bingham changing roles august 902 w slide notations ml...
TRANSCRIPT
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◊
It is unacceptable for 205 million people who want to work to be
unemployed. It is unacceptable for a country as rich as the United
States to have 15 million people unemployed. It is unacceptable for 1.2
billion workers living with their families to live on $2 per day. It is
unacceptable that 75% of the people living in poverty are women and
children. It is unacceptable to have 300,000 wounded warriors
(soldiers who were injured in combat) in the United States looking for
work. It is unacceptable that people whose lives are severely disrupted
by tragedies like tsunamis, hurricanes, and nuclear meltdowns take
years to find work again; if indeed they ever work again. I find all of
these things unacceptable. What do you find unacceptable when it
comes to people who want to work but can’t? Take a moment to ask
yourself that question. I believe if people want to work they ought to
be able to work and I believe that there is work to be done. I believe
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that we can find the right amount of work for the right amount of
people. That leads me to this big question for us.
The big question that I want us to ponder is, “do vocational
psychologists and career counselors have a role to play in right-‐sizing
the workforce?”
I chose that question in light of a multitude of issues facing society at
this point in time. I will present a challenge to you that is grounded in
how I believe my training as a counseling psychologist with a
concentration in vocational and multicultural psychology has influenced
the dispensation of my role as Vice President for Student Affairs at a
large metropolitan research university in Memphis, Tennessee. You will
see that our mission in Student Affairs is centered on creating a
learning culture that trains individuals to think critically and learn to live
well together in a diverse world, because we are training for jobs and
roles that have yet to be created.
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INTRODUCTION
◊ Right sizing is a term that is most often applied when a corporation is
trying to determine the number of people needed to deliver a good or
service produced by that corporation for customers in an efficient and
effective manner that satisfies the customer and makes a profit for the
company and shareholders. Economists have long pondered issues of
right-‐sizing workforces, but vocational psychologists and career
counselors…..not so much. We have more often been concerned with
career choices and development. While economists might not highlight
the individual as much as vocational psychologists and career
counselors, situated right in the center of what they talk about is the
worker. And the worker and work are central to what career
counselors, vocational psychologists, practitioners and researchers
think about, making work and workers key to both disciplines.
◊ In this presentation, I will focus on four aspects of ‘right sizing’:1.
unemployment-‐and under-‐employment; 2. natural and human-‐made
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disasters; 3. urban poverty, and 4. demographic changes as related to
access to jobs and wealth. In the discussion of each area, I will pose
questions relevant to the potential roles that psychologists and
counselors might play in ‘right sizing’. I will share a little of what we do
at my University. I will ask each of you to push yourselves harder than
you have ever pushed to think about what you can do about using your
skills, talents, theories and research abilities to define and create work
in such a way that everybody works who wants to work.I want you to
do something about the unacceptable.
I. UNEMPLOYMENT -‐ AND UNDER-‐ EMPLOYMENT
◊In pondering the next great questions in vocational psychology,
it seemed reasonable to think about the current global and economic
crisis in the United States and around the world. Recall thatpoliticians
and the news media labeled the years between 2008-‐ 2010 as the
“Great Recession.” The name is certainly a reminder of the similarities
between this most recent recession and the “Great Depression” of
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1929. Even though the recession did not meet the technical definition
for a depression, many families have been touched in significant ways
that impact personal income and the ability to make ends meet Or just
get by) . Many people are afraid that they will never work again and
will not be able to take care of their families.
My journey to think about our role in right-‐sizing the work force
was probably influenced by all of my training, education and life
experiences. But what I most vividly remember as a pivotal point in my
thinking about the world came on a day in 2006 when, as I was taking a
long walk in the park in Memphis, TN, I questioned why the United
States was at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, further, why war at all?
