It's all about the Philly cheesesteak sandwich!

I know you can't tell from this picture but we are standing right next to the liberty bell in the historic district of Philadelphia.

I asked several different people and they all said that you have to get a Philly cheesesteak sandwich from Jim's on South Street. Cousin Anne agreed and guided us straight there for lunch today.

Here it is...but we opted for provolone cheese instead of the traditional chez-whiz. I'll try it with chez-whiz and peppers next weekend with Derek. Do you see the "tasty-cakes" in the picture? The CEO of OSU's medical center, Dr. Gabbe, strongly recommended the butterscrotch ones but they only had chocolate. Apparently, tasty cakes are a local favoriate and hard to find outside of Philly. I will find a butterscrotch one before I cast my opinion on how "tasty" it really is.

One week is over already...

HEY everyone! Happy Sunday Evening. Let me start by saying that I am feeling great after spending an incredible 24 hours with Cousin Anne. She took the bus (a 2 hr ride from Manhattan) to spend the weekend with me in Philadelphia. It was such a relief to get off campus and see a friendly face that I could just be myself around. We had a GREAT time walking all around the historic district shopping, listening to music and watching fireworks on the pier. Cousin Anne lived in Philly for 2 years in her early 20’s so she was a great tour guide showing me her old “haunts” and favorite places. We learned that we shop well together pointing out things that the other should buy or just try on. We each indulged in a cheap bracelet and a not-so-cheap pair of shoes.

So, a few of us sneaked out on Friday night. By sneaking out, I mean that we skipped dinner and ventured out on our own in search of a good pizza and brewery pub in Philly. We had a wonderful time just being “real” and processing the past week. I know that I have buddies here now that were feeling the same way I was. I am so grateful that we had that time to just have fun with no pressure or expectations.

This past Thursday and Friday, we spent a lot of time talking about a reframing methodology that I am sure my organizational development colleagues are probably familiar with. A hilarious and brilliant woman named Brenda J. Allen (Associate Dean for Planning & Resources at the University of Colorado) presented the methodology by introducing the word “frame”. What does it mean to frame something? The word itself means so many different things depending on one’s background, experience and personal bias. So, she described 4 basic models to approach organizational change. They are structural (rules/policies/organizational charts), human resources (focus on people), political (coalitions formed to influence) and symbolic (culture/ritual/inspire). We spent hours applying these concepts to case studies and within small group work. It is clear to me that I lean much more to the structural and human resource frame to solve problems and then consider political and symbolic last. It was really neat to test each other’s thinking and then point out gaps in their framework. The goal of this was for us to practice using all 4 of the frameworks as they all have value and create a more complete and holistic solution. During the lecture, my mind wondered to when I interviewed President Gee in preparation for the summer institute. He described how he wished OSU was more like a ballerina (flexible, elegant & creative) and less like an elephant (slow moving and difficult to control). I would suspect from my limited understanding of his leadership style that he tends to operate from a symbolic and political framework. If I get the chance, I’ll ask him if I am right.

I think that some of my attendees are getting quite jealous! I am getting mail almost every day. Rick definitely gets the prize for the longest letter so far... 3 single spaced pages! THANK you for your words of encouragement and insight. Lisa and Sadie send me another card but this one was from Vinny and I got my first JT related mail from Kristen. You are all wonderful!!!

Girls night out...

Friday's beer and pizza night...aka...getting the "real" night. From left to right, Josie (Dean of Students @ California Maritime Academy), Krista (Assoc. Dtr of External Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), Lisa (Dtr of the Interprofessional Commission of Ohio @ OSU) and me.

Josie, Krista and Lisa in front of the Bread and Brewery in Philly.

Getting my "sea legs" a bit.

