SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 54)

“What many people don’t understand is that higher education is a business, albeit a unique business.” Sallie Keller-McNulty these areas are interdisciplinary and compelling to faculty and students.” Dr. Keller-McNulty also offered her perspective on the differences between industry and academe. “What makes the business of higher education different from others,” she said, “is the degree of independence given, or expected of, the employees — the faculty. Without careful attention and leadership, higher education can devolve into a business with two unrelated missions — research and education. One of my most important roles as dean is to ensure that this does not happen.” She continued, noting that, “The success of higher education today is closely linked to our ability to strongly integrate research and education.” Consequently, Dr. KellerMcNulty is working to expand Rice’s interdisciplinary and multicultural research and education, and develop a rewards structure that encourages researchers to create collaborative interdisciplinary programs. Gender and leadership Drs. Blanchard and Claiborn have similar perspectives on the influence of gender on their leadership styles. Dr. Claiborn believes that gender has “a lot of impact. I don’t believe I’m as competitive as men can be,” she said. “Women may tend to be good col- laborators and team builders, not as topdown management style.” Dr. Blanchard noted, “I try very hard to be inclusive and to nurture my faculty and staff by providing them with learning opportunities that will help them grow intellectually and in terms of leadership. I am probably more sensitive to family and external pressures on faculty and staff than some men might be.” Recently, her awareness and understanding of such pressures became apparent. “One of our new assistant professors is having her first child in November,” Dr. Blanchard explained. “ My reaction when she and her department chair came to tell me and to talk about how they had worked things out so that she could handle her classes via distance learning so that she could be in Phoenix with her husband (who has not yet relocated to Fort Myers) for the baby’s birth? Terrific! Our first engineering baby!” I Peggy Layne, P.E., is the ADVANCE program coordinator at Virginia Tech. She is the former chair of the SWE Magazine editorial board and a past national president of SWE. Layne became a SWE Fellow in 2001. Be part of something bigger At GE we don’t just support diversity, we rely on it to drive innovation and change. We offer limitless opportunities for growth in an environment that encourages people to reach their maximum potential. We are looking for individuals like you, people who look beyond the ordinary and imagine the possibilities. We invite you to explore opportunities at GE in engineering, finance, manufacturing, sales and marketing, human resources, or information technology. Explore your next career move at www.gecareers.com 54 SWE FALL 2008 http://www.gecareers.com http://www.gecareers.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Fall 2008

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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