I understand that there are numerous reasons and philosophies about
war, but I believe that when people lose faith and gain fear that “there
is not enough,”they decide to fight. For some, the fear is quite basic-‐-‐
not having a meal to feed a hungry child; for others, it is a fear of not
having enough money for the second corporate jet. For both, fear is
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accompanied by the lack of faith that THERE IS ENOUGH. So we fight. I
firmly believe THERE IS ENOUGH but I realize that my belief requires
rethinking how we define work or at least how we value work. It
occurs to me that people need satisfaction and purpose in their lives.
According to Eggerth (2008) the correlation between job and life
satisfaction is .44. If that is true, then work is central to people’ lives
and well being. So, the question becomes,, HOW DO WE GET ENOUGH
WORK For THE PEOPLE?
◊For purposes of this presentation let’s beginwith the premise
that in spite of the unemployment numbers, there is enough work to
“right size” the work force. This statement may seem to defy logic
when we look at the intractable unemployment numbers in the United
States where the percent of unemployed remains well above 9 percent.
There are 15 million people unemployed in the United States.
Worldwide, the unemployment rate stands at about 6.2%. That 6.2%
that sounds like a small number until you realize that it represents 205
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million people. That’s a lot of people not doing the work that will bring
them satisfaction. If we look at the numbers more closely in the U.S.,
unemployment differs by race, ethnicity and gender: 7.2% for Asians;
8.7% for White Americans; 12% for Hispanics; and 16.3% for African
Americans. Before the recession the unemployment rate for men and
women was about the same; post recession the unemployment rate for
women isaround 8%, while that for men is about 10%. A closer look
inside global unemployment numbers reveals that youth between 15 -‐
24 have a 12.6% unemployment rate. The number is 40% in Spain and
23.6% in North Africa. What are unemployed young men and women
to do with their time?
Economists point to such statistics as reasons for much anger
among American citizens at this point in time. One could wonder if the
anger is proportionate to the percentage of unemployment within ethnic
and racial groups. And why shouldn’t they be angry, because for people
who want to work, we don’t make it possible; that is unacceptable.
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◊Such anger probably increases the divide between the races, between
genders, between ethnic groups, and between countries. Some reports
assign part of the cause of the unrest in Tunisia to unemployment and
under employment. The International Labor Organization reports that
the vulnerable rate (those people in low wage jobs part time jobs and
underemployed) is 50.1%. This fact is important because this number
was declining prior to 2007 but now appears to be flat and unrelenting.
1.2 billion workers living with their families earn less than $2.00 per day
and many live in extreme poverty at $1.25 per day. Peck, 2010, claims
that when the US recovers from the Great Recession many people will
still be left with the helplessness caused by chronic under and
unemployment. Unemployment and under employment carry high
human costs. The effects on physical and mental health can be felt
across generations as educational attainment of succeeding generations
is effected by the poverty of the previous generations. That is just
unacceptable.
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These statistics raise the question of the role vocational
psychologists might have in right-sizing the workforce. And would such
right-sizing include helping to more equitably distribute employment
and unemployment across groups of peoples? These questions
presuppose that vocational psychologists and career counselors have an
interest in such social justice issues. Given that vocational psychologists
are often counseling psychologists and counseling psychologists claim
an interest and expertise in multiculturalism and social justice, it is not a
huge leap to assume vocational psychologists and career counselors hold
such an interest…. and want to see that there are enough jobs so that
people see that there is enough.
◊Indeed, if vocational psychologists were to take a serious look at the
distribution of unemployment across race, ethnicity, gender, and global
societies, we might discover some ways to effect change in the current
unequal distribution. This argument assumes that large disparities in
jobs could impact the divide between the haves and the have-nots. The
2009 census revealed a widening gap between the rich and the poor.
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Currently the 20% of Americans in the US earning over $1,000,000 a
year capture nearly 50% of all the income generated in the United States,
while those below the poverty line garner just 3.4%. Is this
acceptable? Other countries like India are engaged in discussions
about the widening gap between rich and poor. If the discrepancy
becomes great enough then it becomes more difficult for different
classes and categories of people to learn to live well together in a diverse
world. Too much scarcity can exacerbate the fear that there is not
enough. So, are there enough jobs to meet demand?
