Annual Leadership Retreat

The second annual Strategic Planning Leadership Retreat was held at the Botanical Gardens November 11-12.  Deans, Vice Presidents, Alliance Leaders and student government leaders participated in this two day event which will lead to the development of the FY11 Action Agenda.  There were 29 presentations from schools, Alliances, student groups and central offices dealing with FY09 progress, FY10 activities and FY11 plans. 

Dr. Jacqueline Acho was the guest speaker.  She is President of the Acho Group, a strategy and leadership consulting firm founded in 2005.  Jackie has worked for industrial, scientific, academic, nonprofit, and economic development clients on a variety of issues, with a particular focus on growth, strategy, and technology commercialization.  She served as the facilitator for three of the Alliances and was especially close to the process leading up to the submission of proposals competing for investment funding (see below).  Her talk focused on the promise she sees in all of the Alliances.  During her work with the three groups she interviewed community leaders, faculty, trustees and Deans.  Following are some insights from some of these sources.

“The University is moving in the right direction, but this is about as hard as health care reform.  It’s not in our nature to work across the University, across disciplines, and with the community.  This is out of character for Case to do, but it’s so important for all of the strategic alliance areas.”


CWRU Faculty

“We want to make the environment so good that Harvard knocks at the door and people say, ‘No, thanks.  There is no where better for me to do what I want to do than here in Cleveland.’”


Alliance Leader

“With cross-functional programs, we’d be making the people we want to hire in.”


Alliance Leader

“Why are we bringing in so many outsiders in to do _______ in Cleveland when we have so many assets?  Can the _____ Alliance help solve this?!”


CWRU Faculty

”Whatever we do over this period will define civilization for a very long time.  It’s all adiabatic… slowly changing.  It doesn’t require a revolution.  Change can be done peacefully and gracefully.”


Dean

“What I hope you’ll do is take on hugely important issues and become internationally known.”


Community Leader