Campbell University’s spring faculty and staff orientation included all the hallmarks of your typical beginning-of-the-semester gathering — updates from the cabinet, words of encouragement and things to expect in the coming months among them. But Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dr. John Roberson offered one new challenge for Campbell employees to begin the new year.
Roberson invited all faculty and staff to consider taking part in the “Overcoming the Status Quo” awards — monetary prizes for those who “intend to challenge, tackle and overcome the status quo.” The awards, which will range from $500 to $2,000, were made possible by an anonymous benefactor who committed $50,000 recently for the idea.
“Status quo frequently implies a state of affairs that is fixed, stagnant or unchangeable,” Roberson said. “Across the higher education landscape, many institutions are desperately clinging to their status quo, providing yesterday’s answers to today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities. Institutions holding to an antiquated status quo are on a path to non-relevance at best and self-destruction at worst. Campbell University can no longer accept — and certainly not embrace — its version of status quo.”
Proposals for consideration — which can be emailed to Lori Barefoot — will require the following:
- Identify your challenge to the status quo: What do you think is an issue of status quo to be tackled and overcome? How is the identified issue maintaining the status quo?
- Justification: What are best practices saying about the issue of status quo being challenged? How are students or the University being impacted by the issue? Are other institutions confronting and addressing this issue? Are data readily available to support the challenge?
- Does the University have capacity to solve the solution? Some solutions may be too great for the University to manage right now (for example, investing in a new technology system to address an issue of status quo with student advising).
- Design your challenge: Create your plan to overcome the issue of status quo you identified. Use your justification to build your case. Your narrative should be passionate, convincing, positive, and possible. Also, include how you will be held accountable for completing your challenge as presented
- Submit your challenge to the status quo for consideration to receive an Overcoming Status Quo Award.
Update: February 15
The committee for the “Overcoming Status Quo Challenge” has been confirmed (list below). The committee is working to develop a timeline, refine guidelines and create an official submission process.
- Eric Baumann, Director, Campus Recreation
- Will Bratton, Director, Advancement, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
- Bonnie Brenseke, Associate Professor and Biomedical Chair of Pathology, School of Osteopathic Medicine
- An-Que DeBerry, Instructor of Social Work & Program Director, School of Education & Human Sciences
- Lisa Lakasik, Director, Richardson Family Education Equity Clinic, School of Law
- Debbie Gibbs, Bursar
- Karen Guzman, Professor of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences
- Mark Steckbeck, chair, Associate Professor of Economics and Lundy Chair in Business Philosophy, School of Business