Design Thinking and Learning

In a seminar course required of students in my doctoral program, we spent a day on problem solving and creativity. Professor John Nash took us through an exercise that originated with the Stanford d.school where we used problem solving and then design thinking to create the perfect wallet for a student partner.

Our exercise included:

• Interviewing a partner to engage them and gather insights about wallet use
• Defining and articulating a point of view based on the interview insights
• Sketching new alternatives based on the point of view
• Testing ideas with our partner to gather feedback
• Acting on the feedback and building a wallet prototype from art supplies

This was a fun exercise that I think can be adapted for use with student leaders to encourage bigger picture thinking and processing. You can read more about the exercise and view a student interview at Nash’s blog.

Laws of Physics and College Transition

There is an amusement park near my home that has one of those lose your lunch inducing rides that spin faster and faster until the floor drops out. It leaves you stuck to the wall until the ride slows and you gradually resume your footing on solid ground. The science of this phenomenon is centrifugal inertial force.

My university is welcoming 4,356 new students to campus as we begin the fall semester; colleges across the country are welcoming thousands more over the next few weeks. Imagine the inertial force as these students navigate classes, new roommates, and campus cultures that are frequently in contrast to their personal experiences.

Now, imagine your campus as a giant spinning disk with a student planted firmly in place by centripetal force, moving along the curved path of the disk, going with the flow. All is fine as the student survives residence move-in, deciphers a schedule, and maneuvers the dining center. But soon the campus disk is spinning faster and the centrifugal inertial force can become greater than the centripetal friction force holding the student in place. A failing quiz grade, roommate argument, financial difficulties or homesickness can all be triggers to send our students flying right off the college ride.

As we in student affairs greet our new students and those who are returning, it is important that we keep these laws of physics in mind. Know what resources you have available to address student concerns. Advocate for your students when university networks are difficult to follow. Listen carefully for clues that a student may be struggling.

Understanding F = mv²/r may just save a student.

Worth the Price of Admission?

I never expect to see perfect work from an imperfect man. ~Alexander Hamilton

Middlesex University (U.K.) was in the news this week for falsely sending 2,500 admission acceptance letters to students who had not yet been accepted. I began my student affairs career as an enrollment services professional, serving as director of admissions for two small private colleges. On several occasions, I likely admitted a student that never should have been in college. I am not perfect. But I am certain that I never mistakenly notified 200 students or 29,000 students that they were admitted to college. Our students deserve better.

Cornell University sends email welcome to 550 rejected students

UC San Diego mistakenly congratulates 29,000 rejected students

2,700 University of North Carolina applicants receive email mistake

Vanderbilt University faultily accepts 56 international students

200 George Washington University applicants receive erroneous email acceptance

Transition to College

Jacques Steinberg shared gems of wisdom for soon-to-be first-year college students in The Choice column with Advice on the Transition From Applicant to College Student. It included a recommendation from my friend, W. Houston Dougharty, who advises students to live in the moment and less in their social media updates.

As frequently happens in columns such as this, the best words of counsel came from experienced students who remind first-years to treat college like a full time job and learn to do their own laundry.

Climb Every Mountain

I make a semi-annual pilgrimage to central Colorado to visit family and stare at the awesome wonder of giant mountains. Mostly, I mountain gaze because traveling 7,000 feet into the sky from my home on the plains leaves me sucking wind after a walk across the street. This is Mount Princeton rising 14,197 majestically into the clouds. The view puts things into perspective.

Here are some words of wisdom for your mountain gazing.

Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was. ~Dag Hammarskjold

To live for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top. ~Robert M. Pirsig

There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same. ~Chinese Proverb

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary

Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way! ~Dr. Seuss