Visionary Leader

Dear Reader,

I've been asking radio show guests, "Who inspires you?" Well, this week's guest inspires me. Back in the mid-90's, I worked as Director of Residential Life at Middlebury College, my alma mater. As an alumna, I had a strong sense of the school and often felt the presence of the ghosts of my own four years as an undergraduate when I walked on the campus paths and through the residence halls. I was loyal to a Middlebury of the past -- my past as well as the Institution's history.

Newly married and busy managing the daily urgencies of student life, I was not looking for a big challenge and personally resisted the future vision that the new administration described. When President John McCardell Jr. asked me to step up and co-lead the development of the new vision for a decentralized residential system, the Commons System, with my friend and colleage, Professor Tim Spears, I studied the proposal closely, and, somewhat to my own surprise, said yes -- a big yes that would change the course of my professional and personal life even as the Commons vision has reshaped the College.

John McCardell has since left Middlebury and now is Vice Chancellor of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, where he continues to challenge and inspire with an approach that suits a passionate historian -- honoring the past while envisioning and creating an entirely different future.

I hope you'll join me for a rich and perhaps surprising conversation with John McCardell, a visionary leader who is not afraid to challenge the status quo in higher education in order to bring about a future that is relevant and vital.

Sincerely,

Kate Ebner
CEO
Nebo Company

Monday, October 3

11 AM Eastern Time On VoiceAmerica Business Channel

College President and Historian Dr. John McCardell Jr.: Honoring the Past, Envisioning the Future

Dr. John McCardell, Jr.

Vice Chancellor,

The University of the South

How does our past inform our future? What does education owe the young people of today? What does Sewanee: The University of the South have to teach us about the future? These are just a few of the questions that Host Kate Ebner will explore with Dr. John McCardell Jr., Vice Chancellor of Sewanee: The University of the South and former President of Middlebury College. Dr. McCardell, a well-known Civil War historian, reminds us that "memories give meaning to the past and inspire hope for what is to come." Dr. McCardell has provided visionary leadership in two academic institutions, calling for a bold forward-thinking plan that honors the past while establishing a clear new path toward the future. Today, Dr. McCardell is guiding The University of the South to envision and become the southern liberal arts college of the 21st century. Dr. McCardell is recognized nationally for his strong stand that young people should be given opportunity, accompanied by both accountability and responsibility.
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Nebo Workshops for Leaders:

Visionary Leader, Extraordinary Life

A Leadership Training Day with Featured Hosts Kate Ebner and Donna Friedman Meir

Inspired by Nebo's "Visionary Leader, Extraordinary Life" curriculum, this Master Class features programs and exercises that deliver practical tools and strategies for creating a personal career vision and bringing it to life. Through highly interactive presentations, panel discussions and workshops, you will master strategies that help you thrive professionally while increasing your personal fulfillment. This unique program is being offered as part of the annual Kidscreen Summit. Nebo is glad to be able to make registration available for non-Kidscreen participants.

When: February 6, 2012

Where: Hilton NY, New York

Learn more!

What's Next?
Creating a career vision to guide you to the next level

Art by Elizabeth Rosen

Designing a career blueprint might not be as hard as you think. Kate Ebner outlines some easy steps to getting on the right path in the October 2011 Issue of Kidscreen Magazine.

Read the cull article as a pdf.

Recommended Reading

Designing for Growth:

A Design thinking Toolkit for Managers

By: Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie

If you enjoyed listening to Kate's interview with Tim Ogilvie of Peer Insight last week, we know you'll like his new book. Get your own copy.

October 3, 2011

In This Issue

Dr. John McCardell Jr. on Visionary Leader, Extraordinary Life

Nebo Workshops for Leaders

What's Next?