By Mary Todd
In my last column I mused about Big Questions. Our current theme of innova-
tion prompts me to think
about something called Better
Questions — questions at the
heart of the process of
change and innovation.
Innovation is a primary focus of Phi Kappa
Phi these days, as we prepare to open the competition for our new Excellence in Innovation
Award in September. Unlike our other awards
and grants — those made to members and students on member campuses — the innovation
award is available only to accredited institutions of higher learning. The genesis of this
initiative came from our strategic plan, one
goal of which is to increase Phi Kappa Phi’s
presence and voice in the national conversation on higher education.
As we considered steps we might take toward the achievement of that goal, we sought
a substantial project that would underscore
our mission to recognize excellence. It was
right in front of us — why not do what we’re
best known for, what we already do well? The
Society has been in the awards business since
it established the fellowship program in 1931.
And so the Phi Kappa Phi Excellence in Innovation Award was created as a means of recognizing the transformative, systemic innovations for which higher education is often
known.
In his recent book, A More Beautiful Question:
The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas
(Bloomsbury, 2014), Warren Berger poses a
simple formula: Q (questioning) + A (action)
= I (innovation). Berger would surely share
Robert Kennedy’s fondness for George Bernard Shaw’s claim, “Some people see things as
they are and say why? I dream things that
never were and say, why not?”
Why is the innovator’s obvious first question, Why Not her next, followed by What If,
and finally, How Her critics will ask their own
questions — just what does she think she’s
doing? (We’ve never done it that way before,
you know.) Change can be challenging, even
threatening, to individuals, organizations, and
institutions. Most people don’t like change, yet
like it or not, over the course of their lives,
they’ve not only seen but benefited from the
remarkable changes introduced by technology
and research, all of which began with innovations sparked by the curious mind of an inveterate questioner.
We can’t wait to learn about the projects
that colleges and universities will submit to
our award competition as their best examples
of the innovative work being done on their
campuses. To be clear, the award is not seed
money to encourage innovation, but recognition of achievement in innovation. We’re looking for projects accompanied by assessment
metrics and measurable outcomes. We are excited at the prospect of acknowledging powerful, positive solutions to difficult challenges,
and we look forward to sharing those stories.
Speaking of innovations, look for a change
in our winter edition, which for the past sever-
al years has been dedicated to announcing all
Phi Kappa Phi award recipients for the year.
The Forum Advisory Council, in its February
2015 meeting, recommended that the Forum
publish four full editions each year, and that
awards be announced in a different venue,
such as the website. To that end, the winter
issue, mailing in November, will be a themed
issue focusing on patterns.
The winter issue will also be the debut of
our new editor, Beth Colvin. Beth brings experience in features, editing and design to Phi
Kappa Phi from her ten years at The Advocate,
Baton Rouge’s daily newspaper. As the Forum
begins its second century, it will have its first
female editor in Beth, who we are pleased to
welcome to the masthead. We’re eager to see
what innovations she will introduce in these
pages in future issues.
Since the publication of the centennial
issue, the Forum has been well served by the
team of interim editor Marla Elsea and her
husband Tim, a graphic designer. Many
thanks to them both for their excellent work
on the summer and fall issues.
We don’t often ask anything of our readers,
but if you are or were affiliated with a regionally accredited four-year college or university
that you believe might be a candidate for the
Excellence in Innovation Award, please share
with them the announcement on the back
cover of this issue or point them to our website. After all, this award is an innovation itself.
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We’ve Never Done It
That Way Before