In an effort to build communication and management skills, the offices of the dean of the College had a two-day retreat this Tuesday and Wednesday at the Lake Morey Inn in Vermont.
Approximately one quarter of the dean's offices staff of 400 attended the event, which was designed especially for those in managerial and directorial positions and those who work directly with students.
All participants of the retreat attended a workshop to improve their written communication skills, especially e-mails and evaluations.
"I definitely learned techniques to improve my writing so that my point gets across without rambling," April Thompson, director of undergraduate judicial affairs, said.
The workshop also emphasized the need to target e-mails to the intended audience. As Thompson explained, e-mails to students -- who she said tend to dislike long blitzes and often ignore blitzes from the administration -- should be concise and very direct.
Martin Redman, dean of residential life, agreed that the writing workshop was quite helpful. He warned, however, that in an effort to streamline and shorten the blitzes his department sends to students, ORL may increase the number of overall blitzes it sends to students.
In addition to the mandatory writing workshop, the retreat also offered participants choices between several one-hour seminars. The smaller seminars focused on specific topics and were intended to foster discussion. Participants were allowed to choose between various topics and customize their experiences.
Dan Nelson, acting dean of the College, explained that the retreat's benefits varied from person to person, depending on interest, "areas of personal expertise, job responsibilities and familiarity with Dartmouth."
Many of the seminars targeted what Redman termed "issues of difference," ranging from conflict resolution and how to cope with staff disagreements to how to best serve the needs of different segments of the student body.
The event also featured seminars about how best to serve different religious and ethnic minorities, a seminar about gender, which discussed the gender-neutral housing that will be introduced this fall, and a seminar emphasizing the importance of socio-economic diversity.
One discussion many participants found helpful focused on the use of Native American symbolism at Dartmouth over time. The seminar introduced incoming staff to the controversies the College experienced in the past year surrounding the image and also tried to explain these recent events in a wider historical context.
Redman said that the retreat additionally served as an ideal opportunity to meet new members of the staff and reconnect with people who work in different areas of the dean's offices. The unstructured elements of the retreat, especially lunch, which everyone ate together, enhanced the atmosphere, Redman said.
The retreat is held each year with a different focus. The subjects of this year's retreat were chosen with input from all members of the dean's staff in a process that started shortly after last year's retreat.
