When you are not the lead dog...

Leaders

Willie Nelson says, “A leader is someone who can find a bunch of people going in the same direction and then jump in front of the line.” Leadership at St. Olaf is different than some places because with a little help we can all pull in the same direction.

Nearly all of us really want to be here for one thing. I feel like all of us, regardless of role, are here to help students get ready to lead lives of worth and service. With those two things in place the biggest barriers to good leadership developing are resolved.

Dave Van Wylen, St. Olaf’s associate dean for natural science and mathematics the last several years has been an important leader throughout the development, design, and construction of Regents Hall at St. Olaf. Before Dave took over, Professor of Biology Anne Walter “shepherded” the project through several years of evolution before we got to a time where the work and money were approved. Because of Walter’s and Van Wylen’s early work, we were pretty much heading in the same direction all along.

Shepherd is a significant word in college and university science facility development because of the work of Jeanne Narum ’57. In addition to being the matriarch of one of St. Olaf’s great families, Narum is director of the Independent Colleges Office in Washington DC, and is also the leader and inspiration of Project Kaleidoscope. PKAL is a resource for colleges and universities who hope to develop science facilities that will serve their, America’s, and the world’s, science researchers, educators, and students well into the 21^st century. In the PKAL world the “shepherd” is the faculty person who leads the program development. In St. Olaf’s world, this person co-leads St. Olaf’s team with the Director of Facilities.

Walter is a physiologist with many additional interests. She and colleague Mike Swift (they're also close personal friends and spouses - spice, whatever) are currently teaching the biology course that is a key part of the Summer Bridge Program for the Student Support Services program at the college. She also co-leads St. Olaf’s Biology in South India program and serves the college in many other ways.

Van Wylen, also a biologist, is interested in cardiac physiology. As associate dean Van Wylen coordinates the work, resources, and staffing for psychology, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and mathematics and computer science. This is a big job as slightly more than 40% of Oles graduate in the natural sciences and mathematics. He and his family will be celebrating the successful conclusion of several years work on Regents by traveling the world with St. Olaf students this fall semester on the Global program.

In my view, leaders help establish a vision, communicate it, develop buy in, and gather the tools and other resources the led need to execute it. Anne, Dave, and others on the faculty design team(see July 30 post) are great leaders, and the project reflects the vision that they and their team developed.