◊In years past, jobs were more predictable. For example the
United States was founded as an Agrarian society. The kinds of jobs
were known and the size of the work force needed was understood.
That society needed land and low cost labor in order to develop. The
land was generally taken from Native Americans and the labor was
provided by slaves from Africa. Clearly, everyone in the society was
not living well. Luckily, enough people found that unacceptable and
change occurred. As the United States grew, the demand for goods and
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services remained and, by the twentieth century, the citizens adapted to
living together more cooperatively and fairly well. As the nation grew in
peace and prosperity, people began to have greater choices about what
work they could do. Those choices were influenced by conditions within
the society, including the need for the “right-size” work force as dictated
by those conditions. For example, women in large numbers began to
work outside the home during World War II because many men were off
fighting in the war. There were not enough men to produce enough
goods and services for the people in the United States. Our culture
changed in order to make it acceptable for women to do jobs outside the
home that were previously reserved for men. When men returned from
that war the workforce was too large for the number of workers needed
to deliver what the society needed. The society found that unacceptable
so changes were made that allowed men to return to college to pursue
higher education and change jobs.
◊Would vocational psychologists have been able to predict these
needs and changes such that the society would have been more prepared
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for the changes and impacts? If we think of the needs for the workforce
in terms of the centrality of work in the lives of people, would
vocational psychologists believe that they had a role in such cataclysmic
changes in the workforce…changes that could now be occurring as a
result of the migration from a manufacturing society to a
knowledge/information society and changes in the demographic of the
workforce? If we collaborate with economists could we get a little better
at predicting right occupations and right numbers of workers?
◊There is currently little to no demand for some manufacturing
related or simple labor jobs. For example, sewing machine operators,
computer operators, postal service clerks, and desktop publishers are in
decline, as are cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators,
and tenders, metal and plastic. On the other hand, as a knowledge
economy grows and as the population has aged, the fastest growing
occupations are in the sciences, technical and health areas. It seems
that this kind of information would be important for vocational
psychologists to know and understand. And yet, what will the
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psychologists do with such information? If the psychologists know that
the society needs more of one type of worker than the other, do we
participate in helping people to understand that or even select those high
demand jobs? If we know that many jobs will be low waged; require
only short to medium on the job training, would we still encourage
people to select those jobs? Would we encourage the completion of so
many college degrees? Would vocational psychologists and career
counselors have a role in helping people get to those jobs if it did not fit
our values? Would that be ethical? And would it be acceptable?
II. DISASTERS
◊In addition to unemployment and underemployment, a second area of
concern with regard to right-sizing is disasters. Don’t you find it heart
wrenching to see the devastating impact that disasters have on the work
life of affected individuals? What role might vocational psychologists
play in the aftermath of a disaster?
◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊
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In the United States two recent major disasters have had a significant
impact on the economic lives of individuals in the southeastern part of
the country; Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010.
Nearly 130,000 jobs were lost post-Katrina between August 2005
and August 2006 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly
1,500 lives were lost and damage to public and private enterprise was
estimated at $81 billion dollars.
◊Perhaps the most telling comment relevant for vocational
psychologists is the quote provided to a Chaplain on-site after the
hurricane: “I have no idea who I am today; and I don’t know how to
figure out who I will be tomorrow.” This quote reinforces the meaning
of work in the lives of individuals. In Japan after the March 11, 2011
Earthquake / Tsunami / Nuclear Crisis, 22,000 people are still missing or
have died. 500,000 people were displaced. During the first quarter of
the year the Japanese economy shrank 3.7%, effectively signaling a
recession. People are now afraid to live in highrises if they have a home
and many without homes are still in shelters. What happened to the
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lives, jobs, careers of all these people? While psychologists have done
an excellent job of defining protocol for immediate response after a
disaster, including taking care of life, health and safety, it is not clear
that vocational psychologists have designed theories around career
assistance following a disaster. What happens when the life one has
built is washed away in a disaster that lasts a few moments or a few
hours and recovery takes years. Five years after Hurricane Katrina,
Black residents of the lower 9th ward are still displaced at a far greater
rate than Whites.
