A great day at IEM with two, very dynamic speakers. One of the leading economists and educators spoke to the group on the state of financial aid in higher education. As many people know, all to well that the completion of a form is the first step to college enrollment. The form is daunting and can put many people off and they give up before they finish the form. Bridget Terry Long was part of a study team that examined the automatic completion of the FAFSA form in cooperation with H&R Block. They were able to bump enrollment by 7% simply by providing easy access and painless completion of the form. The study, funded by the Gates Foundation, involved prospective students in Toledo and Charlotte. Long is a professor of Education and Economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Food for thought from Long: The SAT is a better predictor of family income than student success in the classroom.
The afternoon was one of those special sessions that goes by too fast and leaves you wishing we had more time. J. Richard Hackman, author and Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at HU, is a real student of senior leadership teams. He spoke on the power of the team and the conditions required to make an effective team. Hackman has done considerable work over the last 25 years in the public and private sectors. As might be expected, the subject prompted a great deal of conversation. The case we looked at was a video of a very successful chamber orchestra with 26 members. What makes this extraordinary is that the orchestra operates without a conductor or music director. The organic, fluid direction the orchestra takes is very interesting. It reminded me of the idea/notion of kinetic leadership that I understand from adventure racing. They provided a copy of Hackman's book, "Senior Leadership Teams: What it takes to make them great"
Tonight we got a preview of sessions tomorrow with a 90 minute session on financial statements. A long and interesting day in Cambridge. On top of the two books I already have in my reading list, I am looking over the suggested reading list. I have a lot of reading to do.
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I thought the comment about SAT scores vs. overall grades(sucess) was Very interesting! Some do so well in testing environments, while others let the stress of the moment bring their abilities down-it seems. Or that would be the 'everyday' assumption-so, again we see what 'assuming' can do!
It seems like you just got there & already it's almost time to pack up your shirts-almost- and meet your bride of a day of 'tourista' in Boston before heading back to the hacienda.
It sounds like every single minute you've been there has been packed with stimulation! Absolutely the best of the best experiences!
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