Wow... Every day builds on the next and there is such wisdom and strength among the women here. I am getting my “sea legs” and starting to feel like I belong now. My thinking shifted today as I found commonalities among us and more genuine conversations. I am starting to feel more like myself and I can tell that I am opening up more and sharing more of who I am. Yesterday was amazing! We spent the entire morning listening to a panel discussion of 3 women leaders. The panel consisted of Roberta Gitenstein (President, The College of New Jersey), Joann Mitchell (Vice President for Institutional Affairs, University of Pennsylvania), and Karen Stout (President of Montgomery County Community College) It was incredible to hear their stories, their rise to leadership and complexities of their vastly different institutions. Much of the discussion was centered on the “possibilities for renewal” in a down economy. Or better stated , how can a college continue positive momentum while still making the hard financial decisions. I learned all about academic freedom and the purpose of tenure. If you don’t know…ask me. Later in the day, we heard from HERS alumnae who participated in the Bryn Mawr summer institute last year. They were filled with insight and stressed that we should be open to different points of view and to surrender our normal thought process and natural preferences. For example, one woman pointed out that she read all the assignments primarily to nurture her introverted self and wished that she would have been more social and pushed herself to interact more intentionally. Hmm…for the extrovert (me), that would mean read more and socialize less. I don’t know if I can do that. J But, this blog is certainly forcing me to be quiet and reflect more than I would normally. I actually turned down a walk to town tonight so I could write this and go to bed before 10pm. So, I guess I am embracing their advice.

Today was all about budget and finance. As non-interested as I am in numbers, it was absolutely fascinating to hear from two chief financial officers. Bronte Jones, CFO for St. John’s College, was giving us a teaser for a much richer conversation about budgets, investments and how to read our institution’s fiscal report later in the summer institute. Then we heard from Annette Parker, CFO for Dickinson College, who shared their strategic plan and how they have been able to realign their budget to the college’s mission. I had no idea that small private liberal arts institutions offered such significant “discount rates” to attract high quality diverse students. For example, Dickinson College, was offering close to 50% reduction in tuition to help students afford the $50,000/year tuition in the mid-1990’s but this also caused them financial strain. Bottom line, I am completely motivated to dig into OSU’s financial reports now and learn more about our budget model. I also realized how blessed OSU is in terms of our solid academic plan, incredible rainy day fund and profit making units like the medical center and athletics. Our conservative spending values have certainly enabled us to remain stable in these uncertain times unlike many of the smaller colleges. Being big has its advantages. J

I received 4 pieces of mail today. YEAH!!! I am so happy you all took me seriously and sending mail. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me. Truly!!! THANK YOU Renee, Katie H., Camille and Lisa! Keep it coming. I want to decorate my walls with all of the letters and mail that I receive so I need A LOT to make that happen. I will send pictures of the wall art once I get more.

My dorm room

Like all good dorm rooms, I had to start decorating a bit. Derek send me the Van Gogh poster in the mail today. It matches my blue comforter!

Don't you just love the wooden dorm furniture. I have a lot more appreciation for my home now! But, I am adjusting and the bed really isn't that bad.

Construction must be a universal academic theme!

Several buildings are undergoing major renovation.

I just thought this was a really cool tree.

Derek went to middle and high school with this woman!

This is Tienfong Ho. She is a Bryn Mawr Ph.D student studying the Arts and is interested in moving back to Columbus and teaching at OSU. Is anyone hiring? One of her areas of expertise is in film history.

Happy Hour EVERYDAY!

So, every day between 5:15 -6:15 is "networking and informals" aka happy hour to most of us. We get one drink coupon per person. Pretty cool, huh? The courtyard is located right outside our dorm rooms with beautiful gardens surrounding us.

One of the beautiful buildings on campus.

The journey begins...

The last 2 days has been filled with opportunities to meet each other and to deepen our understanding of ourselves. On Sunday, we spent the afternoon talking about career mapping and how to analyze your career accomplishments using the Problem + Action + Results (PAR) formula. This exercise helps determine which skill sets, traits, and knowledge you have used most frequently, have most enjoyed, and want to utilize more in the future. One of the significant realizations for me is that I really enjoy bridging people and concepts together. I can synthesize things well, cut across silos and make systemic change. Responsibilities that allow me to function in this way are both challenging and rewarding and have been evident in my recent projects.



Today was all about learning more about “ME”, my favorite subject. Hee. Hee. (That is how the faculty member introduced the conversation about the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.) Well, I am no longer an ENTJ which is what my personality profile was as a college student a few years ago. J I am an ENFJ (Extraversion, Intuition Feeling, Judging). My E and J preferences are strong and very clear to me. The N and F are more in the mid-zone and I definitely use my sensing and thinking counterparts depending on the situation. Comparing this to the Senn Delaney behavioral style principle, I can see how my “J” comes our strong in the controlling style, my “N” in the promoting style and the “F” in the supporter style. (My OSU colleagues will know why I made that comparison.) ENFJ’s are often referred to as a catalyst/diplomat because we tend to see the big picture and can relate well with visionary leaders but at the same time pull together the right people/concepts to get the job done. This really resonated with me as I can see how my project management role has strengthen this ability for the last few years.