◊Nearly 600,000 Haitians are not resettled. Many still live in tents
19 months after the earthquake of 2010. I find that unacceptable.
What can vocational psychology theories tell us about how to help these
individuals restore their lives? Will these individuals have a place in a
knowledge economy? What do we know about how disasters impact
career development and vocational choice? Do current vocational/career
development theories offer any guidance for intervention ?
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◊Social Cognitive Career Theories by Lent and Brown (2004)
might suggest some answers. If survivors are still displaced at least one
year post-disaster, would it make sense to be talking with those
individuals about potential work goals and then begin to assess their
efficacy about possibilities of returning to a job and succeeding or
rethinking the type of job they look for? Interventions could be targeted
toward outcomes expectations as individuals are assisted in actively
pursuing any work that will enable them to survive during the crisis.
While working with disaster survivors may not seem the best time to
conduct research, it might provide further opportunities to move career
research from the college population to more accurate real life situations
and therefore begin to make vocational theories more robust. If
vocational psychologists couple such research with targeted and
effective interventions, then psychologists could begin to define a role
for vocational psychologists in the aftermath of disaster.
◊ Further, such interventions could be useful in helping the right
individuals deliver the right services and goods at the right time. Would
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such moves fill a potential social justice mission of right-sizing the
workforce?
◊Related to natural disasters are those man-made disasters such as
wars. What is the role of vocational psychologists in the life of the
wounded Warrior? According to the Department of Defense in 2009,
there were approximately 185,000 troops from the United States serving
in Iraq and Afghanistan. I don’t know the global number but it’s a lot
after ten years. The U.S. Department of Defense has also indicated that
more than 36,000 veterans from the wars are injured. And more than
that world-wide.
◊The unemployment rate for veterans in the United States is 13.3
percent. One vet said “I served my country and provided all this, and
come back and what do I have now? Maybe a lot of bad memories that I
don’t want and skills that nobody recognizes.” I find this
unacceptable. I am sure that returning soldiers around the globe find
themselves in similar situations. So the question might be, how do
veterans return to their jobs in civilian life after traumatic tours of duty?
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There has been much documentation about the increase in psychological
services for veterans through hospitals. Much of the intervention is
around injury from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and physical injuries.
The documentation of the needs for those psychological interventions is
clear. What is not clear is whether there is a definitive need for
vocational psychologists & whether vocational psychologists have
viewed service with wounded soldiers as a career option. Vocational
psychology and career counseling in the U.S. grew out of the need for
the readjustment of veterans returning from World War II.
◊Research in the vocational area grewexponentially from those
beginning days in the late 1940s and 50s. Career counseling grew
because so many veterans took advantage of a US government program,
the G I Bill, as they returned to campus to obtain degrees in fields more
appropriate for civilian life. Perhaps now is the time for vocational
psychologists to once again lend their skills to returning veterans. If we
push ourselves, we can do more to solve the problem.
III. URBAN POVERTY
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◊Is there a role for Vocational Psychologists in populations
concentrated in urban poverty?Poverty in urban areas has increased as
people have moved to the city.
◊In 1975 only 28 % of the world’s population lived in cities; by
2000 over half the world’s population lived in cities. Urban poverty
involves striking inequity between groups of people—the haves and the
have nots. World-wide women and children make up over 70% of those
living in poverty.In India it has been reported that 73% of those in
poverty are women and children. That certainly is the case where I live
in Memphis, TN in the US. While the national unemployment numbers
are just below 10%, in some urban areas unemployment rates topped 20.
UNACCETABLE. Large numbers of Black and Latinos are
concentrated in urban areas. Poverty is disproportionately elevated
among these groups in the United States. Only 9.4 percent of whites are
in poverty compared to 25.8 percent for African Americans and 25.3
percent for Hispanics. The data shows that a large number of ethnic and
racial individuals who live in urban centers are poor and unemployed.
