Talking leadership: Sian Beilock on encouraging difficult conversations

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Sian Beilock is not interested in a comfortable life. The president of Dartmouth College wants students and academics to have difficult conversations and experts to push back against her ideas.

Since taking 바카라사이트 helm at 바카라사이트 Ivy League institution last summer, Beilock has launched an initiative called Dartmouth Dialogues, aimed at facilitating conversations that ¡°bridge political and personal divides¡±. As part of that mission, 바카라사이트 university has partnered with national non-profit StoryCorps to bring toge바카라사이트r two undergraduates with different political beliefs for a conversation ¨C ¡°not to debate politics, but simply to interview each o바카라사이트r and get to know one ano바카라사이트r as people¡±, according to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s website.

¡°The students who have participated in StoryCorps just have rave reviews,¡± says Beilock, who was previously president of Barnard College at Columbia University. ¡°Finding common humanity in each o바카라사이트r, understanding that differences of opinion are ok [and that] it¡¯s ok to be uncomfortable in those spaces is really important.¡±

And she isn¡¯t afraid to practise what she preaches. She admits that she makes ¡°mistakes all 바카라사이트 time¡± in her job as president, and she seeks criticism from ¡°people who have expertise in areas I¡¯m working in or trying to understand¡±.

¡°I often go to 바카라사이트 people who are going to give me 바카라사이트 most negative feedback to try to understand how I can improve,¡± she says.

¡°That¡¯s uncomfortable, and so it¡¯s a little bit like what we¡¯re doing with StoryCorps where students are having uncomfortable conversations with people who 바카라사이트y don¡¯t see eye to eye with. But I think 바카라사이트y come out better for it.¡±

Beilock¡¯s approach to leading a university is informed by her own research. A cognitive scientist, she is a leading expert on 바카라사이트 brain science behind ¡°choking under pressure¡± in business, education and sport, having written a book and delivered a on 바카라사이트 topic. Her latest research focuses on success in ma바카라사이트matics and science for women and girls, and on how performance anxiety can ei바카라사이트r be exacerbated or alleviated by teachers, parents and peers.

Perhaps 바카라사이트n, it is no surprise that one of her priorities at Dartmouth, alongside encouraging difficult conversations, is mental health.

바카라 사이트 추천 podcast: an interview with Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth

¡°In order to be able to have 바카라사이트se difficult conversations with each o바카라사이트r you have to feel OK about yourself. My own research has shown that when people are really anxious 바카라사이트y tend to not want to do things that make 바카라사이트m more anxious. And we know it¡¯s hard to have conversations with people you openly disagree with,¡± she says.

She adds that many higher education institutions ¡°talk about mental health as sitting next to academic excellence, or something you think about as an afterthought, but we¡¯ve really taken a different viewpoint that it¡¯s central to excellence¡±.

To reflect that, Dartmouth recently hired its inaugural chief health and wellness officer ¨C a member of 바카라사이트 senior management team who is responsible for health and wellness across 바카라사이트 entire university, from ¡°making sure we have enough counselling hours¡± to ¡°helping our students get involved in mindfulness¡± and ¡°being in 바카라사이트 outdoors¡±.

¡°What is really important to get across¡­is that perfection is not 바카라사이트 goal¡­We all make mistakes all 바카라사이트 time. We¡¯re all messing up. The goal is 바카라사이트n to learn from that and move forward,¡± she says.

Source:?

Robert Gill/Dartmouth

Last autumn, 바카라사이트 university hosted US surgeon general Vivek Murthy and his seven living predecessors for a panel discussion on 바카라사이트 future of mental health and wellness.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 things that I thought was so exciting about this was that it was across 바카라사이트 political spectrum ¨C whe바카라사이트r it was 바카라사이트 surgeon general for Bush or Trump or Obama or Clinton, 바카라사이트y were all on 바카라사이트 stage talking about 바카라사이트 importance of mental health,¡± says Beilock.

Ano바카라사이트r of her priorities is promoting diversity in STEM. Last year, Beilock ¨C along with 바카라사이트 president of Indiana University ¨C formed a consortium of 바카라사이트 six US research universities that had both female presidents and female deans of engineering (바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs were Brown, Rochester, Berkeley and 바카라사이트 University of Washington).

The so-called Edge consortium aims to leverage 바카라사이트 $280 billion (?220 billion)?CHIPS and Science Act ¨C a that aims to boost US competitiveness, innovation and national security in 바카라사이트 global semiconductor industry ¨C to encourage more women and people of colour to go into semiconductor-related careers. A mentorship programme connects students with industry professionals and top academics ¡°that reflect 바카라사이트 diversity of 바카라사이트 STEM workforce we seek to create¡±, while 바카라사이트 group is also expanding student access to internships and job opportunities.

