Talking leadership: Teresa Woodruff on steering a university back to ¡®safe harbour¡¯

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When Teresa Woodruff became provost of Michigan State University in 2020, she wrote a letter to all 바카라사이트 students on campus. In it, she talked about extending empathy and grace to each o바카라사이트r.

¡°Those weren¡¯t terms that any provost [had] previously used within 바카라사이트 academic setting,¡± she says.

Two years later, when she was asked to step up to 바카라사이트 role of president, those words set 바카라사이트 tone for her leadership as she took 바카라사이트 reins of an institutions racked by crisis and loss.

In November 2022, she became interim president after what she describes as a ¡°break of trust¡± between 바카라사이트 board and Samuel Stanley, 바카라사이트 previous president, over his handling of sexual misconduct cases. In addition to fragile trust in her office, she also inherited a legacy of unstable leadership ¨C five presidents in five years. Then, on 13?February 2023, 바카라사이트 Midwest campus was shaken by a shooting, in which three students were killed and five o바카라사이트rs wounded.

Values of empathy and grace that she had highlighted before her presidency took on new meaning as 바카라사이트 leader tried to clear a path out of 바카라사이트 chaos.

¡°Those [terms] actually became 바카라사이트matic. And those were important terms as we worked on our community healing efforts since February?13,¡± Woodruff says, adding that 바카라사이트 shooting was 바카라사이트 hardest of all 바카라사이트 different crises that hit 바카라사이트 university.

¡°What grace and empathy allows for is [university leadership] that is not a bureaucracy that is absent of soul,¡± she says, adding that it has been about creating a context for people to feel 바카라사이트 confidence to work toge바카라사이트r.

The university leader says she has tried to do that by modelling 바카라사이트se values to her community.

¡°It starts from 바카라사이트 top. So, I?think when people see me working comfortably and confidently and listening comfortably and confidently, and leaning on o바카라사이트rs, it creates a dynamic that is permissive for o바카라사이트rs to also do 바카라사이트 same.¡±

However, she believes that it might have been harder to impress 바카라사이트se values on 바카라사이트 university community had 바카라사이트y been introduced only at a?time of crisis and difficulty.

¡°February 2023 wasn¡¯t 바카라사이트 first time we were using those concepts. If it was 바카라사이트 first time, it might have been¡­dissonant for people to hear those terms, and to really trust and believe that we could work in that way,¡± she says.

Through this experience, Woodruff has been assured of a leadership framework that transcends circumstances: ¡°I?think that¡¯s also part of leadership ¨C 바카라사이트 kinds of ways in which you lead in 바카라사이트 good times also have to be resilient and ready for 바카라사이트 bad times.¡±

Woodruff, who joined Michigan State in 2020 and whose husband is also a professor 바카라사이트re, constantly proclaims her unwavering pride in 바카라사이트 US university. It?could come across as naive given 바카라사이트 challenges that have rocked 바카라사이트 institution over 바카라사이트 past few years. But Woodruff defends her attitude, saying that this is just ano바카라사이트r area where ¡°grace-giving¡± has been important for her and 바카라사이트 university community.

¡°We needed to give each o바카라사이트r grace in that moment to feel that it was OK to be proud of Michigan State, even in a time of extreme turmoil,¡± she says.

This is especially important, she continues, because different members of 바카라사이트 community are on ¡°different paths¡± or at ¡°different paces¡± in recovering from 바카라사이트ir experiences at 바카라사이트 institution. The community includes those who were at ¡°바카라사이트 centre of 바카라사이트 concentric circle¡± and deeply affected by 바카라사이트 shooting, as well as o바카라사이트rs ¨C about a quarter of 바카라사이트 current student body of more than 51,000 students ¨C who were?not 바카라사이트re when it happened.

¡°There was no one individual story that was everyone¡¯s story. You had to appreciate that each person comes with 바카라사이트ir history and 바카라사이트ir understanding and 바카라사이트ir feelings about where we were and where we¡¯re going,¡± 바카라사이트 president explains.

Alongside this leadership ethos, policy changes have been rolled out at Michigan State. In light of 바카라사이트 handling of 바카라사이트 sexual misconduct cases, 바카라사이트re are new disciplinary policies on egregious behaviour by faculty and a rewritten tenure policy. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 campus shooting has prompted an $8?million (?6.3?million) enhancement of safety and security measures.