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◊It seems reasonable to ask if vocational psychologists have a role
in the work and career lives of the urban poor. According to Blustein,
McWherter and Perry (2005), “Vocational psychology has been
ambivalent about issues pertaining to the struggles of people who have
little, if any, access to the opportunity structure.” (p.142). Being
ambivalent is unacceptable. Blustein et all (2005) do advocate for
a more active and social justice posture for vocational psychologists and
recommend approaches that combine Prillellensky’s (1997)
emancipatory communitarian approach and Lent, Brown, and Hackett’s
(2008) Social Cognitive Career Theory. The authors’ recommendations
have appeal because individuals who are struggling just to satisfy basic
human needs are not likely to be concerned with their career likes and
dislikes and their fit in an environment that is consistent with their
personality as is suggested by the Holland Theory (1973). These
individuals are often poorly educated and have very low employability
skills. They have problems with shelter, access to health care, social
security and livelihoods. They are also likely to be hard to reach in an
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organized fashion unless they are in regular high schools or adult
educational programs.
◊But how do vocational psychologists make a difference in the
lives of urban youth who spend their days hanging out on street corners?
One of the recommendations from Blustein, et al is that researchers and
practitioners simultaneously work from the bottom up and top down –
i.e., administrators who fund and run programs should work with
members of neighborhoods who need the program. I find that
acceptable! It could be that vocational psychologists need to partner
with people who are already engaged in helping disenfranchised
individuals. Do vocational psychologists and career counselors have
something to offer to urban planners and government policy planers?
Are some career counselors willing to work with the young and the poor
in the urban areas where they live? Would it be possible for the
psychology training programs to partner with such programs in order to
deliver vocational interventions to these individuals? Graduate students
could provide interventions as a part of the practical training that is
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required in applied psychology programs. Of course the emancipatory
communitarian approach would dictate a partnership with participants
and such participants would provide some of the direction about how
interventions will be delivered. Such partnerships could yield valuable
insight and potential change for vocational theories and interventions.
The larger question then might become, do vocational psychologists
want a role in urban poverty centers?
IV. DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS
◊Will the scholarship and practice of vocational psychologists
change as the demographics shift?Populations in developing countries
are growing and surpassingthose of industrialized nations. Much of the
change is attributable to a lowering of birth rates as countries improve
in education and wealth. In Europe the countries with the lowest birth
rates are Spain and Italy. Germany will lose 20% of its population in the
next 40years. In fact according to Cheese, 2008, (Cheese, P. B.,
Thomas, R. J. & Craig, E. The Talent Powered Organization. London:
Kogan Page, 2008.) there will be such huge shifts in populations that
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some countries will have significant shortages of workers whereas
others will have significantly more workers than are needed.
◊ For example, in the next 20 years, countries like India, Pakistan,
and Mexico will have significantly more skilled workers than needed
◊and countries like Japan, Russia and the UK will have large shortages.
There will be within countries shifts as well.
By 2042 minority individuals in the United States are projected to
be in the majority. The question becomes, will these population shifts
make any difference in the scholarship and applied work of vocational
psychologists? Diemer and Ali (2009) have argued that vocational
psychologists need to include a more complex and nuanced discussion
of social class into their research and theories. The authors maintain that
social class is essential to career development and choice because class
impacts access to resources such as types of neighborhoods, schools,
jobs, role models, leisure activities and so forth.
Early career theories did not include much, if anything, about
race/ethnicity and social class. As multicultural theorists began entering
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the dialogue there was a call for inclusion of such factors. As the
discussion about the inclusion of socio-cultural factors increased, the
inclusion of social class increased It became clear that the issues of
race/ethnicity, gender and social class are confounding variables. It
could be that as the demographics shift drastically in 20 to 40 years that
the interaction of these variables will result in significant change as well.
