Much of the 2006 and 2007 academic year saw the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) acting out the title of Michael Fullan’s book, Leadership & Sustainability: System Thinkers in Action. All CEHS faculty were offered a copy of Fullan’s book in spring 2007 by the Doctoral Planning Committee and encouraged to read it during the summer of 2007. Fullan (2005, p. 14) links abstract concepts to concrete examples, providing guidance for the system thinker in action, including the following eight elements of sustainability that certainly characterize the work of CEHS:

1. Public service with a moral purpose
2. Commitment to changing context at all levels
3. Lateral capacity-building through networks
4. Intelligent accountability and vertical relationships
5. Deep learning
6. Dual commitment to short-term and long-term results
7. Cyclical energizing
8. The long lever of leadership

The CEHS Doctoral Planning Committee has thought deeply about what the work of leaders should be in educational and human services arenas in the coming decades, and Fullan’s eight elements have provided a way forward as the committee has cast, recast, and forged a proposal for the college’s first doctoral program. I applaud their efforts and strongly believe that they have definitely anticipated the future direction of professionals in education, human services, and other organizations in the coming decades. In fact, their work as been so creative and future oriented that we have encountered resistance in various venues from individuals who cannot or will not be open to what a changing educational landscape suggests for the future. Fullan’s eight elements parallel closely the tenets of the National Network for Educational Renewal with its emphasis on moral purpose, collaboration, inquiry, simultaneous renewal, equity, access, nurturing pedagogy, and stewardship of public institutions (Goodlad, 2004).

As the 2006–2007 CEHS Annual Report was being compiled, significant changes were announced by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut. Effective as of the announcement in mid-August 2007, Wright State University has become a part of the University System of Ohio. Under this directive, Wright State will join with Ohio’s career centers, 23 community colleges, branch/regional campuses, and 12 other state universities to collaborate toward meeting state goals. State fiscal resources will be linked to the actual performance of institutions in meeting state-wide goals and policies, instead of only an emphasis on enrollment, as was the case with past state budgets (Gottschlich, 2007).

At the same time, the governor has shared his goal of bringing an additional 230,000 new college graduates to Ohio in the next ten years. As the college and university engage in a new round of strategic planning for the 2008–2013 period, and as we work to meet the new goals and policies of the new University System of Ohio, the tenets of Fullan and Goodlad could not be more useful. We look forward to the University System of Ohio’s ten year master plan when it is released for comment early in 2008. As in the past 40 years of Wright State’s development, the College of Education and Human Services will be prepared to make significant contributions to the well-being of the Miami Valley Region which counts on us to prepare professional leaders, educators, and counselors for a diverse democratic society.

Gregory R. Bernhardt
Dean

For the full Dean's report, please see the 2006-2007 college annual report.