A healing campaign for Lee-Allen University

New Beginnings Public Relations

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Presentation Summary

• Problems identified at Lee Allen

• Decision-making strategies

• Solutions offered for healing

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Problems Identified

• Honor Code written in 1999– Applies to all students and faculty regarding issues of academic honesty

• Campus Judicial Board– Jerome Washington found guilty of violating the Honor Code

• President Brown – Requested failing grade be removed from Washington’s transcript, due

to incorrect faculty advice

• Brown resigned in response to student protests– Brown hoped this would calm the crisis on campus, but it didn’t happen

• All of this comes down to one key issue – loss of confidence in the leadership of the university

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Political Issues Identified

• Leadership didn’t frame issue – By inaction, allowed the opposition define it

• Leadership didn’t engage opposition– Neglected to hold meetings to hear opinions or negotiate to

settle problems

• Leadership didn’t build coalition– No allies supporting Board/President’s position– No people speaking on behalf of Board/President in the

community

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Political Decision-Making Strategies

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Building Alliances and Coalitions

• Decode Interests and Personal Agendas– Figure out who you are dealing with, what

they want, and what motivates them– Best to deal with people on a one-to-one

basis

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Building Alliances and Coalitions

• “It’s Better to Give than to Receive”– Gain a person’s loyalty NOT by doing them a

favor, but let them do one for you– People tend to look out for those whom they

have helped along the way– When you ask someone for help, they are

implicitly placing a bet on you

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• “Dance with the one who brought you”– Be loyal to those who support you

Building Alliances and Coalitions

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• Power in numbers– Greater power comes with formation of

interest groups and coalitions• More sources to draw on

Building Alliances and Coalitions

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Dealing with Enemies

• Keep your enemies close– Always remain on speaking terms with your

enemies• Shows strength• Can get valuable information from them• Might need to work with them again

– Get them to work for you

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Dealing with Enemies

• Don’t get mad, Don’t get even – Get ahead– Revenge is a deadly sin of politics– Focus on the goal, not the means

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Wheeling and Dealing

• “Only talk when it improves the silence”– Collect as much information as you can– Be in the know– LBJ – “I ain’t never learned anything talking”

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Wheeling and Dealing

• “Always concede on principle”– Take the high road – concede on principle

rather than on substance– Focus less on the principle and more on the

tangible result at issue

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Building Reputations

• “Hang a lantern on your problem”– Need to address the issue ASAP– By shedding light on the issue, you control the

issue (proactive) instead of the issue controlling you (reactive)

– “When in doubt, put it out”

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Building Reputations

• Spin– Put a new spin on the story – 2 steps:

1. Admit the problem—this establishes credibility.

2. Use the enhanced credibility to define problem in your own terms—to diminish damages

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Building Reputations

• “The reputation of power”– Play to your strengths– When you’re in a hole, stop digging.

• “Positioning”– Decide where you want to go—then get there

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Symbolic/Cultural Decision-Making

Strategies

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Cultural Issues Identified

• Honor Code was backbone of academic honor at Lee Allen– Value of honor code was eroded by action

– Took away from the leading vision of university

• Campus Judicial Board-charged with making Honor Code decisions– Guiding team for the honor code stripped of their power by actions

• Leadership resignations and firings– Jeopardizes and erodes leadership/commanding officer(s)

– Brown’s resignation just deepened the erosion

• Loss of confidence in leadership at Lee Allen – Not able to move forward due to stagnation in present problems

– Need new leadership to inspire everyone and move university forward

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Culture– Is a process and a product

• Process renews and recreates with each newcomer who learns the culture and teaches it to others

• Product embodies wisdom accumulated from experience

– Over time, it is how an organization develops distinct beliefs, values, and customs

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• What’s most important?– Not what happened—what was lost?

Meaning? Honor?

Faith?

What is the soul of Lee-Allen?

Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Leadership must tell a compelling story– Share stories to link/demonstrate initiatives to

values of the institution– Recognize heroes/heroines of the past– Paint a picture of current challenge and

emphasize why failure to act is catastrophic– Students have lost faith in you –talk with them

to regain their faith in your leadership

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Create a Guiding Team– Team must be led by key player who

understands the organization’s history and culture

– Use organization’s traditions and values as a base for building culture that is cohesive and meaningful

– Leader will blend old and new to rebuild Lee-Allen’s spirit

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Vision and Strategy– Hopeful vision of future rooted in

organization’s history– Vision will encompass values that an

organization needs to live and breathe, regardless of mission statement

– Mean what you say because community will want to believe in you

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Communicate the Vision and Strategy– Leadership’s vision will be communicated

through words, deeds, and symbols– Create rituals and ceremonies to celebrate

the vision– These serve to connect an individual to

something mystical—something more than words can capture

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Empower People to Move Forward– Firing, demoting, or exiling prominent

opponents conveys a message and reinforces organization’s values

– Public celebrations honor successes and herald new beginnings

– Also convey a strong message about organization’s values

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Celebrate and Communicate Early Wins– Positive reinforcement, which helps solidify

appearance of organization’s values

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• Keep Moving Forward– Hold revival meetings, if necessary– Leadership must continue to convey the

Lee-Allen vision

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Rebuilding Faith in Lee-Allen

• New Culture to Support New Ways– Mourn the past– Celebrate heroes/heroines of past – Become living icons, whose words and deeds

exemplify and reinforce important core values– Share stories of the journey

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Proposed Solutions

• Blue Ribbon Panel– Created to insure incidents like this never

happen again

• Inaugural Day of Forgiveness– Instituted to create a new history– Help people move forward– Celebrate successes and rededicate

everyone to mission and vision

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Blue Ribbon Panel

• Established to build framework for evaluation of future violations of the honor code  

• Composed of all stakeholders (faculty, staff, alumni and students)

• Review procedures of Campus Judicial Board

• Oversee punishment enforcement

• Move Lee Allen forward—provide guidelines for quicker responses

• Can address future issues with or needed revisions to the Honor Code

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Day of Forgiveness

• Annual celebration to honor mission and values of Lee Allen

• Feature leaders in Baptist ministry for keynote and services

• Based on Christian value of “forgiving those who trespass against us”

• Will provide a new story to move Lee Allen forward

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Specifics about Day of Forgiveness

• Opening service

– Lead by Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Rev. Billy Graham

• Power of Forgiveness

– Keynote by Rev. Bernice Graham, daughter of Martin Luther King

• Dedication of Honor Code Monument

• Renewal and individual rededication to Lee Allen

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More Day of Forgiveness Activities

• Additional activities during the day– Campus/community clean up– Award of new scholarship—winner of

“Reflection of Forgiveness” essay contest– Symbolic bonfire at dusk

– “Burning” of past offenses– Rid self of past grievances, make new beginning

– Concert for students—Christian rock musician Kirk Franklin

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Schedule for Day of Forgiveness

Inaugural Day of Forgiveness

January 11, 2010 

Agenda

9:00 to 10:30 Mass with Reverend Franklin Graham10:30 to 11:00 Power of Forgiveness with Reverend Bernice King

11:00 to 12:30 Town Hall Meeting – Speak Up and Voice Your Cares

12:30 to 2:00 Garden of Forgiveness Groundbreaking Ceremony and Picnic blessing by Reverend Graham

2:00 to 3:30 Time of Renewal – Community Clean Up

  3:30 to 4:00 Reflection of Forgiveness Scholarship Award with Interim President

  4:00 to 4:30 Final Healing Prayer with campus minister

Dusk Bonfire

  7:00 to 9:00 Kirk Franklin in Concert

 

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New Honor Code Monument

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Addition to Botanical Garden at Lee Allen

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Honor Code Posters

• Honor Code posters were removed in classrooms

• Replace these posters with new signs– Made from more permanent materials– Less likely to be removed from wall

• New signs will return Code to place of honor

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New Honor Code Signs

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Conclusion• Problems identified at Lee Allen

• Decision-making strategies

• Solutions– Blue Ribbon Panel to oversee future Honor

Code violations and actions taken– Day of Forgiveness – Honor Code Monument– Replace honor code posters with new signs

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Questions? ? ?

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