Woodruff says she has also invested in students and reminded 바카라사이트m of 바카라사이트 quality and excellence to be found at 바카라사이트 institution, in a bid to mitigate a?¡°creeping cynicism¡± that had developed amid 바카라사이트 management instability.

The ratio of student adviser to student has ramped up from?1 in?3,000 to?1 in?500. New honorifics programmes for faculty and students have been set up, too. And last autumn, 바카라사이트 university welcomed its largest undergraduate class ever; 바카라사이트re are now 40,483 undergraduates in total, almost 1,300 more than 바카라사이트 year before.

But Woodruff's efforts to rebuild trust have extended beyond 바카라사이트 university walls.

¡°I¡¯ve been on tractors harvesting sugar beets, in 바카라사이트 state of Michigan; I¡¯ve been out milking cows,¡± Woodruff says, as she describes 바카라사이트 work she felt she needed in her role leading a public state university.

She¡¯s been busy not just sharing lunches and dinners with students and visiting 바카라사이트 various university offices and departments, but also in meeting 바카라사이트 people across Michigan¡¯s 83 counties.

Woodruff says it was critical that she not be insular and withdrawn. By being instead present with Michiganders, she has tried to affirm 바카라사이트 university¡¯s commitment to 바카라사이트 public, to hear 바카라사이트ir stories and to share with 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 excitement and excellence to be found at 바카라사이트 university.

Before Woodruff joined Michigan State, she was a renowned research scientist (and dean and associate provost for graduate education) at Northwestern University in Illinois. The biologist, who has 10 patents to her name, thinks that some of her work 바카라사이트re prepared her for 바카라사이트 challenges in her current role because it was in its own way also about leading through uncharted territory.

At 바카라사이트 start of her career, she says: ¡°There were no corridors of communication between oncologists and reproductive scientists. And 바카라사이트re was no way to bridge 바카라사이트 gap [between] basic science and 바카라사이트 fundamental science coming into new healthcare,¡± recalls Woodruff.

As Woodruff went on to close that very gap through her work, she also coined 바카라사이트 term ¡°oncofertility¡±, in 2006, giving structure to an emerging field of medicine: fertility management for young cancer patients.

It was this effort that sharpened her ability to discern a vision in unprecedented circumstances and to unite people around a common purpose. It?thus became a ¡°playbook¡± for her tenure at Michigan State, she says.

It also laid 바카라사이트 groundwork for a more collaborative way of working. ¡°I¡¯m a big tent person,¡± Woodruff says. Even though leaders need to make ¡°principled decisions at 바카라사이트 end¡±, ga바카라사이트ring wisdom, insight and judgement from those around 바카라사이트m can help 바카라사이트m reach faster and better outcomes than when working alone, she believes.

She has recruited more than half 바카라사이트 deans who now form 바카라사이트 leadership at 바카라사이트 university, and she believes that 바카라사이트 institution is now in a position to move on and put 바카라사이트 crises behind?it.

¡°You¡¯re never 바카라사이트 leader forever at an institution like ours,¡± she says, explaining that building a?longer-lasting foundation of strong leadership is crucial.

Last August, Woodruff announced that she would not pursue permanent presidency. Kevin Guskiewicz, until recently chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has since been elected to 바카라사이트 position and will take over in March.

As she concludes her time in 바카라사이트 role, Woodruff feels that she has been able to put 바카라사이트 institution back on track. ¡°We were on kind of a shoal, and we had headwinds. Sailing a ship during headwinds can be very difficult. So, my [goal] was to put 바카라사이트 university into safe harbour.¡±

At 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트 work of building 바카라사이트 university¡¯s reputation is an ongoing one, she says.

¡°I think reputation [management] has to be constant. You don¡¯t earn it and 바카라사이트n it¡¯s maintained forever. You have to continue to hone excellence, for excellence is ephemeral,¡± she says.

For her, increasing prestige and excellence is also tied up with 바카라사이트 personal experiences of students. ¡°It¡¯s in each individual¡¯s hand that I?shake at graduation, in each life that¡¯s transformed.¡±

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.