In general, the topics over the last few days have certainly been interesting but I still don’t feel like I “fit” yet among this group. Another insight about myself…: Normally social situations come very easy for me, right? I know how to engage in “small talk” and love to have more intimate conversations with people. But, I haven’t felt like myself since arriving to Bryn Mawr, probably because I haven’t really connected with any one particular person. I have been reaching out, chatting with people every chance I get and still nothing. Yes, I know it has only been 3 days but again, this normally comes very natural to me. Right? So, what’s the problem? I am not really sure yet but I did have a few minutes of joy and comfort connecting with someone today. The irony here is that she is not a part of the summer institute officially. She is a Bryn Mawr Ph.D student studying the Arts and she is working with the sponsoring organization (HERS) with logistics and organization. She introduced herself by saying that she is a 1988 graduate of Thomas Worthington High School and that her family still lives in Colonial Hills, a subdivision of Worthington. I eyes smiled instantly. She remembers Derek’s name and when I mentioned her name to Derek, he also recognized her name but can’t picture each other. He thinks that they may have gone to middle school together at Worthington Way too! This just made me smile from the inside out.

Last but certainly not least... I have received 4 pieces of mail already. I can't tell you how happy I am. Eunice sent me my first letter and it was here waiting for me when I arrived on Friday. Today, I received a wonderfully long letter from Tom. Keep it my friend. A lovely note from Katie and the best picture/note from dyan. THANK you all. Keep them coming. I miss everyone already.

I'm here...

Derek and I are using skype to video chat. This is so cool! You can download skype for FREE and talk.

This is one of the beautiful grand old buildings on campus. Isn't it incredible?

What an adventure Derek and I had driving in yesterday among the thunderstorms and lightening. We wanted to get a head start on the morning rush hour so we were packed and on the road by 7am. The storm was so bad that we made it to PICKERINGTON! We decided to pull over and have breakfast at Cracker Barrel in the hopes of letting the storm pass us by. Unfortunately, we ended up driving the same path as the storm. So, the first few hours were a bit nerve wrecking but it was clear sailing as soon as we hit Pennsylvania. Thankfully, Derek was willing to drive the vast majority of the trip. (Isn't he a saint and the best hubby ever!)About an hour from arriving on campus, we pass Georgina Dodge on the turnpike. She is one of the OSU "five" attending the institute. We have a strong cohort of 5 women leaders attending this year. The largest class ever from OSU.

Friday evening was spent unloading the car and briefly exploring the town of Bryn Mawr which is about the size of Clintonville! Very small but quite charming with cool independent stores. Derek was instantly drawn to the comic book store, camera shop and the sushi restaurants while I was distracted looking for the spa and mall. :)

I must admit that I didn't mentally prepare for the complete change in routine and LACK of everyday comforts that I experienced today. I became emotional several times today as I thought about missing Derek, home, my life etc. I keep telling myself..."get a grip, it's only for a month!" I have to shift my thinking and embrace this incredible opportunity to network with wonderful women and soak up their knowledge and wisdom. I am definitely one of the "younger" attendees. There are 7 out 47 attendees who are in their "30's". I know that I am very blessed to be here and that I will grow tremendously from this experience.

Tonight was the official start of the institute. We heard from an incredible African American female president as the keynote speaker. Her name is Marvalene Hughes and she is the President of Dillard University, a historically black university in New Orleans, that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Katrina hit only 2 months after she arrived on campus as the new president. She was faced with rebuilding the entire campus, literally! Her speech was truly inspirational and proves that anything is possible with the right leadership and clear vision.

We spend the rest of the evening getting to know each other over a few cocktails and dinner. I must admit that this is a truly unique experience for me. Here I am, "Miss Social Butterfly" in a room of 50 people and I don't know anyone. Sure, there are 5 of us from OSU but we just met last month so none of us know each other well. I feel "alone" for the first time in a long time but it is good for me. This is a stretch and I am embracing it.

One last thing...I know Eunice will be proud of me as I have a walking date tomorrow @ 7am.

TTYL...