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It’s the time of year when the USPS delivers cards that sometimes have someone’s quick summary of the year. Sometimes they are incredibly clever and sometimes they contain surprising information about medical procedures or wobbly relationships.

I’m realizing that I have been at the ‘copa for all of 2005, and on a different day, with different mood, and a bit of eggnog I might attempt to write a professional Christmas letter. Not tonight though. (whew! a collective sigh of relief.) Instead I am pondering organizational culture and guiding principles. As ITS moves into 2006, it is assured that our culture will change as some of our more senior influences retire and the rest of us move into new roles. I know that no one can declare a particular cultural change, but I do think it is a perfect moment to reflect and to specify what our guiding principles are as we move forward. I’ll gather my thoughts and get them on paper. One thing that is rumbling in my head right now is that organizations should have people at heart, and that the best people will have the organization in their hearts too.

I spent two intense days at the recent ECAR symposium in Carefree, Arizona. One of the interesting presentations was about virtual worlds, and the blurring of virtual economy and real. Here’s a snippet from the NY Times. Joshua Fairfield was the presenter, and he argued for a hands-off approach to regulating this emerging technology. For one thing, if it is illegal to sell your World of Warcraft assets, then you are less likely to get out of the game. Bad for you, maybe, and good for the game seller, for sure. Another blurring with reality: employers and countries and even grocery stores create obstables to your leaving. I was left with the impression that somewhere in higher education someone will reward successful students with virtual gold, and gamers will be on the road to amulets and degrees all at the same time.

There exists at Maricopa a great opportunity to participate in professional development for nearly free. Once a year the Chancellor hosts a leadership breakfast open to any and all. This year’s speaker was Simon T. Bailey. Here is an article he wrote that gives you an idea of the way he thinks. My initial reaction was that he was a bit over-the-top and dramatic, but the message is genuine and he relates his own experiences at Disney in a way that is ultimately engaging. I can only hope next year’s speaker is this good!

Here’s a lovely image of the plant of the season, the hyacinth bean vine. The pods are purple as they can be, and the seeds are a distinctive black and white. I can’t wait to see if they will “winter over” and come back strong in the spring.

I’ve been reading this book about George Washington. The author, Joseph Ellis, quickly dismisses the myth of the Cherry Tree and such. It is a very interesting treatment of what Washington may have been thinking, and also the combination of luck, design and politics that let the colonies win independence from Great Britain. What I find most fascinating is the give and take between the Virginians that want to be the State among all states, and Washington and Hamilton that are convinced of the need for a strong central government. The parallels only go so far, but it gives some push the idea that MCCCD can expect ongoing natural tensions between the colleges, and the departments, like ITS, that provide central services. Hamilton’s efforts to establish a central bank can be overlayed with our efforts to provide a central student information system?? Probably too large a stretch. Still, understanding that there are times and places for central authority, and other times for college autonomy, it is comforting to know that the Founders had similar dilemmas.