OWHE Blog
Chrysanthemum's Journey to OWHE Dec 14 2017
In the time leading up to my first professional job post-grad school, I held a number of employment and volunteer positions: swim instructor, ELL tutor for migrant workers, pre-school aid, spinning teacher, running shoe salesperson, waitress, youth volunteer coordinator, soup kitchen cook, and intern at a non-profit policy think tank. Although perhaps not the most obvious of connections, I look back at that list and see some important common threads. In some way, these were all service roles.
What's In A Leader? Dec 7 2017
“What’s in a name?” It’s one of Shakespeare’s most famous quotes from Romeo and Juliet, signifying the two leading characters’ belief that their family names (and corresponding conflicts) are meaningless in the face of their love for each other. It’s a lovely idea that names are purely abstract, but as many of us in higher education know so well, a name—or language, more broadly—can mean a great deal. In reflecting on the values of Oregon Women in Higher Education (OWHE), I found myself getting hung up on one of them in particular, due the lasting associations I often make with the word: Leadership. When I saw it, I immediately thought, “Nope! Not going to write about that one.”
My Top 10 Resources to Help Navigate Cultural Nuances Impacting our Daily Work Nov 30 2017
Every day in higher education we collaborate with, serve, and encounter people from all walks of life. Our institutions value and pride themselves on promoting and supporting diversity and inclusion in both the student body and the professionals they employ (in other words - us). So, how are we ensuring that we align with that value in the work that we do? What does it mean to support the diversity and inclusion of students, faculty and staff in your job?
Navigating the Quiet Nov 16 2017
I was recently in a small conversation with four or five colleagues when a big question was posed. I immediately began to think about my response, possible items that I might want to include, ways that I might phrase my thoughts, possibilities for misinterpretations, and in the midst of all of this, the questioner turned to me and suggested, “Emma, how about you go ahead and get us started.” I laughed, uncomfortably, and knew that I was just going to have jump in and go for it. To the speaker’s credit, she did graciously laugh and recognize, “You are an introvert, aren’t you? I have a knack for putting introverts on the spot.”
Since the release and success of Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, I have experienced a noticeable change and nuance in the ways that my professors, colleagues, and peers think about introversion.
10 Nifty Technology Tools for Communication, Design, Presentations, and More Oct 12 2017
I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I love it because in many ways it makes communication, collaboration, and staying organized so much easier. I hate it because choosing, learning, and using an unfamiliar technology is a huge investment of time – time that I could be spending getting my current work done. Perhaps you can relate?
Despite this, I love learning new things, so I'm always on the lookout for new tricks to help me be more productive and creative. To kick off our first OWHE Top Ten Feature, I am sharing ten technology tools that I’ve found to be helpful, time-saving, and even fun. Since most of us in education have limited budgets (or no budgets at all), I’m including only tools with good “free account” options or those already widely available. I hope you’ll find these tools useful and discover interesting ways to apply them.
Alexis’ Journey to OWHE Sep 21 2017
You can be anything you want to be when you grow up.
This phrase was told to me often, but it wasn’t always shown. While my childhood was full of support and encouragement, it was lacking in the knowledge that comes from growing up with career-minded parents or mentors. My dad bought and sold used office furniture; my mom was a preschool teacher’s aide. I loved my childhood. I have no criticism of my parents in terms of the unconditional love I was given. So is it wrong to criticize my circumstances?
Currently, I’m an academic counselor for first-generation students at Oregon State University. Like many of them, I had no career or college counseling; I had no one challenging me to develop myself beyond midterms and finals.
Diversity is not Your Business, Nor Mine, for that Matter Sep 14 2017
Premises of the following opinion: (a) we, the writer (I) and the reader(s) (you), were born to be equal (i.e., biologically homo Sapiens, regardless of the subspecies variation); (b) everything else we might identify with or be identified as is in flux; (c) things that we don’t have names for do exist.
In this spirit, I’d like to share with you my story with that which we colloquially call “diversity”.