We're off to a good start

for the Spring semester.

Some highlights so far:

1. The Advisory Board met and discussed the Seidenberg Curriculum Task Force Report. I've sent the overview to department and curriculum committee chairs for review and discussion with their respective faculty. I'll be delivering a copy to the Provost tomorrow at my regularly scheduled meeting with him.
2. We are also busy planning the Leadership in Service and Technology Award evening, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday June 9 (very tentatively).
3. Thanks to a recommendation by one of our board members, we are now affiliate members of NCSSSMST and will be including those secondary schools in our outreach.
4. The Building Livable Communities in Second Life Competition was held on the Pleasantville campus on Friday, January 24. Thanks to Jean Coppola for serving as a faculty advisor, and to Matt Ganis for providing technical support. Three teams competed, and finished in the following order: Pace University, Monroe College and Manhattanville College.

This current economic environment will certainly challenge us as we work with admissions to bring in a fall class. I know I can count on all of you to help as needed with our outreach efforts.

I'm planning on scheduling an "all school" meeting for February 13 at the Graduate Center. Please mark your calendars now-details will follow early next week.

See you on campus one of these days:
Monday and Friday next week I'm in Pleasantville, Tuesday and Wednesday I'm at the Graduate Center, and Thursday I'm in New York.

September 2 - September 5

This feels like the longest four day week ever-moving between the two campuses on Tuesday wore me out! I think Academy Day went well-what do you think? Comments welcome.

Louise and I met with Jeanne Dennison of Philanthropy to start thinking about the LST (Leadership and Service in Technology) event. It's never too soon to start planning. I'm also planning to meet with the Seidenberg Advisory Board in October.

Thursday I also attended the Management Council Informal Luncheon. Management Council is made up of the Deans and the Officers of the University. This is my second lunch. I've enjoyed them because I get to meet the newer officers whom I have not met, and to reconnect with those folks I've known but not as colleagues in this new way.

Tonight we'll welcome the third cohort of DPS students in the DPS for Educational Technology Professionals; next week we'll welcome a new cohort of DPS students in the DPS for Information Technology Professionals.

Managing my time has become more challenging. One of the advantages of being a college professor is that one has control of one's schedule. One of the challenges of being dean is that everyone has control of your schedule. If you come by the office on Friday mornings (whichever office I happen to be in) you'll see a "Do Not Disturb - Weekly Review in Progress" sign hanging on my door. The sign is courtesy of David Allen, and the weekly review is part of his Getting Things Done method, known to many as GTD. I'm a HUGE David Allen fan. When he started running seminars in New York city I signed up - twice - and paid with my own money (I really wanted to go).

GTD is really just organized common sense but it provides the discipline I need to keep track of everything. You can read more at GTD Times. I encourage you to read the book.

Next week I'm downtown on Monday and Thursday, in Pleasantville on Tuesday and Friday, and at the Graduate Center on Wednesday.

Finally, let me thank everyone of you for getting the semester off to a good start. By Monday each member of the staff will have been told about your salary increase, (Note: the faculty were notified in June when we signed contracts) and you'll see the change in your Friday paycheck. Please know that I appreciate everyone's efforts, and that I am looking forward to working with each of you during this interim period. We're off to a great start!

Note: this was originally posted on Friday September 5. The changes in red were added on Saturday, September 6.