Seamless interculturally-competent
organization.
Vocation
Civility
Personal Calling
Personal Empowerment
Career Flexibility
Teamwork
Career Search Skills
Service Learning