◊ Further complicating career theories is the issue of age.
Working age individuals are defined as those 18 years to 64 years old in
the U.S. In 2008 in the United States, 63 percent of the population fell
into this category. By 2050 that percentage is projected to decline to 57
percent. Will such a decline impact the structure of opportunity for all
groups in the society? Deimer and Ali (2009) have argued that social
class is influenced by inherited wealth and the wealth of the current
workers’ parents. If more Americans are retired, to what extent will
their retirement affect the social class of their children? In China they
talk about the 4-2-1 scenario-- 1 Child supporting 2 parents and 4
grandparents. Surely resources of the elderly will impact the resources
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of their children and subsequently their children’s children.
Additionally, all of the changes in demographics - wealth structure,
social classes and so on - will help to determine the opportunities for
how different groups will interact with each other. There must be
acceptable ways for the ascension of the young. How will vocational
psychologists take such interactions into consideration as our theories
are revised and our interventions change?
CONCLUSION
So, if we accept the definition of right-‐sizing the workforce as the
right number of people it takes to deliver the right amount of goods
and services for all the people at the right cost so that all may live
reasonably well, it is easy to see that all of the categories of people
described above will impact the number of people in the workforce.
◊This presentation has highlighted 4 major points that could
influence how people view work and their ability to participate in the
workforce in a manner that they can enjoy. Number one was the
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current unemployment numbers and the fear that there will not be
enough work. The second was natural and manmade disasters such as
Hurricane Katrina, the Nuclear Crisis in Japan and wars like those in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Such disasters and wars dislocate and displace
workers in such large numbers that they impact the workforces. And
number three, the rise of urban poverty centers helps to widen the gap
between rich and poor, thus impacting our ability to live well together
and understand that there is enough. And number four, as the
demographics in society change, the kinds of people with access to jobs
and wealth changes. These kinds of changes are likely to affect the
complexion and size of the workforce. It may also be clear that if we
describe work as “paid activity for goods and services,”then it is likely
that there will be more people able and interested in working than
there is work to be done.
Vocational psychologists, counseling psychologists and many
career counselors espouse values that include all people living well.
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How then do we play a role in right sizing the workforce? Blustein et al
(2005) challenged vocational psychologists to accept”... an activist
social justice agenda, to improve the education and working lives of all
people. “(p. 143)
◊If vocational psychologists were to accept that challenge, would
it mean that we would need to expand our definition of work?
The feminist movement can be credited with introducing into the
lexicon the concept of paid work and non-‐paid-‐work. What would be
the outcome for society if vocational psychologists proactively asserted
such an expanded definition of work such that non-‐paid work is
acceptable for all the people who cannot fit into the “right size”
workforce? For example, as the population ages, there is a growing
need for people who can help care for older adults, including people
who will just spend time with them to abate loneliness. Vocational
psychologists might team with economists and sociologists to help
shape policies that would make it more possible for those who do not
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receive traditional wages to still maintain a reasonable life style. Then,
what those individuals are doing without traditionally defined wages
would have purpose and there might be a correlation between doing
those purposeful things and life satisfaction just as there is a correlation
between work and life satisfaction. Perhaps the question for vocational
psychologists will be how to help people live a purposeful life
regardless of the size of the workforce. And isn’t that more
acceptable than having so many out of work, scared, and
vulnerable?
THE CHALLENGe
In my role as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of
Memphis, I have challenged our staff to do two very important things.
One is to develop great leaders and the other is to help students learn
to live well together in a diverse society. Further,e do not want
them to be one of those statistics we’ve been talking about. We want
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students to be prepared for the work of the future.Jennifer James
writes about Thinking in the Future Tense. She and others like her
maintain that we must train people for jobs that do not yet exist. How
do we do that?