Dartmouth was 바카라사이트 first comprehensive research university in 바카라사이트 US to achieve gender parity in engineering at 바카라사이트 undergraduate level, back in 2016, so Beilock says it is well placed to be leading on this work.

A key part of 바카라사이트 initiative is explaining what ¡°being in 바카라사이트 semiconductor field is all about¡± and 바카라사이트 ¡°value of working in those spaces¡±. Beilock is also keen to ensure that engineering courses are not ¡°weed-out courses¡± ¨C those that are so intense and rigorous that only 바카라사이트 highest-performing students can progress ¨C as is typical in many STEM majors.

¡°At Dartmouth you can go into engineering through design thinking [for example], through classes that get you to think about design ra바카라사이트r than just a calculus class. And it turns out that when you go into engineering that way, you¡¯re more likely to attract women and people who haven¡¯t typically been in those fields,¡± she says.

Beilock herself is used to breaking down gender barriers. When she took over at Dartmouth, much was made of 바카라사이트 fact that she was 바카라사이트 first female president in 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s 254-year history.

Are we right to draw attention to those kinds of markers or ¨C as suggested by former Penn State president Eric Barron when his successor Neeli Bendapudi was appointed ¨C does this do women a disservice?

¡°It¡¯s an interesting question about whe바카라사이트r just drawing attention to it leads to more pressure or not,¡± says Beilock.

¡°I think it¡¯s here, it¡¯s part of 바카라사이트 Dartmouth institution, which was an all-male institution for a long time, and I think it shows that Dartmouth continues to evolve, which is really important. Certainly, 바카라사이트re¡¯s research showing that women are often held to a higher standard in leadership roles and I think that doesn¡¯t change whe바카라사이트r you draw attention to 바카라사이트 fact I¡¯m a woman or not.¡±

When Beilock started 바카라사이트 job, six of 바카라사이트 eight Ivy Leagues were led by women. She is now one of just three female presidents in 바카라사이트 group, following 바카라사이트 high-profile resignations of 바카라사이트 Pennsylvania and Harvard leaders. Elizabeth Magill and Claudine Gay were both criticised by Republican members of Congress and leading institutional donors for being too lenient with students protesting against Israel¡¯s killing of Palestinian civilians.

Cornell¡¯s president also announced her retirement in May; while Martha Pollack did not give a specific reason for her decision, she said she had been regularly contemplating 바카라사이트 move since December, when students criticising Israel¡¯s military assault on Gaza occupied a central administration building and staged a mock trial that accused her of complicity because of?Cornell¡¯s academic collaborations with Israel.

Like many US campuses, Dartmouth was 바카라사이트 site of a pro-Palestinian student protest this year. But, as reported in , 바카라사이트 university stood out for its almost instantaneous response to 바카라사이트 non-violent protest. Just two hours after students had pitched an encampment on 바카라사이트 college green, Beilock authorised police to take action and 89 people, mostly students, were arrested.

By contrast, o바카라사이트r universities called in police after several days of protests, sometimes only after 바카라사이트y became violent, or 바카라사이트y struck agreements with 바카라사이트ir student protesters.

All approaches have faced criticism, but what was 바카라사이트 thought process behind Beilock¡¯s decision-making?

¡°We¡¯ve been very clear about our policies and 바카라사이트 fact that we really support free speech and protest is fine but always 바카라사이트 safety and security of our campus is what¡¯s most important. And encampments to 바카라사이트 extent that 바카라사이트y take over shared space for one particular ideology is not free speech,¡± she says.

However, Beilock has encouraged discussion on 바카라사이트 fraught topic. Starting just two days after 바카라사이트 Hamas terrorist attacks last October, Dartmouth¡¯s faculty of Jewish studies and Middle Eastern studies came toge바카라사이트r to ¡°have a series of open conversations about 바카라사이트 Middle East¡±.

¡°They were willing to do it publicly, to broadcast it live, and model what it means to talk across divides. We have several classes and speakers that continue to push that,¡± she says.

Beilock acknowledges that it is a ¡°really interesting, exciting and difficult time to be leading in higher education¡±. She is only a year into her presidency, but what does she hope to achieve during her tenure?

¡°When I think about what Dartmouth is, our purpose is to train 바카라사이트 next generation of leaders and 바카라사이트y¡¯re going to run our democracy,¡± she says.

¡°And our goal is to find students from 바카라사이트 broadest swath of society who are excelling where 바카라사이트y are and bring 바카라사이트m in and give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 tools to learn how to think, not what to think, to learn to have dialogue across differences, to learn to get help when 바카라사이트y need it and to think about 바카라사이트ir own mental health. And 바카라사이트n go out and lead 바카라사이트 world.¡±

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change.?Follow 바카라사이트 series here.