Excerpt from the 6th Science Centre World Congress

The following is an excerpt from my remarks presented, via video, at the conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

"Last year at the Association of Science and Technology Centers annual conference, I suggested that science center leaders have the potential to positively influence society, beyond their institution's goals, towards the greater good of their communities and the world.  That the role and the responsibility of the science center leader was broader than sustaining the institution or creating a revelvant organization and achieving global recognition.  I asked panelists to address the question of the role of the science center leader in changing society; some deemed the topic merited a "deeper dive" and thus this session.

I arrive at the question of How Science Center Leaders Change Society from two perspectives: as Managing Director of the Nonprofit Practice of DHR International, a global executive search firm with offices in 50 countries, I have, for dozens of years, worked with science centers across the world - from New Zealand to London and throughout the US.  I witness, first hand, the kinds of individuals boards and governments are seeking, and more so how they evaluate science center leaders.

As Co-Director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers Business School in New Jersey, I am involved in teaching, convening and researching topics about ethics and ethical leadership in government, business and the nongovernmental sector.

Because the study of science should be nonpartisan and disinterested, the leaders of science centers have an ethical responsibility to earn and keep the public trust.  They have a responsibility to seek out and accurately address controversial issues through the platform offered them by their institution. 

Yet, sustainability is a growing concern for science center leaders.  A number of factors have caused this: growing competition - for media attention, alternate educational outlets and visitors' discretionary entertainment dollars - and increased operating and capital costs combined with cuts in support. 

Not only do boards demand financial sustainability, the ability to stay refreshed requires it, and the public takes notices of it.  I believe, because of these pressures, some science center leaders are forced to concentrate on, in fact are preoccupied with, sustaining the organization's financial health.

Science center boards demand leaders who can demonstrate an ability to balance the budget, raise resources, and select and market exhibitions that attract visitors.  Sometimes boards may be interested in professional credentials - a trained scientist - but more often boards seek someone to only meet the business needs of the organization.

However, the science center leader has a much more important task.  James MacGregor Burns wrote: "The effectiveness of leaders must be judged not by their press clippings but by the actual social change measured by intent and the satisfaction of human needs and expectations."

On a personal level, the leader must hold herself to a higher standard - of ethics, empathy, service to self, family and community, generosity of spirit, and a disinterested, nonpolitical view of the world.   The best leaders are they who live by their values, who are the mentors, spokespersons for the field, community volunteers, and models of personal leadership.

To foster an environment that encourages scientific inquiry and attracts and supports that inquiry; to create an institution whose intent goes beyond the teaching of STEM and beyond engaging people to the wonders of science.  To create and sustain an institution whose intent is to change how we think about the world and therefore change society.  Emlyn Koster, quoting Harold Skramstad, illuminated this thought "...to engage actively in the design and delivery of experiences that have the power to inspire and change the way people see the world and the possibility of their own lives."

The formula is simple but challenging: ethical responsibility to embody truth; courage to disseminate knowledge; and leadership to influence others to follow."

For the video, see: YouTube

            
On October 13th DHR International's Gallery One, hosted its newest exhibition, From Image to Object: Painting to Collage by Bart Gulley. Born in New York City, Bart's life-long interests lie in fine art, classic American commercial graphics and design, and architecture.  By using collage as his medium for this collection of work, Bart is able to create unexpected compositions with bold contrasts and abrupt juxtapositions of shape, scale and material. Bart's interests and skills are truly interwoven in this collection of large-scale collage on board. 

In Bart's own words, "Chance plays a major role in how I make each work. I try to make new discoveries without predetermined outcomes. I lose one type of imagery and find another - one that surprises me and enables me to wed intuited sensation to analytical intention...the final work is self-contained, in that all the parts relate to and act on one another. My primary purpose is to make abstract works that resemble the concrete." 

Abruzzo Associates