◊ These writers maintain that we must help people to:
1. “Know Thy self”
2. Unite work and spirituality
3. Display critical thinking
4. Develop cultural literacy
5. Be flexible in the face of change
6. Build and Sustain relationships
At my University we have worked to change the culture in Student
Affairs (or what some call Student Services, all of those services that are
centered on students outside the classroom ……. Residence Halls,
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Health Services, Career Services, Student social and recreational groups
and so) . We have worked to create a learning culture rather than a
programming culture. We are preparing our students for the changing
work world of the future. We changed our mission statement, the list
of core values and our vision for our students.
Mission
◊The Mission of Student Affairs is to foster student learning and
promote student success through engagement and involvement in
community, academics, diversity and leadership.
◊Core Values: LEADERS
Learning: Establishing and articulating high expectations for
student learning
Excellence: Modeling excellence in all that we do
Assessment: Making decisions on the basis of data.
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Diversity: Living well together in a diverse world
Ethical Leadership: Developing leaders who demonstrate
responsibility and integrity
Relationships: Building connections within and beyond our
community
Spirit: Promoting enthusiasm, passion and a sense of belonging
that inspires Tiger pride
◊Student Affairs Vision for Students
Understanding and
Managing Self
Engaging Others in a
Diverse World
Succeeding as a
Professional
Develop and apply
knowledge of self,
including
personality, values,
interests and
Establish a connection
to the University of
Memphis
Apply academic and
co-curricular
content to real-
world contexts
through experiential
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aptitudes learning
Develop integrity
and make ethical
decisions
Develop an inclusive
and interactive
community focusing
on understanding and
respect of individual
and group differences
Identify, develop
and articulate
competencies
necessary to
succeed in one’s
chosen field
Demonstrate
autonomy and
personal
responsibility
Become engaged
citizens locally and
globally
Understand the
importance of life-
long learning
Enhance physical,
psychological,
interpersonal and
spiritual well-being
Develop effective
social change skills
Demonstrate
effective leadership
skills
Possess appropriate Demonstrate civility Understand the
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self-efficacy concept of
professional
identity and
develop appropriate
professional
behaviors
You can begin to see that these things fit in with the kind of training
necessary for thinking in the future tense. We want in a very obvious
way for students to know themselves, be able to build relationships,
live well in a diverse global society, think critically and embrace change.
We have developed some specific programs to help students live this
vision. One is called Emerging Leaders. We admit a cohort of students
into the freshman class and they remain together for 4 years. They
begin early on learning a social change model of leadership. We
increase the level and complexity of their learning as they finish
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successive levels of education. Their experience is finalized with some
kind of social intervention in the community. They spend a year
working with partners in the community and coming to agreement
about what they can do during their senior year that will make a
difference in that community. These students get the opportunity to
be involved with the kinds of people I described as I challenged us to
think about how we will change what we do as vocational psychologists
and career counselors. The effect of the training that we provide for
our students we hope is that they will know how to deal with jobs that
have not yet been created, regroup in the face of disasters, and engage
in cultures as the demographics shift. You can learn more about the
Division of Student Affairs at the web address shown on the screen
(www.memphis.edu/studentaffairs )
We also expect our students to help those in need of help; the
unemployed, the disaster survivors, the wounded warriors, the urban
poor, and the vulnerable. We expect them to work and provide work
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so that there is enough to go around and the workforce is the right
size. Now, that I find acceptable.
◊My challenge to you is to look around and determine what you
find unacceptable. I hope it will be some of the things I have
mentioned in this talk. Then I hope you will push yourselves very hard
during this conference to come up with something that makes a
difference; something that moves the unacceptable to the acceptable.
Something that demonstrates that there is enough; something that will
help us all live and work well together in a diverse society.
◊As I close this talk, you can see that I have more questions than
answers. But I do want you to know that I do have joy, excitement and
faith in my life. If you remember nothing else about what I said
remember this: In 2002 I was on another long walk in the park when
my work and my spirit came together. The spirit spoke to me and said:
◊Turn your depression to joy
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◊Turnyour anxiety to excitement
◊And turn your fear to faith.
◊Do these things and you will discover that there is enough.