Message from the President
Dr. Shelley Drogin
Three months have now passed since I took on the leadership of Leadership Institute of Seattle. As the second quarter of my presidential tenure begins, I am struck by the challenge and the quality of the journey that is LIOS.
As an avid cyclist (I’m hopeful that the demands of my post will ease soon, so I can get back in the saddle), it took some time for me to be able to view hills as my friends. I have come to understand that climbing a hill calls forth the special quality of being present—being strongly in the here and now. I’ve learned how the hill strengthens me and how my attitude affects my climbing ability. These lessons apply to LIOS: While, in many ways, we have been in a climbing mode – I consciously choose not to use the words “uphill battle”-- it seems that the summit is now in sight, and personally, I am beginning to anticipate the exhilaration of the downhill run.
On a bicycle ride from Seattle to San Francisco in 2004, one of the sure indications that we were nearing the top of the climb was the sign--“Road Narrows”— signaling that the passing lane would begin to merge. On many a long hill, those diamond-shaped road signs were very welcome forecasts indeed--they even found their way on to the design of our commemorative jerseys. Similarly, LIOS’ path to new academic affiliation is narrowing in terms of possible choices, and I fully intend to be in a position to make an announcement in the weeks ahead.
As I have previously reported, the institutional response to our quest has been overwhelmingly positive. The question is no longer “Will we affiliate?”, but rather “Which institution will we select?”. Presently, we are in serious conversations with three prestigious universities, any one of which will make an excellent academic partner. Each institution offers unique strengths and opportunities, as well as some challenges and risks. The decision process will be a consultative one involving various stakeholders, culminating in my recommendation to the LIOS Board, where the ultimate decision will be made. I remain confident that we are on course to begin enrolling students in September.
Back to my cycling metaphor: I have found that on extremely long and arduous hills, it is not uncommon to reach a place that is especially challenging, requiring the biker to dig a little deeper into his strengths. From a leadership perspective, these are the situations that require one to lean into the core values of the organization and to stay focused on the vision and mission. Recently, LIOS faced such a situation, when we ran the potential risk of losing Title IV funding support (financial aid) for our current students. A United States Department of Education policy unexpectedly came to light, ruling that a Title IV- eligible institution (in this case, Bastyr University) must teach at least 50% of the curriculum when contracting with an outside institution (in this case, LIOS).
Preserving financial aid was absolutely essential to the continuation of the Applied Behavioral Science Master of Arts degree program. Keeping in clear view the primary goal of protecting the educational experience of our current students and our long term ability to offer LIOS’ transformative education, we have entered into a termination agreement with Bastyr University for the short term, thereby preserving our students’ access to financial aid so that they can complete their degrees.
The principal elements of this agreement are: (1) While LIOS graduates have received their degrees from Bastyr University since the early 1990s, as of April 1, current students will now be fully under Bastyr’s tutelage; (2) LIOS’ faculty, previously jointly appointed by LIOS and Bastyr, will now contract with Bastyr, while retaining the right to teach concurrently for LIOS.
It is important to understand that LIOS has made these compromises in the near term in response to a potentially devastating situation. As a result, we have insured our future, our ability to succeed, grow and prosper in the long term. In the negotiations, both Bastyr University and LIOS were committed to arriving at a solution in our students’ best interest, resulting in an outcome that would appear seamless to the students.
While the transition is still under way, it appears that we have successfully surmounted yet another challenging hill--and the LIOS curriculum continues to be delivered without losing a beat. However, the new arrangement significantly affects LIOS in terms of our financial structure. Fortunately, steps have been taken so we are running quite lean during this time of transition, and we continue to receive a growing amount of support in so many ways from our extended community.
Thankfully, our Board, staff, faculty, alumni, present students and friends of LIOS have all responded enthusiastically to the Invest in the Future of LIOS campaign. To date, we have raised over $80,000, an amount that exceeds all of the donations LIOS has received over the last ten years. Our President’s Circle—comprised of folk who have given $2000--now has 30 members. Your continued contributions and support are truly an investment in the success of LIOS and will ensure that future students continue to be transformed by LIOS’ unique brand of leadership education.
We’ve just caught sight of the “Road Narrows” sign. Now we can all look forward to that exhilarating downhill run, when Leadership Institute of Seattle heads into the harbor of a new academic affiliation and renewed dedication to its educational goals.
Thanks for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Shelley Drogin, Ed.D
President,
Leadership Institute of Seattle